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Chuck Carr Passes Away

By Darragh McDonald | November 14, 2022 at 3:49pm CDT

Former big league outfielder Chuck Carr passed away yesterday, according to an announcement from his family on Facebook. He was 55 years old.

Selected by the Reds in the ninth round of the 1986 draft, he eventually made his MLB debut with the Mets in 1990. He got very brief chances in New York that year and in 1991, as well as with the Cardinals in 1992. His first real opportunity for an extended look came in 1993, after the Marlins selected him in their expansion draft.

In 142 games in the inaugural Marlins season, he hit .267/.327/330 and stole 58 bases, enough to lead the National League that year. He stayed with the Marlins for the next two seasons, never providing much power but continuing to be a speed-and-defense contributor. He stole another 32 bags in 1994 and 25 in 1995, despite both of those seasons being shortened by the 1994-1995 strike.

He spent the next couple of seasons with the Brewers and Astros, getting to play in the postseason for the first time with the latter club in 1997. In Game 3 of the NLDS against the Braves, he hit a home run off John Smoltz. Atlanta won the game and the series and Carr didn’t play in the bigs again, meaning that home run eventually proved to be the last at-bat of Carr’s MLB career, finishing it off with a bang.

Altogether, Carr got into 507 games over eight seasons, finishing with a .254 batting average, 435 hits, 81 doubles, seven triples and 13 home runs. He crossed the plate 254 times, knocked in 123 runs and swiped 144 bags.

MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends, loved ones, former teammates and associates.

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Houston Astros Miami Marlins Milwaukee Brewers New York Mets Obituaries St. Louis Cardinals

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NL Central Notes: Brewers Pitching, Cardinals, Reynolds

By Simon Hampton | November 10, 2022 at 9:54pm CDT

Heading into the off-season, the Brewers have a number of quality players and like any smaller market team, their dwindling years of control make them speculative trade candidates. Star pitchers Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff are both entering their final two seasons of control, but according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Brewers are more likely to add to their roster around those two than look to deal them.

Burnes followed up last year’s NL Cy Young winning campaign with another brilliant season, throwing 202 innings of 2.94 ERA ball. He struck out 243 batters (1st in NL) and while he’s not a finalist for the Cy Young award in 2022, he’ll certainly receive some down-ballot votes. Woodruff finished fifth in Cy Young voting last year, and pitched to a 3.05 ERA across 153 1/3 innings in 2022. Woodruff is due $11MM in arbitration, while Burns slightly tops that with $11.4MM, per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’ projections. A trade of either could give the Brewers farm system – which ranked 13th on Baseball America’s mid-season rankings – a massive boost.

After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and finishing seven games back of the Cardinals, it might’ve been an opportune time to retool a little and replenish their farm system, but instead it appears they’ll look to bounce back by adding to their current core in 2023. According to RosterResource, the Brewers payroll currently projects at around $130MM, $7MM shy of their final mark in 2022. While it’s unclear if the Brewers plan to increase payroll, as things stand that doesn’t leave a ton of wiggle room to improve and try and catch the Cardinals, though they could opt to non-tender some of their arbitration-eligible players to free up some payroll space.

Here’s some more from around the National League Central:

  • The Cardinals have a clear need at catcher following the retirement of Yadier Molina, and it seems they could fill that hole with the top free agent catcher Willson Contreras. According to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, the Cards are one team (alongside the Tigers and Astros) to have expressed interest in Contreras. The slugging catcher hit 22 home runs and slashed .243/.349/.466 in 113 games this year with the Cubs. They did issue him with a qualifying offer, so the Cardinals would have to forfeit a draft pick in the event they did sign him. Currently Andrew Knizner is the top catcher on the Cardinals depth chart, but he profiles as more of a backup so it’s not surprising to see the team linked with free agent catchers.
  • Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds’ elite production and years of control – along with Pittsburgh’s ongoing rebuild – have made him one of the most coveted trade pieces in recent years, but according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Bucs are unlikely to trade him this off-season. Reynolds can be a free agent after the 2025 season, and despite their second-straight 100-loss year, Morosi says the Pirates believe they can be competitive within that window. Reynolds hit .262/.345/.461 with 27 home runs in 2022, a solid year but down on his lofty standards. A year ago, Reynolds slashed .302/.390/.522 and finished eleventh in NL MVP voting. On the whole, Reynolds is a quality hitter that almost any major league team would find room for. Defensively, Reynolds has split time between left and center fields, but grades out better in left with seven Defensive Runs Saved there in his career, against -16 in center. He’s put up 13.6 bWAR across four seasons (including the pandemic-shortened 2020 year) and has given Pittsburgh a star to cheer for through some lean years. Ultimately, there’s reasonable cases to be made for and against trading Reynolds, and while Morosi’s tweet doesn’t rule out a trade by any stretch, given Pittsburgh’s turned down trade interest in recent years there’s a good chance they keep him and look to build around him again in 2023.
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Milwaukee Brewers Notes Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals Brandon Woodruff Bryan Reynolds Corbin Burnes Willson Contreras

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Brewers Acquire Payton Henry From Marlins

By Anthony Franco and Simon Hampton | November 10, 2022 at 5:05pm CDT

The Brewers have acquired catcher Payton Henry from the Marlins, per team announcements. Minor league outfielder Reminton Batista is headed back to Miami. The Fish used the vacated 40-man roster spot to select the contract of left-hander Sean Reynolds.

Henry, 25, made the Marlins major league roster out of spring training but only appeared in 15 games before being optioned back to Triple-A on May 26. He went just 4-for-28 – all singles – with eight strikeouts in that small sample. He injured himself not long after returning to the minors, requiring surgery on his thumb and spending around two months out. He returned in early August and hit .239/.325/.324 with a single home run across 83 plate appearances.

Henry was actually drafted by the Brewers in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, but was flipped to the Marlins in 2021 in a deadline deal for John Curtiss. His prospect reports rated him as a solid defender with good raw power but lacking in the hitting department. He did display that home run power early on in the minors with Milwaukee, but it dropped off after reaching the Double-A level. The Brewers have Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson on their major league roster, and given Henry has minor league options remaining, he figures to join them as catching depth in 2023.

Going back the other is Batista, a 17-year-old outfield prospect out of the Dominican Republic. He hit .252/.348/.333 for the Brewers affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. He didn’t show much power, but did swipe 18 bags across 46 games.

The trade allows the Marlins to add Reynolds to the 40-man roster, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. Reynolds was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, and initially started his career as a hitter, but he never had much success and he’s been pitching as a reliever in their system since 2021. He struck out 33.6% of batters against a 12.1% walk rate on the way to a 3.25 ERA across 27 2/3 innings at High-A in 2022. He struggled a bit once promoted to Double-A, seeing his strikeout rate dip to 25.2% and tossing 24 2/3 innings of 5.11 ERA. Given it’s only his second season pitching in their system, the Marlins clearly believe there’s enough potential here that’s it worth having him occupy a 40-man spot to avoid losing him to other teams in next month’s Rule 5 draft.

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Miami Marlins Milwaukee Brewers Transactions Payton Henry Sean Reynolds

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Brewers Decline Option On Brad Boxberger

By Anthony Franco | November 10, 2022 at 1:48pm CDT

1:48pm: Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold told reporters Boxberger went unclaimed on waivers before the team decided on the option (via Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Had another team claimed him off waivers, they could’ve controlled him for $3MM while saving Milwaukee the buyout money. Arnold noted that indicates no team presently values Boxberger at $3MM but suggested the Brewers could be open to a reunion at some point down the line.

12:51pm: The Brewers announced they’ve declined their $3MM option on reliever Brad Boxberger. The 34-year-old collects a $750K buyout and heads back to the open market.

It was only a $2.25MM decision, which seems a reasonable sum for a pitcher who posted a 2.95 ERA over 64 innings this year. That makes this a moderately surprising move, but there are a number of underlying marks in Boxberger’s profile that explain why the Milwaukee front office wasn’t bullish about his chances of repeating that success.

The right-hander got swinging strikes on a below-average 9.5% of his pitches, two points lower than the league mark. That was the worst whiff rate in any of his 11 MLB seasons, although he offset that somewhat with one of the better called-strike rates of his career. Boxberger still struck out a slightly above-average 25.4% of opposing hitters, but he didn’t dominate on a pitch-for-pitch basis as he has at his best. His velocity also took a slight step back, with his fastball sitting at 92.7 MPH after averaging 93.5 MPH in 2021.

Missing bats has long been Boxberger’s calling card, as he’s never had great control or consistently strong ground-ball rates. He has been effective keeping runs off the board, posting an ERA of 3.34 or lower in each of the last three years. Manager Craig Counsell continued to rely upon him in high-leverage spots, but the front office clearly isn’t of the opinion he’ll continue to be a fit in that kind of role.

Despite some of the red flags in Boxberger’s profile, he could find a major league deal with a similar base salary to the option value in free agency. He has plenty of high-leverage experience, including a 41-save All-Star campaign with the 2015 Rays. He’s also been a durable source of innings in middle relief and setup work, avoiding the injured list three years running.

Will Sammon of the Athletic reported the news before the team announcement.

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Milwaukee Brewers Transactions Brad Boxberger

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Brewers Claim Tyson Miller From Rangers

By Darragh McDonald | November 10, 2022 at 1:04pm CDT

The Brewers have claimed right-hander Tyson Miller off waivers from the Rangers, according to announcements from both clubs.

Miller, 27, was a fourth round pick of the Cubs and made a very brief MLB debut with them in 2020. The proverbial cup of coffee resulted in five innings pitched over two appearances. He went to the Rangers on a waiver claim in 2021 but didn’t make it back to the show that year.

Here in 2022, he spent most of his time in Triple-A, getting into 29 games there with 16 of those being starts. He logged 89 2/3 innings in that time with a 4.52 ERA, 28.6% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 45.5% ground ball rate. The long ball was an issue for him, as he watched it go over the fence 14 times in that sample. He also logged 10 2/3 innings in the majors though was hit hard to a 10.97 ERA in that time.

Miller still has an option remaining, allowing the Brewers to keep him in the minors as depth. If they can find a way to suppress those homers, the rest of his results look pretty good.

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Milwaukee Brewers Texas Rangers Transactions Tyson Miller

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Brewers Exercise Kolten Wong’s Club Option

By Darragh McDonald | November 8, 2022 at 4:15pm CDT

The Milwaukee Brewers are picking up their club option on Kolten Wong, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. They will pay him a $10MM salary in 2023 instead of the $2MM buyout.

While most option decisions have a fairly obvious outcome, Wong’s was one of the few that was actually sort of difficult to predict. Long a defensive stalwart, he had perhaps his greatest offensive season in 2022 but took an odd step back in terms of his glovework. Faced with a net $8MM decision, it seems the Brewers have deemed Wong worthy of another go and have triggered his option for 2023.

The 32-year-old was drafted by the Cardinals and spent the first eight seasons of his career there from 2013 to 2020. He was fairly dependable in that regard, providing solid work on the dirt while hitting near a league-average level. Outside of his 2013 debut, he posted a wRC+ between 85 and 109 in each of his seasons in St. Louis, with 100 being the average mark. He never hit for much power, maxing out at 12 home runs as a single-season high as a Cardinal. However, he never struck out more than 16.4% of the time in that stretch and often proved a threat on the basepaths.

On the defensive side of things, Wong generally received positive reviews from the advanced metrics. Defensive Runs Saved gave him a positive number in each season from 2014 to 2020 except for 2017, with the highest being a 17 in 2019. That was easily the highest among second basemen that season, with Enrique Hernández coming in second at 12. Ultimate Zone Rating considered 2018 to be his standout campaign, giving him a 13.4 that year, nudging out DJ LeMahieu for the league lead at the keystone.

Prior to the 2016 season, he and the Cardinals agreed to a five-year extension that came with a $12.5MM option for 2021 with a $1MM buyout. Somewhat surprisingly, the Cards opted for the buyout and sent Wong to free agency, where he landed a two-year, $18MM guarantee from the Brewers with the option for 2023. Since coming to Milwaukee, Wong has had two consecutive above-average seasons at the plate, putting together a cumulative batting line of .262/.337/.439 for a wRC+ of 113. He’s found a little extra power, hitting 14 homers in 2021 and 15 in 2022 after never getting above 12 in previous seasons. He’s also continued to have his speed, swiping 29 bases over the past two years, including 17 in 2022.

As mentioned earlier, Wong’s typically strong defense took a turn for the worse in 2022. In terms of traditional stats, his 17 errors tied a career high from back in 2015. The advanced metrics weren’t keen either, with Wong pegged at a -1 DRS, -4.7 UZR and -9 Outs Above Average. “Defensively, it just wasn’t even my year,” Wong told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last month, before acknowledging that the club’s large arbitration class and impending arrival of prospect Brice Turang might lead to the Brewers choosing the buyout. “I’ve been a free agent one time already and it’s not the most enjoyable thing,” Wong added. “If I got to go through it again, it is what it is. It will be interesting to see where I’d end up landing. Milwaukee was a choice that I kind of had in mind going into free agency as a high pick for me. This next one, I just kind of want to keep an open mind and see how it goes.”

It seems Wong won’t have to worry about free agency for now, as the Brewers have decided he’s worth the $8MM investment. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to Wong, who said the he is “stoked” about the decision, before going on to detail that his legs weren’t 100% healthy in 2022, which contributed to his defensive shortcomings (Twitter links).

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Milwaukee Brewers Newsstand Transactions Kolten Wong

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Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio Discusses Upcoming Offseason

By Jacob Smith | November 5, 2022 at 9:53am CDT

On Friday, the Brewers released a video of chairman and principal owner Mark Attanasio discussing a wide variety of topics pertaining to the club’s upcoming offseason with broadcaster Brian Anderson via fan-submitted questions. Among Attanasio’s more interesting answers was his response to a question about which minor leaguers he expected to appear in Milwaukee in 2023, to which he stated that the Brewers “might be very active this winter, and depending on which direction we [the Brewers] are active may create openings for guys” (h/t to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Attanasio is most likely referring to which positional area Milwaukee decides to address, as opposed to whether or not they will make moves to try and remain competitive. Nonetheless, Attanasio’s quote will not inspire confidence in Brewers fans who are hungry to see Milwaukee make major additions in the offseason. In a year in which a competitive Brewers team traded away Josh Hader, only to finish one game out of the final postseason spot, some of the questions submitted by fans seemed to reflect a concern regarding the front office’s commitment to winning. In fairness, the Brewers made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons and have built what has become a perennial division contender on a payroll that has consistently ranked well below the league median. The most important question for Milwaukee does not appear to be whether or not the front office is committed to putting a winning team on the field, but rather whether their core group of players, the same ones that are taking up most of the payroll, are capable of delivering another deep postseason run.

Roster Resource projects the club for a 2023 payroll of $118MM, which is already fairly high for them. The club set a franchise record in 2022 with an Opening Day payroll of $132MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. The Brew Crew enters this offseason with a lot of question marks as to who will fill out their starting lineup. Milwaukee can create some payroll wiggle room by declining Kolten Wong’s $10MM option and non-tendering Hunter Renfroe (who MLBTR projects to make $11.2MM in 2023), but would then be faced with holes in two outfield spots, as well as at second base. Brice Turang and Garrett Mitchell could plug in for the Brewers if Wong and Renfroe depart, but that would put a lot of the burden of offensive success on young players who have yet to establish themselves in the big leagues. There are some lower-cost free agent outfielders that might entice the Brewers, but the market for second basemen is pretty thin. As such, it’s difficult to envision Milwaukee making a major improvement over what they already have, considering their financial restrictions and reluctance for parting with prospects.

Attanasio expressed confidence in the core group of players that have led the Brewers over the last few years, noting that he feels like the club is “really well set up for next year.” The success or failure of said core will likely determine whether or not Milwaukee gets back to the playoffs. Fortunately, there’s no reason to think that the trio of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta won’t continue to baffle hitters. That being said, if the 2023 Brewers are going to score runs to support their pitching staff, Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez will have at least replicate their production from last season, and Christian Yelich will have to look more like he did in 2018-2019. If Milwaukee truly is active this winter, they may have to get creative in how they make improvements to their roster.

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The Opener: Astros, Options, Diamondbacks

By Nick Deeds | November 4, 2022 at 8:20am CDT

Welcome to The Opener, our new weekday morning series here at MLBTR! Nick Deeds will take you through three things to watch around MLB, with our typical hot stove leaning.

With the final game of the 2022 MLB season coming as soon as tomorrow night, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world:

1. Astros Facing Decisions On Baker, Click

After a hard-fought Game 5 that afforded Justin Verlander his first pitcher win in the World Series, the Astros will look to clinch back home in Houston tomorrow night. As soon as they do, however, they’ll have to face the personnel decisions that their postseason run has put on hold to this point. Both manager Dusty Baker and GM James Click are on expiring contracts, and Astros owner Jim Crane will have to decide their futures with the franchise. The Astros are expected to ask Baker to return in 2023, and Baker has indicated that he would like to continue managing regardless of the outcome of this postseason run. The future is murkier for Click, however, as speculation has run rampant throughout the postseason that he may not be asked to return to Houston in 2023, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post mentioning the uncertainty surrounding Click’s future as recently as last night. While it’s surprising to see so much uncertainty around a GM who has captured back-to-back AL pennants and might add a World Series championship to his resume as soon as tomorrow night, reports of a personality clash between Crane and Click abound. Heyman suggests that the Astros may be interested in David Stearns, who served as their assistant GM prior to running Milwaukee’s front office. While Stearns has stepped down as president of baseball operations for the Brewers, he’s not likely to run the Astros or any other team during the 2023 season, for which he is still under contract in Milwaukee. Even if the Astros are indeed interested in Stearns as their long-term head of baseball operations, the question of who will be at the helm in Houston next season remains unanswered.

2. Option Decisions Loom

A number of players and teams are facing option decisions, and with the World Series set to end this weekend, those decisions will have to be made sometime next week. While some decisions, such as that of Nolan Arenado, have already been made, most are still up in the air. Anthony Rizzo, Jurickson Profar, and Jake Odorizzi are among the players with tougher decisions facing them on whether or not to test free agency. As for club options, the Dodgers have one of the tougher calls on Justin Turner’s $16MM option, as do the Brewers on Kolten Wong’s $10MM option. Additionally, many of the biggest names on the free agent market this season, such as Verlander, Jacob deGrom, Carlos Correa, and Xander Bogaerts, are technically not set to be free agents until they opt-out of their current contracts, though for decisions as clear as these this is little more than a formality.

3. Arizona Faces Outfield Logjam

Despite finishing the regular season with an unimpressive 74-88 record, the Diamondbacks are by no means a team without talent. Unfortunately for Arizona, however, a great deal of that talent overlaps heavily, as the team is flush with young, controllable, lefty-hitting outfielders. Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas highlight the bunch in terms of prospect pedigree, but Jake McCarthy had a breakout season in 2022, Daulton Varsho turned in a quality season as an everyday player spending most of his time in the outfield, Pavin Smith won’t be eligible for arbitration until after next season, and Dominic Fletcher is knocking on the door in Triple-A. Between the DH and some positional versatility — Varsho caught 175 innings in 2022, while Smith played a bit of first base — Arizona could find at-bats for most, or perhaps even all, of these players. A better solution for the Diamondbacks, though, would be to explore trades for one or two of these young players in order to shore up their pitching staff or address other holes in the lineup. Carroll and Varsho would likely be off-limits, but perhaps a team looking to get more left-handed bats into the lineup, such as either Chicago team or the Marlins, could be interested in acquiring McCarthy, Smith, or Fletcher. While it’s not inconceivable Thomas could be moved, after a rough start to his major league career in 2022, Arizona would likely be selling low on him in any deal.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers The Opener Alek Thomas Anthony Rizzo Corbin Carroll Daulton Varsho Jake McCarthy Jake Odorizzi James Click Jurickson Profar Justin Turner Justin Verlander Kolten Wong Pavin Smith

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The Opener: World Series, Mets, Brewers

By Nick Deeds | November 3, 2022 at 8:35am CDT

Welcome to The Opener, our new weekday morning series here at MLBTR! Nick Deeds will take you through three things to watch around MLB, with our typical hot stove leaning.

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world:

1. The World Series Sees Its Second No-Hitter

After watching Lance McCullers Jr. give up five home runs while Ranger Suarez shut the lineup out in Game 3, Astros fans were no doubt feeling a bit queasy headed into a Game 4 against Aaron Nola, one of the best pitchers in the NL. Just as they did in Game 1, however, the Astros lineup managed to get to Nolan, striking for five runs in the fifth inning. However, the Astros’ offense wasn’t the story of this game — Cristian Javier struck out nine over six shutout innings to combine with Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly for a no-hitter. It was the second no-hitter in World Series history (preceded by Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series), and just the third-ever postseason no-hitter (also at Citizens Bank Ballpark, Roy Halladay tossed a no-no in the 2010 NLDS). While there’s still plenty of baseball to be played this November, it’s worth noting that both Larsen’s Yankees and Halladay’s Phillies went on to win their respective series. For tonight’s pivotal Game 5, the Phillies will start Noah Syndergaard against Houston’s Justin Verlander.

2. The Mets Brace For Losses, Eye Additions In Free Agency

After a 101-win season that ended abruptly at the hands of the Padres in the Wild Card series, the Mets now face some significant free agent losses, and center fielder Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Diaz are reportedly the free agents New York wishes to retain the most. Mets owner Steve Cohen is certainly unafraid of making a splash in free agency, and the team will have to devote some more resources to rebuilding it rotation, as three starters (Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, and Taijuan Walker) are likely to hit free agency this offseason, and a fourth could join them if the Mets decline Carlos Carrasco’s club option. Few players with deGrom’s level of potential impact exist in the game, much less on the free agent market, but Verlander and Carlos Rodon are both arms who could take deGrom’s place alongside Scherzer at the top of the rotation in Queens. The likes of Nathan Eovaldi, Jameson Taillon and Tyler Anderson represent possible mid-rotation replacements for Bassitt, while Walker’s quality back of the rotation production could be replaced by a variety of pitchers, including Syndergaard, Corey Kluber, or Sean Manaea.

3. Brewers Face Tough Decisions In Arbitration

In yesterday’s opener, we discussed the massive arbitration class the Rays have heading into 2023, with their 19 players being the most of any club. Milwaukee isn’t far behind with an 18-player class that is projected to receive $79.9MM, and thus the Brewers are set to approach their 2023 payroll even before making additions this offseason. While there are some non-tender candidates in the group, most of the significant money in Milwaukee’s arbitration class is tied up in productive players too valuable to just cut, so a trade of one of these more expensive names (i.e.Hunter Renfroe, Willy Adames) could make some sense. Of course, then the Brewers face the new problem of finding adequate replacements for their production for a lower price. Whatever path he may choose, GM Matt Arnold’s first offseason at the helm of the Brewers’s front office will be one to follow.

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Houston Astros Milwaukee Brewers New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies The Opener Bryan Abreu Cristian Javier Rafael Montero Ryan Pressly

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Brewers To Re-Sign Jon Singleton To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | October 31, 2022 at 11:43am CDT

The Brewers are re-signing first baseman Jon Singleton to a minor league contract, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link). The 31-year-old will be in big league Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, McCalvy adds.

It’s a second straight season in the Milwaukee organization for Singleton, who hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since 2015. A member of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects lists every year between 2011-14, the power-hitting first baseman signed a $10MM extension with the Astros in June 2014. That came in conjunction with his first big league promotion, a precursor to pre-MLB guarantees for players like Scott Kingery, Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert. Houston’s hope was they’d found a middle-of-the-order presence for years to come, but the left-handed hitter didn’t meet the lofty expectations.

Over the next season and a half, Singleton sputtered to a .171/.290/.331 line in 114 MLB games. After playing the 2016-17 seasons in the high minors, he was released in May 2018. That came on the heels of a third career suspension following a failed test for a drug of abuse. As McCalvy chronicled in greater detail this past spring, Singleton has been open about his battle with marijuana addiction.

Singleton spent a few years out of the game but returned to professional baseball in Mexico last year. He spent the entire 2022 campaign with the Brew Crew’s top affiliate in Nashville, putting together a solid season. Through 581 plate appearances, he hit .219/.375/.434. His batting average isn’t eye-catching, but he connected on 24 home runs and drew walks in an incredible 20.1% of his trips to the dish. Even with an elevated 27.7% strikeout rate, he ranked 15th among 148 International League hitters (minimum 300 plate appearances) in on-base percentage and tied for seventh in long balls.

That wasn’t enough for Singleton to get a big league look, but it was sufficient for the Brewers to bring him back on another minor league deal. He’ll get a chance to compete for an MLB job next spring. Milwaukee can retain both of their 2022 first basemen, Rowdy Tellez and Keston Hiura. Like Singleton, Tellez is a left-handed hitter whose profile is carried by his power and plate discipline. He’s clearly above Singleton on the depth chart, although he’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $5.3MM salary in his second year of arbitration eligibility. That’s not an insignificant sum for a Brewers team with a huge arbitration class, and as MLBTR’s Maury Ahram explored earlier this month, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Milwaukee fields trade offers on Tellez this offseason.

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    Corbin Carroll To Undergo Surgery For Hamate Fracture

    Reese Olson To Miss 2026 Season Following Shoulder Surgery

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On 60-Day Injured List

    Rangers To Sign Jordan Montgomery

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    Braves Like Current Rotation, Open To Adding “Playoff Starter”

    Twins Sign Andrew Chafin To Minor League Contract

    Diamondbacks Sign Joe Ross, Oscar Mercado To Minor League Deals

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