Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports that the Brewers are accepting trade offers for much of their squad. Although most clubs, especially those in smaller markets, follow that routine, Rosenthal speculates that Milwaukee might be more open to dealing big players this offseason than they have been in the past.
During the previous offseason, reports suggest that Milwaukee informed teams that they had no interest in trading Willy Adames, Corbin Burnes, or Brandon Woodruff. This time, it doesn’t seem like they’re being quite as firm. However, that does not ensure that any of those players will be moving.
In any case, Woodruff isn’t worth anything in trade right now. Following shoulder surgery, the All-Star righty will miss the majority of the upcoming season. After that year, he is expected to become a free agent. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz estimates that should he submit a contract for arbitration, he will make $11.6MM. Before Friday’s non-tender deadline, there’s a chance Milwaukee cuts him loose for no reason at all.
Adames would be a useful asset in his own right, but Burnes would have tremendous trade appeal. If the Brewers were to give dealing the former any real thought, he is among the top pitchers in the game and would probably be the best starting available. The 2021 Cy Young Award winner pitched 193 2/3 innings this year with a 3.39 ERA. For the third consecutive season, he struck out 200 batters, striking out 25.5% of opponents. That’s still a pretty solid output, even though it’s not as good as Burnes’ three straight sub-3.00 ERA years from 2020 to 22.
According to Swartz, he will make little more than $15MM in his last season under team ownership. The estimated cost of Adames is $12.4 million. The shortstop, 28, is coming off a season that was comparatively quiet. In 638 at-bats, he hit.217,.310, and.411. That is far less than the.256/.325/.483 line he had recorded from the end of the 2022 season to May 2021, when he was acquired from the Rays.
Even with his decreased output, Adames would be a desirable trade candidate. At the most difficult position in the infield, he is a superb defender. Despite this, he still hit 24 home runs and more than 20 long balls in each of the previous four complete seasons. Other teams are left with little options due to a poor class of free agent shortstops.
It is largely anticipated that when Burnes and Adames become free agents, they will demand too high a price to stay in Milwaukee. A acquiring team would receive not only a full year of the player’s services but also the opportunity to make a qualifying offer to them the following winter, so the Brewers may anticipate a better trade return this offseason than they would if they shopped either player at the deadline.
Milwaukee’s chances of winning the NL Central again would be severely harmed by moving either player, though. Wade Miley’s impending free agency and Woodruff’s injury have left the Brew Crew with a weak rotation already. The lack of middle infield options stated before would make it challenging to successfully sign Adames as a cheap free agent.
This winter, the Brewers have only completed one trade: Mark Canha was sent to the Tigers in exchange for a $11.5 million club option. Making the decision to move Burnes or Adames would be far more difficult. Milwaukee’s guaranteed contracts for the next season total over $36MM. The estimated cost of the arbitration class is close to $65 million, but Woodruff and Rowdy Tellez’s non-tenders would subtract roughly $18 million from that amount. Maintaining Burnes and Adames should be financially feasible, considering the Brewers had a player payroll in the $119MM area before the 2023 season began.
Rival teams will undoubtedly be interested in a few additional players on the Milwaukee squad. One of the most in-demand relievers would be Devin Williams, and teams seeking starting pitching might be drawn to Adrian Houser. Although it’s difficult to see the Brewers pulling off a complete rebuild—instead, the team has aimed for continuous competition by moving a few players as they approach free agency—GM Matt Arnold will have a number of options to consider in the upcoming months.
