The GM Meetings in Las Vegas brought the first real wave of free-agent movement, a fresh batch of trade chatter, and a long list of awards for the Brewers to celebrate.
On the free-agent front, the biggest Brewers-related development was Jake Bauers leaving for Boston. He signed a four-year, $58 million deal with the Red Sox after turning down Milwaukee’s qualifying offer, and the Brewers will get a compensatory draft pick after the first round. Emilio Pagan also landed with the Tigers, while Evan Phillips agreed to a deal with the Braves.
Milwaukee also got a notable roster wrinkle with Jeferson Quero. The Brewers were granted a fourth option year for Quero, giving them another season to keep him in the minors without exposing him to waivers. That extra year means they can send him back to Nashville and keep evaluating what he can become down the road.
Trade talk, meanwhile, has already started circling around a couple of Brewers who are under team control through the 2027 season. Trevor Megill and William Contreras have been the names most often mentioned so far.
Matt Arnold addressed the possibility of moving Contreras by saying he “means a lot to this team”. Asked about Megill, Arnold leaned into the GM-speak and said, “He got the last six outs of the World Series, and I just went to a Metallica concert with him, so I like him.
I like him a lot.”
The awards announcements were stacked with Brewers recognition. Logan Henderson finished sixth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, with Sal Stewart of the Reds and Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers taking the award.
Pat Murphy added another honor to his run, winning his third straight NL Manager of the Year award. Will Venable of the White Sox won the AL version.
Jacob Misiorowski was a unanimous winner of the NL Cy Young award, and Cam Schlitter was unanimous in the AL.
Trevor Megill placed third in the first-ever Reliever of the Year race, with Mason Miller winning in the NL and Louis Varland taking the AL honor. Aaron Ashby and Abner Uribe also picked up votes.
Brice Turang finished third in the NL MVP vote, while Misiorowski came in fifth. Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers also received votes. Pete Crow-Armstrong was the unanimous NL MVP, and Yordan Alvarez was unanimous in the AL.
Turang, Chourio, and Misiorowski all made the All-MLB First Team, while Contreras landed on the Second Team. Contreras also won the Flow Mayor award, given to the player with the most swagger and style.
The Brewers’ next major deadline arrives Tuesday, when they must decide which players to protect from the Rule 5 draft by 5 p.m. CT.
Jett Williams, Luke Adams, Marco Dinges, Tate Kuehner, Brett Wichrowski, Brock Wilken, and Matthew Wood are among the prospects who could need protection. With a possible lockout looming, teams may choose to protect fewer players if they believe the Rule 5 draft might not happen.
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Brewers Offseason Spotlight Just Shifted To One Uncomfortable Question
The Brewers spent part of the offseason celebrating a haul of individual honors, but the conversation around the roster quickly turned to a more uncomfortable topic. Matt Arnold addressed questions about William Contreras trade status, stressing how important the catcher remains to Milwaukee without offering any clarity on whether the front office is considering moving him.
The uncertainty lands against a backdrop of plenty of good news for the organization. Pat Murphy won his third straight National League Manager of the Year Award while recovering from hip surgery, Jacob Misiorowski took the NL Cy Young Award unanimously, and Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio joined him on the All-MLB First Team. Contreras was recognized on the Second Team, which only underscores why his name carries so much weight whenever the Brewers offseason plans come up. [Read more 🡒]