If the Brewers were supposed to ease into the winter, that idea got tossed out almost immediately. The week after the World Series turned into a whirlwind of awards, honors and one big roster question hanging over the whole thing: what happens with William Contreras?
That was the first thing Matt Arnold knew he’d be asked when executives and agents gathered Monday at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for the annual GM Meetings. The Brewers president of baseball operations didn’t exactly slam the door on the speculation, but he made it clear how much Contreras means to the club.
“I’m assuming we’ll get this question a lot,” Arnold told MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince. “But he means a lot to our team.”
Contreras is headed into the same offseason setup that once applied to Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams and Freddy Peralta before the Brewers dealt those popular names for prospects. He’s also in the same contract-year lane Willy Adames occupied when Milwaukee chose not to trade him going into 2024.
Arnold wasn’t about to tip his hand on any possible move, but he did go out of his way to talk up Contreras.
“I mean, he’s really special and means a lot to our group,” Arnold said. “You saw what he did in the postseason, how he’s been able to catch 1,000 innings for three years in a row, and Silver Sluggers and All-Star appearances. I don't think we win this championship without William Contreras.”
While that debate swirled, Pat Murphy was busy adding to his own pile of hardware. On Tuesday evening, the Brewers’ 67-year-old manager won his third straight National League Manager of the Year Award, and he accepted it from a hospital bed after a right hip replacement at Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital.
Murphy appeared on MLB Network from the bed and became the only manager to show up on all 30 ballots. He picked up 20 of 30 first-place votes, finishing ahead of the Braves’ Walt Weiss and the Phillies’ Don Mattingly.
“It’s a constant learning experience,” Murphy said. “You’ve heard my term about how all of us are under construction.
That’s real. Those aren’t just words.”
Wednesday belonged to Jacob Misiorowski, and the numbers made the case loud and clear. Just 17 months after first reaching the big leagues, the Brewers’ 6-foot-7 right-hander went from thrower to pitcher and came away as a unanimous NL Cy Young Award winner.
Misiorowski became the 17th NL pitcher to win the award by unanimous vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and he followed the Pirates’ Paul Skenes from last year in doing it. He also matched unanimous 2026 American League Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler of the Yankees in making the decision look simple. Misiorowski led all Major League starters in ERA at 1.80, strikeouts with 252, walks plus hits per inning pitched at 0.80, strikeouts per nine innings at 12.98 and opponents’ average at .157.
That last number made him the toughest starting pitcher to hit in any full season on record.
“I definitely don’t want to say it was easy. I don’t think anything in the big leagues is easy,” Misiorowski said. “But one of the biggest hurdles to jump was just trusting my stuff and getting past that mental part of the game, and getting over that hump.”
The honors kept coming for Milwaukee that night. Misiorowski, Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio and Contreras were all named All-MLB at the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards. Misiorowski, Turang and Chourio landed on the First Team, while Contreras was placed on the Second Team.
No team had more honorees than the Brewers, who finished with four. Their World Series opponent, the Rays, were next with three.
Contreras also picked up another distinction Wednesday night, earning the inaugural “Flow Mayor” Award.
Thursday brought another notable Brewers result when Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was named the unanimous NL MVP, but Turang’s third-place finish still stood out. It was a sign of how far he has come.
Turang collected one second-place vote, five third-place votes, nine fourth-place votes, nine fifth-place votes, two sixth-place votes, two seventh-place votes and two eighth-place votes for 190 points. He became the Brewers’ first middle infielder to finish in the top three since Robin Yount won the AL MVP Award at shortstop in 1982.
That same night, Contreras was making headlines away from baseball too. He and his brother Willson Contreras were at the Latin Grammys at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where Daddy Yankee and Rosalía were among the performers and Roselyn Sánchez hosted.
The week also brought a roster hit. Jon Morosi confirmed a report that Bauers has agreed to a four-year, $58 million contract with Boston after a career season for Milwaukee. Bauers hit .266/.389/.484 with a team-high 26 home runs, then kept rolling in the postseason and was named NL Championship Series MVP.
The Brewers won’t get Bauers back, but they won’t leave empty-handed. Because they extended him a qualifying offer after he reached free agency, and because he’s headed to another club for more than $50 million, Milwaukee will receive a compensation pick between the end of the first round and the start of Competitive Balance Round A in next year’s Draft.
In Other News...
Brewers Leave GM Meetings With Roster Questions Already Building
The GM Meetings in Las Vegas gave the Brewers a little bit of everything, from roster chatter to a few organizational wins. Jake Bauers moved on to Boston after declining Milwaukees qualifying offer, which at least leaves the club with a compensatory draft pick, while the front office also picked up some good news on the developmental side when Jeferson Quero was granted a fourth option year and can stay in the minors for another season.
Still, the bigger conversation around Milwaukee followed Matt Arnold around the meetings, where trade speculation kept circling around Trevor Megill and William Contreras. The Brewers also had plenty to celebrate on the awards front, with Pat Murphy taking home NL Manager of the Year and Jacob Misiorowski earning the NL Cy Young award, but the offseason questions are already piling up as the club tries to sort out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Near-Miss On Tarik Skubal Suddenly Looks A Lot Murkier
Tarik Skubals offseason has already turned into one of the biggest pitching storylines in the sport, and the latest twist only adds to the intrigue for teams that had hoped to get involved. Cam Schlittlers unanimous American League Cy Young win ended Skubals run of consecutive awards, but Skubal still heads into free agency with plenty of hardware and a market that figures to be aggressive from the start.
For a while, the early buzz around Skubal pointed toward the Los Angeles Dodgers as the presumed destination, a narrative that even helped frame Detroits decision to move him. Now, though, the picture looks less settled, with early reports suggesting the New York Mets may be the team to beat, a shift that could change the entire bidding landscape before the winter really gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Face A Big Bullpen Question As Yankees Search For Help
The Yankees have already made clear that bullpen help is near the top of their offseason to-do list, and their latest move only reinforces that priority. After extending a qualifying offer to free agent closer David Bednar, New York is still weighing ways to shore up the late innings, with general manager Brian Cashman openly focused on improving that part of the roster.
One possible path that has surfaced is a trade idea involving Brewers closer Trevor Megill, who would give the Yankees a cost-effective alternative if they decide not to bring Bednar back. Nothing has been finalized, of course, but the speculation alone is enough to put Milwaukee back in the middle of a familiar winter conversation: how much value the Brewers can keep in the bullpen, and whether a contender comes calling with a deal that makes sense. [Read more 🡒]