Milwaukee Brewers: Three free agents team should sign
The Milwaukee Brewers might be satisfied by reaching the postseason, but here are some moves they can make to go deep into October.
The Milwaukee Brewers were a team with high expectations prior to the 2019 season. They lived up to some, but not all of them as they lost in the National League Wild Card game to the Washington Nationals, the 2019 NL champions.
Christian Yelich was brilliant once again and played like an MVP candidate until he broke his kneecap in the second half of the season. His OPS was 1.100 and he hit 44 home runs and 97 RBI in 130 games.
Lorenzo Cain was disappointing in the second year of his contract. His OPS dropped over 100 points and he has 12 less stolen bases, scored 17 fewer runs, and had 20 fewer hits.
They shipped away Jesus Aguilar and had Eric Thames play first for most of the season.
They have some young talent to work with Yelich. Their middle infield, Orlando Arcia and Keston Huira, is very young and has yet to reach their primes. Milwaukee will be looking for both of those players to develop and improve from within the organization.
Their starting pitching was their biggest weakness once again. The team has not had an ace in years and needs to spend money on a starter, or two, this Winter. Even though their starters were not impressive for the most part, Zach Davies and Brandon Woodruff were the front of their rotation.
In addition to their current players developing, Milwaukee needs to go out and sign a few players to improve their team. Here are three free agents that the Brewers should target this offseason to build a better ballclub for 2020.
Zack Wheeler, RHP, NYM
The Milwaukee Brewers must address starting pitching and add to their current rotation. Gerrit Cole is way too expensive for Milwaukee, so signing him is out of the picture. Zack Wheeler is an above-average start, coming off a strong year, that would propel their rotation. The New York Mets are going to try to re-sign him, and many other teams will give him offers as well.
If Wheeler signs with the Brewers, he is already at least their second starter. The 29-year-old went 11-8 this season, striking out 195 batters over 196 innings. Both were career highs.
He displayed that he is a durable starter and can go deep into ballgames. He ranked 9th in the National League in innings pitched.
Even though Wheeler turns 30 next season, he has not even pitched 800 innings over his career. This means that he has less mileage than other pitchers on the market.
The Brewers need a pitcher like Wheeler. As Met, he showed a glimpse of being an ace. His second half of 2018 was electric. He had a 1.68 ERA and went 9-1 over 11 starts.
The Brewers are the right team to take a chance on Wheeler with an expensive, multi-year deal because he has such a high ceiling and will improve their team’s playoff chance immediately.
Will Smith, LHP, SFG
Everybody thought Will Smith was going to get moved to a contender prior to the trade deadline but the Giants held on to him for the remainder of 2019.
The Milwaukee Brewers could use a reliever like Will Smith.
Yes, they have one of the best-left relievers in the majors in two-time All-Star Josh Hader, but they cannot just rely on him to carry their bullpen. Adding another lefty will bolster their bullpen’s depth. This move would help Milwaukee improve their average bullpen.
He and Hader would be an elite combination of lefties, similar to what the Yankees did with Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman this season.
Milwaukee’s bullpen ranked ninth in NL for ERA last season, the second-lowest among teams that made the playoffs. They did rank fourth in the NL in strikeouts by relievers. Strengthening their bullpen will make this team more of a contender. A deep bullpen is the gateway to October baseball.
Will Smith is coming off his first All-Star campaign and he best season yet. During his age 29 season, Smith saved 34 games for the Giants, while striking out 96 batters over 65 1/3 innings. The left reliever went 6-0.
Smith would make the Brewer’s bullpen one of the better ones in the NL.
Yasmani Grandal, MIL, C
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Signing Yasmani Grandal to a one-year, $18.25 million contract was their best move last offseason. He led all catchers in the National League in home runs (28) and OPS (.848.)
There is a mutual option for 2020 but Milwaukee should ink the catcher to a multi-year deal. He and the Philadelphia Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto were the best catchers in the National League.
Even though Grandal did have a negative dWAR, he was one of the most offensively productive catchers this season. Grandal was a huge and instrumental part of their lineup and they need to sign him long-term.
Grandal is going to want a four- or five-year deal, averaging about $12-16 million per season.
Grandal led the Milwaukee Brewers in on-base percentage last season because he walks so frequently. He walked 109 times in 2019, second-most in the NL, only behind Philadelphia Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins.
Grandal stimulates lineups by being able to get on as often as he does. The Brewers cannot afford to lose him and his ability to get on base. When healthy, Christian Yelich was a great person to bat behind Grandal because of how often he walked or got a hit.
Next. Three Free Agents the Phillies Should Sign. dark
Grandal needs to be cemented into this Milwaukee Brewers lineup moving forward.