The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champs, but that won’t change their approach to the offseason.
This is a small-market team that knows its place in the MLB ecosystem and knows exactly what kinds of moves it needs to make to survive and continue to thrive.
That has led to some shocking rumors in the early going of the offseason. William Contreras, the World Series MVP, is already floating as a trade candidate.
It turns out it may be a bit premature on that front, but there are deals that Milwaukee may consider with some of its heroic World Series stars, even if they don’t involve Contreras.
In a new article on Monday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke down briefly a few of the Brewers’ different trade considerations.
Brewers Make William Contreras Trade Decision
Based on Passan’s reporting, Brewers fans can exhale.
It doesn’t sound like Contreras will be traded anytime soon.
“William Contreras isn’t going anywhere even though he is nearing free agency,” Passan writes.
The implication there is that the Brewers wouldn’t trade away such a cornerstone even if there was some financial logic to it.
Passan doesn’t say it, but there could also be the undertones of a possible extension on the way.
Players like Contreras don’t always remain with their small-market club, but some prioritize that continuity with a good organization — Jose Ramirez has twice taken below-market-value extensions to stay in Cleveland, for example.
The Brewers certainly owe it to themselves to see if they can keep Contreras around. He’s too important to everything they do to just discard him haphazardly.
Brewers Trade Rumors: Trevor Megill
Passan does note that the Brewers might trade closer Trevor Megill, who got the final outs of the World Series.
“The World Series champion Brewers will at least listen on closer Trevor Megill,” Passan writes.
Megill would be a much more on-brand trade for the Brewers to make.
The 6-foot-8 closer will be in the final year of his contract in 2027, meaning he’ll be a free agent at the end of the year.
Relief pitchers are famously volatile to begin with, and they’re also somewhat more replaceable than other positions — certainly more so than a star catcher.
The Brewers could get solid value for Megill if they trade him to another team with a full year to use him.
Milwaukee likely wouldn’t sell low, because Megill would obviously still be quite useful to them. But apparently his name is going to float through some rumors this offseason, at least around the complicating factor of a lockout.
Brewers Make Opposite Decisions on Trading William Contreras, Other World Series Hero