Photo: Getty Images
The front office has difficult decisions to make and recent results may make those decisions easier. Sure, injuries have played a huge part in the lack of consistency. With hitters Garrett Mitchell, Tyrone Taylor, Luis Urias, and Jesse Winker all dealing with injuries at one time or another, the offense has struggled. The injuries don’t stop on offense either as pitchers Brandon Woodruff, Aaron Ashby, Wade Miley, Adrian Houser, and Eric Lauer have all dealt with injuries with most of them being lengthy.
Of those nine players listed with injuries, two of them are likely done for the year with a third out for at least half of the season, even more if you include rehab time. The Milwaukee Brewers have done well to stay at or near the top of the division considering the adversity they’ve faced but that appears to be more of a sign of a sub-par division than the Brewers playing well.
The N.L. Central has been a pillow fight so far this season. The Pittsburgh Pirates, who are in full-fledged rebuild mode, are leading the division with a 34-32 record at the time of writing this. The pre-season favorite, St. Louis, is currently in last with a 27-42 record. To put it simply, this has been one of, if not the worst division in baseball to this point in the season.
The answer is 100% yes, the Brewers can win this division. That goal does appear to be fool’s gold though. Injuries have been a major factor as to why this team has been inconsistent. With that said the healthy players haven’t been very good either.
Willy Adames, Brian Anderson, Joey Wiemer, and William Contreras have underwhelmed after solid starts. Luke Voit struggled to the point of being designated for assignment. Brice Turang had to be sent down to the minors to work on his game. Overall, this team just lacks proven talent. It’s not all bad as Christian Yelich has looked his best since the knee cap injury a few years ago.
The addition of Julio Teheran to the rotation has been huge but his 1.48 ERA through 24 innings has coincided with Freddy Peralta struggling. The starting rotation was supposed to be the strength of this team and instead has been a rotating door of injured players.
The short answer is yes, the Milwaukee Brewers can win their division and make the playoffs. That leads to another question. Is this team good enough to win in the playoffs? If Burnes, Woodruff, and Peralta are healthy and pitching well, anything is possible. The offense will never be a juggernaut but could do enough if the rotation gets hot. With that said, the Brewer’s roster doesn’t stack up well against potential playoff opponents.
For a franchise that relies on players on rookie contracts to make an impact, decisions are going to have to be made very soon. Those arbitration years go by quickly for players that outperform their salaries and we saw the first domino fall last season with Josh Hader. Although there are plenty of reasons why that trade made sense, even if it angered the fans, it could be a sign of what’s to come.
The Brewers have 3 players on rookie contracts that will warrant big money on the open market. Burnes, Woodruff, and Adames will all be free agents after the 2024 season and it’s not likely the Brewers will be able to outbid other suiters. It also doesn’t sound like the franchise has made much of an effort, if any at all, to try and extend these guys early. Two ace-level pitchers and a shortstop with power bring a huge price tag.
As much as it hurts to admit, this franchise is better off selling and loading up for another run in a few years.
Read the full article at Wisconsin Sports Heroics by clicking or tapping here.