The 2021 season for the Milwaukee Brewers was a great season. Finishing at the top of the NL Central with a record of 95-67, the Brewers were one of the top teams in the National League. They made it to the postseason and lost to the Atlanta Braves 3-1. They won the first game of the series and then lost three games straight. The Brewers were led by Avisail Garcia as he finished first on the team in home runs and runs batted in. However, he recently signed with the Miami Marlins. In addition, Corbin Burnes won the NL Cy Young award and Josh Hader won NL Reliever of the Year. For a team to have both the Cy Young and NL Reliever of the Year is impressive. Burnes and Hader were both named All-MLB First Team as well.
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Offseason Strategy
Even though they just made the postseason, the Brewers may want to add to their infield. They just added Brett Sullivan to a one-year deal recently so the catcher position has already been worked on. Looking for infield is going to be tough with players like Javier Baez signing with the Detroit Tigers and Corey Seager signing with the Texas Rangers. With the contract of Christian Yelich taking up a huge part of the payroll, the NL Central champs will have to adjust their strategy. This may mean going after players with a smaller market value or potentially being willing to sign another big-time player.
Keys to the Offseason
Extend Hader and Burnes’ contracts
Two of the league’s best pitchers should have their contracts signed for the long term. This will avoid arbitration and it also shows how the Brewers are committed to Burnes and Hader. If they cannot sign another infield player, the Brewers should try to extend their contracts. These two will be hot names come free agency when their contracts are up in the future.
Extend Craig Counsell‘s contract
Counsell has helped the Brewers find the postseason the past four seasons. They have not won a playoff series since they beat the Colorado Rockies in the 2018 National League Divisional Series. Counsell can help the Brewers break this streak and advance to the NLDS with the progress he has had since he became manager in 2015.
Offseason Targets
Dee Strange-Gordon, 33, Infield
Strange-Gordon is a solid player that the Brewers could go after. He took the 2021 season off. Strange-Gordon’s 2020 season was not what he was expecting. He had a batting average of .200, but he had zero home runs and three runs batted in. With 2020 being a shortened season, there was only like 60 games that were played. Even though the 2020 season was rough for him, Strange-Gordon can use 2022 as a season to get back into form. He is 33 years old, but he still has a few good years in him. This could mean changing his swing or having better plate discipline. He cannot do much with increasing speed, but he may not have the acceleration he used to have.
Hanser Alberto, 29, Second Basemen
Alberto could be beneficial to the Brewers if they decide to go after him. The infielder had a batting average of .270, two home runs, and 24 runs batted in in 2021. Alberto played in 103 games last season and is now looking to become a key infielder in the MLB. Unfortunately, the last two teams he’s been on have not been postseason contenders, but if signed by the Brewers, he could help them reach their fifth straight postseason appearance in 2022.
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