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Brewers miss out on Turner, who resigns with Dodgers

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The Milwaukee Brewers will head into the start of spring training this week without some added help at third base.

According to reports, the Brewers reportedly made a competitive multi-year offer to free agent Justin Turner before he agreed to return to his former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Turner gets a two-year deal worth $34 million with a $14 million club option for 2023 and an $8 million signing bonus.

MLB’s Jon Heyman reported the Brewers also offered Turner about $34 million over two years and also made a bid for three years at a lower annual salary.

The Brewers have some internal options, including middle infielder Luis Urias, as well as utility players Daniel Robertson, Mark Mathias and Tim Lopes.

Turner hit .320 during the World Series against Tampa Bay, helping the Dodgers claim their first title since 1988.

Pitchers and catchers start workouts for the Brewers in Phoenix on Thursday.

 

Brewers add second baseman Kolten Wong

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St. Louis Cardinals Kolten Wong – Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a two-year deal with free-agent second baseman Kolten Wong.  The Athletic was first to report the deal, which is expected to pay Wong $18 million over two years with an option for a third year.  The deal is pending a physical.

Wong broke in the Major Leagues with St. Louis and played all eight years with the Cardinals.  He won the National League Gold Glove at second base each of the last two seasons.  The Cardinals declined a $12.5 million club option for 2021, instead paying him a $1 million buyout.

Adding Wong at second base will most likely move Keston Hiura to first base.  Hiura was the Brewers first-round draft pick in 2017 and has had throwing issues at second base.  He committed six errors in 49 games there last season and 22 total errors during his first two seasons in the majors. [Read more…]

Brewers announce 2021 Player Development Staff

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The Milwaukee Brewers today (Thursday) announced their Minor League player development and training staffs for the 2021 season.

New to the organization are former players Junior Spivey and Quinton McCracken.  Spivey, who played second base for Milwaukee from 2004-05 and was an All-Star in 2002 with Arizona, joins the Brewers as coordinator – baseball diversity initiatives.  McCracken, a veteran of 12 Major League seasons, comes to the organization as special assistant – baseball operations/player development after spending 2019-20 as the first base and outfield coach with the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sara Goodrum is the organization’s new minor league hitting coordinator after previously working as coordinator – integrative sports performance.  She becomes the first woman in baseball history to serve in that role.  Her official title is “Coordinator – Hitting Development Initiatives.”

Goodrum played Division-1 college softball at Oregon before getting a Masters Degree in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Utah.  She had worked in the Brewers Sports Service lab for nearly the last four years. [Read more…]

Legendary Hank Aaron passes away

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Henry Aaron posing for a photo with WRN Brewers reporter Jeff Miller.

Wisconsin lost another one of its all-time great sports legends when Hank Aaron passed away in Atlanta at the age of 86.

Aaron debuted with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954 at the age of 20.  He played 21 seasons for the Braves in Milwaukee and Atlanta.  He returned to Milwaukee ton finish out his career with the Brewers in 1975-76.

In 1957, Aaron was named the National League’s MVP.  His two-run home run off of St. Louis’ Billy Moffett in the bottom of the 11th clinched the pennant and sent the Braves to the World Series, where they beat the New York Yankees in seven games.

Aaron passed Babe Ruth’s home run mark of 714 in 1974.  Number 715 came off of Dodgers lefty Al Downing, during a game in Atlanta.  That would be Aaron’s final season with the Braves.

His return to Milwaukee helped the Brewers set a club record for attendance.  He finished out his career with 755 home runs.

Aaron made 21 all-star appearances and won three Gold Gloves for his play in right field.  His home run record was eventually topped in 2007 by San Francisco’s Barry Bonds, who finished with 762 for his career.

Aaron is the only player to hit at least 30 home runs in 15 seasons.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, having received 97.8% of the votes cast by baseball writers in 1982.

The Atlanta Braves made Aaron a vice president and director of player development.

 

Brewers avoid arbitration hearings with Hader, Woodruff

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The Milwaukee Brewers avoided salary arbitration hearings by agreeing to one-year deals with reliever Josh Hader and top starter Brandon Woodruff on Friday.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Hader’s deal will pay him $6.675 million for the 2021 season after the left handed closer earned $4.1 million last season.

The Brewers also avoided an arbitration hearing with starter Brandon Woodruff.  As a “Super 2” player, Woodruff goes from $633,100 last season to $3.275 million this season.

Hader led the National League with 13 saves in the pandemic shortened 2020 season.  He started the season with a major league record 12 hitless outings.

Woodruff was the opening day starter for the Brewers and went just 3-5 in 13 starts.  But he compiled a 3.05 ERA with a 0.991 WHIP and 91 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings.

The Brewers now have 14 players under contract for the upcoming season.

Former Golden Guernsey Dairy will pay fired workers as part of bankruptcy

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Workers that were unexpectedly fired when Golden Guernsey Dairy closed in 2013 are going to be getting checks.

Attorney General Josh Kaul says that any worker who puts in their time ought to be paid for it, even after the company no longer exists. 

“That can have an enormous impact on a family and recovering those funds is a huge deal for the families that are impacted.”)

Golden Guernsey closed unexpectedly in 2013, and didn’t notify the state or pay their workers.  “Unfortunately the bankruptcy process can take a while and that’s what happened in this case.”

Each employee will be eligible for over 11-thousand dollars in wages, and more if there’s money left while the proceedings continue.

Brewers, Dodgers Complete Knebel Trade

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The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired left-handed pitcher Leo Crawford from the Los Angeles Dodgers as the player to be named to complete the December 2 trade for right-handed reliever Corey Knebel.

The Nicaraguan native has gone 33-26 with a 3.22 ERA in 107 games (88 starts) over five Minor League seasons (2015-19), all with the Dodgers.  He was a MiLB.com Organization All-Star in 2018 and 2019.

The 23-year-old Crawford spent the 2019 season between Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa, where he combined to go 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 25 games (21 starts).  He issued just 27 walks with 134 strikeouts in 121.2 innings pitched.

Crawford was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2014.  He is scheduled to be in Minor League camp with the Brewers in Spring Training.

Williams Voted To 2020 All-MLB Second Team

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Devin Williams

Milwaukee Brewers right-handed reliever Devin Williams has been voted to the 2020 All-MLB Second Team.

The 26-year-old Williams, who previously won National League Reliever of the Year and National League Rookie of the Year, turned in a dominant season as he went 4-1 with a 0.33 ERA in 22 appearances.

Williams was first or tied for first among Major League relievers (min. 20ip) in ERA (1st), opponent batting average (1st, .090), WHIP (1st, 0.63), strikeouts (T1st, 53 – led NL) and K/9 IP (T1st, 17.67 – led NL).  He surrendered just a single earned run the entire season, which came in his second appearance on July 27 at Pittsburgh.

Williams was selected in the second round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

The inaugural All-MLB teams debuted following the 2019 season.  Outfielder Christian Yelich and left-handed reliever Josh Hader represented the Brewers in 2019, each earning first-team honors.

Brewers Extend Invites To 2021 Minor League Affiliates

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The Milwaukee Brewers have extended invitations to four Minor League teams to become affiliates in Major League Baseball’s new player development structure.  Receiving invitations are the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A), Biloxi Shuckers (Double-A), Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (High-A) and Carolina Mudcats (Low-A).

Nashville previously served as the team’s Triple-A affiliate from 2005-14, winning the Pacific Coast League championship in 2005.  The Sounds play their home games at First Horizon Park in downtown Nashville, which opened in 2015.

Biloxi has served as Milwaukee’s Double-A affiliate since 2015, while Wisconsin has been the organization’s Low-A club since 2009.  The Brewers purchased the Carolina Mudcats in 2017. [Read more…]

Brewers promote Matt Arnold

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Matt Arnold

The Milwaukee Brewers have promoted Matt Arnold to senior vice president and general manager on Thursday afternoon.

“For the past five years, Matt has served an invaluable role in helping to guide our baseball operations group,” said President of Baseball Operations David Stearns.  “He has contributed to every significant decision we have made and has offered indispensable advice and support throughout his time with the Brewers.  Today’s announcement formalizes how we have operated over the last few years.  This move provides Matt with the deserved recognition of his tireless work and ensures that our baseball operations leadership group remains intact.”

The 41-year-old Arnold joined the Brewers on Oct. 14, 2015 as vice president and assistant general manager.  He was then promoted to senior vice president and assistant general manager in June 2019.  Since the addition of Stearns and Arnold, the Brewers have the fifth-best record in the National League, going 373-336 (.526) since 2016.  The team ranks third in the National League in winning percentage since 2017, going 300-247 (.548).  Under the leadership of Stearns and Arnold, the Brewers have qualified for the postseason in each of the last three years, a feat previously never accomplished in franchise history. [Read more…]