Brewers seek keepers in slow rebuild,
The Brewers made it through their first full season of rebuilding in better shape than some thought. But there are no shortcuts in this process, and Milwaukee continues to amass as much minor league talent as possible while trying to field representative clubs in the meantime. General manager David Stearns continues to take the long view after trading every established player other than Ryan Braun, mostly for highly regarded prospects. USA TODAY Sports’ Tom Haudricourt takes an inside look at the team. *Denotes prospect
Catcher
When the Brewers traded longtime starter Jonathan Lucroy to the Rangers on Aug. 1, it threw the position up for grabs for the first time in many seasons. Martin Maldonado, who served as Lucroy’s backup for five seasons, shared time with Manny Pina, up from the minors, and Andrew Susac, acquired at midseason from the Giants in a trade for reliever Will Smith. Maldonado was traded last week in a deal for the Angels’ Jett Bandy, who shared catching duties with Carlos Perez as a rookie in 2016. At 26, Bandy is four years younger than Maldonado and controllable through 2021. Pina is more of an offensive player. Susac was the backup to Buster Posey with the Giants and played little. The Brewers will determine playing time among the catchers in spring training.
Depth chart: Bandy, Pina, Susac, *Jacob Nottingham
First base
The Brewers did out-of-the-box thinking in finding a first baseman for 2017 and beyond. First, they decided incumbent slugger Chris Carter was going to make way too much in arbitration after tying for the National League lead with 41 home runs and became the first club in baseball history to nontender a reigning home run champ. Then, to replace him, they gave a three-year deal to free agent Eric Thames, who played the last three seasons in South Korea. Thames had fantasy league numbers there (124 HRs, 379 RBI in 388 games), but will that production translate to the higher talent level of pitching in the majors?
Depth chart: Thames, Travis Smith, Hernan Perez
Second base
Switch-hitter Jonathan Villar started the 2016 season at shortstop and then moved to third base when top prospect Orlando Arcia was called up in August. Villar was a fish out of water there, committing 12 errors in 40 starts, so it was no surprise when the Brewers decided to move him to second. He replaces incumbent Scooter Gennett, who showed more pop than in the past but does not have the range and athleticism of Villar. Villar won’t have to win a Gold Glove because his primary contribution figures to be offensively, both at the plate and on the bases after leading the majors with 62 steals.
Depth chart: Villar, Gennett, Perez, *Yadiel Rivera
Third base
The Brewers were able to move Villar to second by acquiring third baseman Travis Shaw from the Red Sox in a multiplayer December deal for reliever Tyler Thornburg. Shaw provides the left-handed bat the Brewers sought and has enough power (16 HRs in 145 games) to make a difference. Shaw, 26, also can play first base, but the plan is for him to see regular time at third. He’ll have to do better against lefties than last season (.599 on-baseplus-slugging percentage) to avoid a platoon situation with Hernan Perez, but the Brewers hope he’ll fill what was a worrisome void for years to come.
Depth chart: Shaw, Perez, Rivera, *Nate Orf
Shortstop
It was not a matter of if Arcia would be the starting shortstop. It was just a matter of when for the organization’s No. 1 prospect. The Brewers called up Arcia and installed him as their shortstop for now and the future, and though he was a disappointment offensively during that time, his status remains unquestioned. Arcia is a superb defender, so it will be all about his offense in determining whether he achieves star status or merely is a glove man.
Depth chart: Arcia, Villar, *Rivera, Perez
Left field
In terms of established players traded during the Brewers’ rebuilding process, Braun is the last man standing. He was nearly traded to the Dodgers in August but talks broke off, leaving him high atop the list of potential trades this winter. Being careful after coming off back surgery, Braun played in only 135 games but was productive when he was on the field. He has four years and $76 million remaining on his contract with extensive no-trade provisions in his contract, so Braun i s just as likely to stay as to be dealt.
Depth chart: Braun, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Perez, *Ryan Cordell, *Michael Reed
Center field
It took rookie Keon Broxton four tries to get it right in 2016 as he went up and down from Class AAA to Milwaukee. But things finally clicked the fourth time, and he took over regular playing time in center after a smorgasbord of players took their shots. Broxton broke a wrist crashing into the wall at Wrigley Field with less than two weeks remaining in the season but had his foot firmly in the door by that point. It is a loaded position in terms of prospects in the farm system, so Broxton will be challenged in the spring to prove he should be the starter.
Depth chart: Broxton, Nieuwenhuis, *Lewis Brinson, Cordell, Reed
Right field
The plan for 2016 was for promising young slugger Domingo Santana to be the everyday starter in right, but he was sidelined for an extended period by elbow and shoulder woes, putting his status in the rebuilding process in jeopardy. Finally healthy, he put together six strong weeks
(.280, seven HRs, 19 RBI) to close the season, putting everyone’s mind at ease and re-establishing Santana as a part of the club’s future. He has a powerful arm and budding power, the skill set you want in a regular right fielder.
Depth chart: Santana, Nieuwenhuis, Perez, Reed
Starting pitchers
When the rotation was mostly a disaster in the opening weeks of the 2016 season, the Brewers had legitimate reason for concern. But Junior Guerra, a 31-year-old rookie journeyman, and soft-tossing Zach Davies came up from the minors and stabilized an all-righthanded rotation in which holdovers Wily Peralta and Taylor Jungmann pitched their way back to the minors for extended periods. Veteran right-hander Matt Garza continued to have injury issues, an ongoing theme during his four-year, $50 million contract that has one season remaining. Jimmy Nelson got off to a strong start but developed command issues that led to a long downward spiral and 16 losses. Chase Anderson was pressed to pitch five innings in many of his starts but bounced back with a strong finish (5-1, 2.65 over his last 12 outings).
Depth chart: RHP Guerra, RHP Davies, RHP Peralta, RHP Jimmy Nelson, RHP Garza, RHP Anderson, RHP Jungmann, *LHP Josh Hader, *RHP Brandon Woodruff
Bullpen
The Brewers showed confidence in the depth of their bullpen at the Aug. 1 trade deadline when they sent closer Jeremy Jeffress to the Rangers in the Lucroy deal. Left-handed setup man Will Smith was traded the same day to the Giants. The back end of the bullpen was further thinned after the season when Thornburg was sent to Boston. Hard-throwing right-handers Corey Knebel and Jacob Barnes did some closing in the minors and will get high-leverage looks. Veteran journeyman Carlos Torres worked his way into a setup role as a steady workhorse. Acquiring experienced help will be a focus between now and spring training. Depth chart: RHP Knebel, RHPTorres, RHP Barnes, RHP Michael Blazek, RHP Jhan Marinez, RHP Blake Parker, RHP Rob Scahill, LHP Brent Suter