What it takes to maintain the Brewers’ stadium, American Family Field
A $546 million baseball financing plan aimed at keeping the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin through at least 2050 has been approved by the state Assembly. Here you can find out what is invested in the maintenance of the stadium.
For the Milwaukee Brewers, the busy offseason continues on the sidelines of their roster.
Before the deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players, the Brewers acquired first baseman-outfielder Jake Bauers from the New York Yankees in exchange for two prospects, Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez.
“I obviously had a close relationship with him from my time in Tampa Bay,” general manager Matt Arnold said. “He’s the type of person you want to bet on. Between his really good makeup and the power boost we saw last year, we think there are a lot of ingredients to look forward to.”
Bauers, 28, is arbitration-eligible and the Brewers have offered him a 2024 contract worth $1.7 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors. He’s also out of minor league options, which combined with his guaranteed contract would suggest he’ll remain in contention at first base heading into spring training.
First base is as open as any other position for the Brewers right now, as Rowdy Tellez was non-tendered and Mark Canha was traded to Detroit earlier this month.
Carlos Santana is also a free agent.
Prospect Tyler Black could be in the running among the players currently in the organization, although it’s also likely that the Brewers continue to look at that position.
Formerly a highly prized prospect who was ranked as the No. 45 prospect in baseball in the Rays system prior to 2018, Bauers has hit just .211 with 39 home runs and a .663 OPS in 412 games in the majors.
In 199 games between 2021-23 with the Guardians, Mariners and Yankees, Bauers has a slash line of .206/.285/.340 with 16 home runs.
There is still a certain amount of power potential in Bauers’ racket. When he hits the ball, he often hits it, but last year he also struck out in nearly 35% of all plate appearances.
Bauers split time between first base and the corner outfield spots with the Yankees, but given the makeup of the Brewers roster, first base and designated hitter appear to be the more sensible spots for him moving forward.
“A guy we were targeting as a left-handed hitter with power,” Arnold said. “He had 23 home runs between Triple-A and the major leagues last year, he’s athletic and has really developed over the last 12 to 18 months. And he’s changed some things about his swing, which we’re excited about.”
“He can play multiple positions – first base, outfield and also DH. So he’s a really interesting bat that we’re happy about.”
Avina is headlining the Yankees’ return. The Brewers took Avina out of high school in the 14th round of the 2021 draft and signed Avina from his college commitment.
He was the Arizona Complex League MVP in 2022 for posting a .436 OBP and .630 slugging percentage. Lighthouse strength is his calling card, coupled with a selective eye at the plate, and he has a career OPS of .869 in the minors after spending all of 2023 in Class A Carolina.
Avina also has major swing-and-miss issues in his game, and some scouts wonder whether he will be able to overcome the type of profile that generates a 30% strikeout rate in Class A.
“A talented player,” Arnold said of Avina. “Very talented and young. There is a lot of potential. We are definitely happy with Bauers, but we believe Avina also has a bright future.”
Sanchez, 19, signed with Milwaukee as an undrafted free agent last February and played in the Dominican Summer League, where he hit .297 with a .414 OBP in 33 games.
Brewers sign two minor league pitchers
In a final matter on Friday evening, the team announced that it had signed minor league pitchers Jared Koenig and Enoli Paredes and invited them to spring training.
Koenig, who turns 30 on Jan. 24, is a left-handed hitter who made his major league debut with the Oakland A’s last season. In 10 appearances (five starts), he went 1-3 with a 5.72 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP while striking out 22 in 39 ⅓ innings.
The 24-year-old Paredes played 37 relief games for the Houston Astros between 2020 and 2022, with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. He struck out 37 in 32 ⅓ innings and allowed just one home run.