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Brewers GM spins Devin Williams trade to Yankees with ‘belief’ admission
Devin Williams ended his Milwaukee Brewers career by giving up the game-winning home run in a playoff game. Pete Alonso took him deep to take the lead in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series. The Mets went on to win that game and the series. The Brewers made some changes this offseason, trading Devin Williams to the New York Yankees. General Manager Matt Arnold is confident in the decision to trade Williams this offseason.
Any time you’re making those types of moves, messaging is super important — especially in the clubhouse, because these guys are the fabric of your team,” Arnold told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. “In a lot of ways, it actually can be a bet on the players that are still currently there.
Arnold continues, “It’s not, ‘Hey, I don’t believe in these guys.’ It actually might mean that you believe more in some other guys [who] want and deserve that opportunity to move into that type of role. I don’t look at it always as a negative; a lot of times it’s an opportunity for young players to grow.”
The Brewers also lost Willy Adames this offseason. They are known to find cheap replacements and get the most out of them.
The Brewers can succeed despite the departures
Last year, the Brewers traded Corbin Burnes during spring training and still won the NL Central by ten games. Adames and Williams were key, but Jackson Churio and William Contreras are still there to lead the team. They have a keen eye for untapped potential, getting the most out of Tobias Myers and Brice Turang last year.
The Brewers are the small-market team that gives hope to the rest of the small-market fans in the league. With Churio and Christian Yelich on big-money deals, they have surrounded them with great, young talent. There are playoff demons they have to beat but the regular season has been great to them recently.
The Brewers did not sign anyone to replace Williams or Adames this offseason. They trust their development system to fill those important positions and get into the playoffs this season. But the NL Central is improving, namely the Cubs who added Kyle Tucker. The Reds and Pirates have great young talent as well, which could cut into the Brewers’ cushion in the NL Central.
Who will be the rising stars for the Brewers this season? Arnold is confident in his team to develop them and help the team this season.
Injury to Myers causes further uncertainty in Brewers’ rotation debate
PHOENIX – Newcomer Nestor Cortes will follow Opening Day starter Freddy Peralta during the Brewers’ season-opening at Yankee Stadium, manager Pat Murphy confirmed Saturday, but after that, the Brewers were facing some tough decisions in their starting rotation.
A new injury concern could significantly complicate the situation.
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Right-hander Tobias Myers, Milwaukee’s reigning Most Valuable Pitcher winner after he transformed from a non-roster invitee into a rotation mainstay in 2024, called for an athletic trainer during the second inning of his start during the Brewers’ 4-0 win against the Angels on Saturday and left the game with left oblique discomfort. Myers will undergo imaging on Sunday to determine the severity of that injury, but any interruption at this time of year is troublesome for a starting pitcher, with less than two weeks until the Brewers’ Opening Day matchup against the Yankees on March 27.
“We’re really concerned,” Murphy said. “I mean, whenever you’re talking about an oblique, whether it’s mild or whatever it is, he had to come out of the game, it’s concerning. … But we have to get further testing to find out really what that is.”
“It would have been [my] first Opening Day, too, but we’ll see,” Myers said. “Hopefully it’s nothing too crazy.”
He first felt discomfort throwing a slider to the second batter of the second inning, J.D. Davis, but believed he could pitch through it. Tim Anderson followed with a double, and when Myers still felt uncomfortable delivering a pitch to Angels center fielder Jo Adell, he called for the trainer. Initial tests of his strength and range of motion offered hope, according to Myers, that the injury was on the mild side.
