MILWAUKEE — Brewers general manager Matt Arnold declined to predict free agent manager Craig Counsell’s future, but said he expects it Corbin Burnes be in a Milwaukee uniform on Opening Day during an extensive question-and-answer session Tuesday.
Here’s a six-pack of takeaways:
1. The Brewers won’t pressure Counsell take a decision.
“I’m excited to have these conversations with him and look forward to hearing from you soon, if possible,” Arnold said. “Whatever happens, we will be ready to have a manager next year, if not Craig. But I want to keep all lines open for communication here as much as possible because he is definitely our first choice here.
Counsell’s contract runs until the end of the month. He gave no indication during the season about the direction he was headed for 2024 and beyond.
“I want to respect Craig,” Arnold said. “I want to respect the time he has dedicated to this franchise and the opportunity he has in front of him.”
2. Brandon Woodruff’s shoulder is the only medical question that concerns.
“He’s going to be looked at this week,” Arnold said. “We are optimistic, but we will never know until the reports are published. But we’ll wait until he gets another opinion on his shoulder at this point.
When asked if “optimistic” meant ready for Opening Day, Arnold replied: “Any time you have problems with a shoulder, it’s hard to know exactly because it’s very complicated. There are so many mechanisms within the shoulder that we know are a factor, and it’s more complicated than the elbow. But it’s hard to say from my point of view. We will wait to have the evaluation.
3. It is possible that Burnes, Willy Adamès and Woodruff all remain with the Brewers in their final year of contract control.
“The short answer is we are extremely comfortable having them,” Arnold said.
The team finds itself at an important crossroads with these players, the most high-profile of the group eligible for arbitration one last time before hitting free agency next season. The Brewers haven’t kept a player of this importance until free agency (rather than trading him for a controllable talent) since Prince Fielder in 2011.
“The bottom line is they’re here and they’re really good players,” Arnold said. “Obviously anything can happen in an offseason. We will certainly have to engage in many different discussions, but we recognize the value of these players and how much they mean to our franchise.
Of Burnes in particular, Arnold said, “Corbin means a lot to what we’ve done here. He was a warrior on the mound. He’s the guy we wanted on the mound in Game 1. He’s the guy we want on the mound in big games. I’m glad he’s here. We’ll see how it plays out over the offseason, but I would expect him to be around next year. We can never close the door on any conversation, as you know – that’s just the reality of where we are – but we know he’s a very, very valuable member of our franchise.
4. No major changes to the front office or coaching are expected.
“I think given Craig’s situation, (the coaching staff) is not finalized,” Arnold said. “But I hope we bring everyone back.”
5. The Brewers want more offense at first and third base, and Tyler Black (MLB Pipeline’s Brewers No. 4 prospect) is in the photo.
“I think there’s definitely room for improvement there,” Arnold said. “Obviously we liked what we got from (Andruw) Monasterio this year at third base. I think we like what we see from Tyler Black. We’ll see where he finishes third or first, but he also has a lot of upside and can factor into the situation for next year, potentially early on.
6. There is no such thing as “too many outfielders.”
“You have depth until you don’t.” I think we ran into that problem a little bit this year,” Arnold said. “Honestly, we’ve had a number of injuries – guys are falling. We had (Sal) Frelick and (Garrett) Mitchell go down pretty much the same day. You have a lot of outfielders, and then all of a sudden you don’t have any, so I think we’re aware of that.
On paper, it’s a crowd. Christian Yélich remains under contract and the Brewers must decide Marc Canhathe $11.5 million club option after the World Series. Tyrone Taylor is eligible for arbitration after a productive second half. Blake Perkins is a strong reserve who plays good defense and is a switch hitter. Then there are the prospects: Mitchell, Frelick and Joey Wiemer all have logged significant major league time this season.
“It’s hard to put a timetable on a 19-year-old,” Arnold said, “but he has a chance to be really special.”
