The Milwaukee Brewers lost Omar Narvaez to free agency when he signed with the New York Mets.
However, they were able to acquire an even better catcher through trade.
In mid-December, the Brewers swung a three-team deal with the Oakland Athletics and the Atlanta Braves that netted them William Contreras.
As you probably remember, Contreras was an All-Star for the first time in 2022, showing the world he has a bright future as a hitter.
He really liked being a Brave, but is now excited to play in Milwaukee and his latest tweet shows as much.
Lets do this 🔥🙌 @CervecerosMKE pic.twitter.com/mayv5DNy5L
— William Contreras (@Wcontreras42) January 30, 2023
Rocking a cool Brewers hat, Contreras posted the picture on social media and fans got excited about the future.
He is a player worth getting excited about.
In 2022, he slashed .278/.354/.506 with 20 home runs and a 138 wRC+ (100 is considered league-average offensive performance) in just 97 games and 376 plate appearances.
Had he played closer to 140 or 150 games, he could have easily flirted with 35 home runs.
The Brewers see him as a special player who could play some games at catcher and serve as the designated hitter on occasion, too.
He is the kind of hitter with enough bat to justify writing his name in the DH spot.
His supporting cast in Milwaukee will probably not be as good as it was in Atlanta, but his playing time prospects are going considerably up with the trade.
The Braves were determined to acquire Sean Murphy and also have Travis d’Arnaud, so Contreras wasn’t going to get many reps in Atlanta.
Now, in Milwaukee, he could have a role in the Opening Day lineup and in most games after that.
That’s what he deserves.
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