Three teams and almost two years later, Josh Hader finally got the monster contract he was seeking, a five-year, $95 million deal from the Houston Astros.

It was money the Milwaukee Brewers never would have spent on a closer, especially since they already had all-star Devin Williams in place.

So, on Aug. 1, 2022, they traded Hader to the San Diego Padres in a widely panned deal that more than likely cost them a postseason berth.

“Anytime you make a decision like that, they’re challenging for the franchise and for everyone involved because of how much Josh meant to everyone here,” said general manager Matt Arnold. “But we did it for the right reasons.”

Put another way, to try to keep the Brewers competitive for the long term.

It’s a decision that’s looking awfully savvy now thanks to some additional deft maneuvering by the Brewers’ front office, which a little more than four months later flipped one of the three players acquired for Hader – outfielder Esteury Ruiz – for three others.

The crown jewel, of course, was William Contreras, who enters this weekend’s series against Hader and the Astros at Minute Maid Park having played in all 43 games, reached base in a career-best 23 straight games and in general has performed like the best all-around catcher in the game.

“We felt like we had a chance to get a frontline catcher who’d already established himself as an all-star,” said Arnold of the three-team deal that also brought right-hander Joel Payamps and minor-league righty Justin Yeager to Milwaukee.

And then there’s also left-hander Robert Gasser, acquired in the original Hader trade and off to a 2-0 start to his major-league career.

“At this point he’s probably a borderline MVP candidate, honestly,” Arnold said of Contreras. “He’s playing outstanding, so enormous credit to him and our staff for identifying him as a guy that we felt like could help us for years to come.”

William Contreras made an immediate impact with Brewers

Indeed, Contreras, now 26, came to the Brewers with a pedigree.

The younger brother of longtime Milwaukee tormentor Willson Contreras, he was coming off a season in which he hit .278 with 20 home runs, 45 runs batted in and an OPS of .860 as only a part-time player on an immensely talented Atlanta Braves team.

Moving over to his new team, Contreras would immediately slot in as the everyday catcher – and flourish.

He set career highs in virtually every offensive category with a .289 average, 38 doubles, 17 homers and 78 runs batted in and rated among the best backstops in the game defensively in several key metrics.

It all added up to an 11^th-place finish in balloting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, a Silver Slugger Award (first for a catcher in franchise history) and recognition as the Brewers’ team MVP as voted by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

“You see it right away,” said run prevention coordinator Walker McKinven, who’s probably worked more closely with Contreras since the team acquired him than any other coach. “He’s obviously a physical dude, and he’s very, very serious about his work. He wants to get it done, and he wants to do it very, very well.

“He goes hard – even off the field. It’s amazing, it really is.”

Showing his durability

How to set the bar even higher? Try to play every day, for starters.

While it’s highly unlikely Contreras will be able to get to 162 games, the ability to log starts at designated hitter with another decorated backstop in Gary Sánchez able to fill in behind the plate should help save on some of the typical wear and tear he’d experience.

Following Wednesday’s 10-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Contreras and shortstop Willy Adames have each started all 43 games for the Brewers. That’s the longest streak to start a season by Milwaukee teammates since Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun both started the first 56 games in 2011.

“I know that I haven’t taken a day off yet,” said Contreras, whose split so far is 35 starts at catcher and eight at DH. “We’ve gotten to this point in the season and I’m playing pretty well and feeling really good, so I don’t think I’m ready for that day off yet. I come to the stadium every day and get my body ready to play and go out there and play the game.

“Maybe down the line there’ll be a day off.”

Added McKinven: “The Contreras brothers are built a little different. They’re just they’re tough as hell. They work their tails off.”

Contreras is built more like an NFL running back at 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds and extremely athletic for his position (double-digit stolen bases aren’t out of the realm of possibility) so if he’s able to remain healthy, playing most every day would appear to be a realistic goal.

‘Contreras is out of his mind’

And so far, no one can argue with the numbers Contreras is putting up.

He has been Milwaukee’s most consistent offensive threat with a .359 average (second in the majors behind only Shohei Ohtani’s .363), 20 extra-base hits (including six homers), 34 RBI (tied for fifth in the majors) and OPS of .987 (tied for fifth in the majors).

Contreras has reached base in 40 of his 43 games and his 23-game streak is the longest in the majors currently. Over those 23 games, he’s batting .364 with eight doubles, a triple, two homers, 14 RBI, 21 runs scored and 13 walks.

“Contreras is out of his mind,” manager Pat Murphy said after Contreras fell a double shy of a cycle Wednesday. “It’s epic, what he’s doing. Like, every at-bat. He’s killing it right now.”

Defensively, Contreras’s pitch framing hasn’t been as good as last season (minus-2 runs) but he’s blocking the ball well once again and with eight baserunners caught stealing is already halfway to his 2023 total in one-third the innings (313).

Game-calling receives praise

Where Contreras has really upped his game and been receiving rave reviews is his game-calling. Rarely a day goes by that Murphy doesn’t tip his cap to Contreras for maximizing the talents of Milwaukee’s injury plagued staff, and it’s a trait that has earned the Puerto Cabello, Venezuela native kudos throughout the organization as well.

“We have full trust in him,” said McKinven. “We give him the information, but we also give him the freedom because he’s so good back there with his feel for the hitter, feel for the pitcher on the mound for us and and just his feel for the game and where it’s at. We have just this this ultimate confidence in him.

“Pitchers want to throw to him. We want him behind the plate. We live and die with the decisions he makes back there. And that’s a good feeling from a coaching staff perspective and specifically from someone who has a large hand in the game planning and how we pitch certain guys.”

Arnold also loves the intangibles Contreras brings to the table. He even goes all out in his celebratory high fives, a lesson Arnold joked he learned the hard way once when Contreras unleashed one on him.

“William, in terms of what he does, it’s hard to measure when it comes to game prep and working with our pitchers, his catch-and-throw ability and everything you don’t necessarily see on the on the back of the baseball card,” he said. “He’s just grown immensely in all those facets in a way that makes him even more valuable than you can measure.”

Aside from the obvious physical ability and production Contreras brings to the table, he’s also an absolute bargain with a salary of only $766,900. Contreras isn’t arbitration eligible until 2025 – he’s just two years’ service time with 337 games to his credit – and won’t hit free agency until 2028, which would seemingly make him a prime extension target for the Brewers.

“I’m always open to those kinds of things,” Arnold said. “We’ve been able to do that in select situations and certainly he would be one of the types of players that you’d want to consider for that, absolutely. He’s put himself in that position as a player of his caliber.”

It takes two to tango, however, and when asked about the topic several weeks ago Contreras said there had been no discussions on that front to that point.

“I’m not interested in that,” he said. “I’m here playing my game, and I know my time is going to come.”

Best catcher in baseball?

Admittedly biased, McKinven said it’s his opinion Contreras is currently the best catcher in the game. Also on the short list would be Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals and JT Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies.

What does Contreras himself think?

“I don’t know,” he said. “There’s so many good guys now, I don’t have an idea.”

Contreras was asked if he was being modest.

“Like I said, too many guys,” he said. “I don’t know who’s the best catcher in baseball. I don’t want to hear too much about that because I want to stay focused.”

Switching gears slightly, Contreras was offered the opportunity to confirm he’s better than his brother, currently on the injured list with the St. Louis Cardinals after suffering a broken forearm in a freak play last week.

“I don’t know,” he said, cracking a smile. “We’re both really good players and we always compete for everything.”

It’s a fun conversation to have for the Brewers, who haven’t had a catcher of this caliber since the days of Jonathan Lucroy save for the all-star season they got out of Yasmani Grandal in 2019.

Then there’s the somewhat unexpected contributions of Payamps, previously a career journeyman who quickly assumed a high-leverage role in the back end of the Brewers’ bullpen and is 8-6 with a 3.01 ERA, WHIP of 1.10, seven saves and 31 holds in 84 appearances.

Gasser, who turns 25 on May 31, is the Brewers’ second-best pitching prospect and has helped solidify a patchwork rotation that’s been hit hard by injury.

All in all, it’s been quite the haul for Milwaukee, which no doubt is hoping Hader – 2-3 with a 4.74 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 18 appearances – remains off his game for another weekend.

As for Ruiz, he’s hitting .216 for the Oakland A’s. Last season he led the American League with 67 stolen bases but hit just .254 and was dinged for an incredible minus-20 defensive runs saved in the outfield.

“I think on the Brewers’ end it was a good business decision,” said Contreras. “Hader was going into free agency (after the 2023 season). The Brewers got me in the package and there were some other good players that ended up coming over here in turn from the deal.”

CHICAGO (CBS) — Sade Robinson was murdered in Milwaukee last month, investigators believe some of her remains washed up Thursday in Waukegan.

Robinson was 19 when she was killed and dismembered. She had gone on a first date the night she was killed, and the man with whom she went on the date is charged with her murder.

Ever since, family and friends have been searching to find all of Robinson’s body.

Maxwell Anderson, 33, was charged April 12 with murdering and dismembering Robinson 11 days earlier. Authorities said on Monday, April 1, Anderson and Robinson – who had connected on a dating app – met for a first date at the Twisted Fisherman seafood restaurant on West Canal Street in Milwaukee, according to CBS 58 in Milwaukee.

Investigators tracked Robinson’s phone to find it traveled from Twisted Fisherman to the area of Duke’s on Water in Milwaukee’s Juneau Town neighborhood, then to the area of Anderson’s home, and finally to the area of Warnimont Park along the lakefront near Cudahy, CBS 58 reported.

Robinson’s 2020 Civic was found torched the next day, video showed Anderson leaving the scene where the burned car was found, prosecutors said. He was arrested two days later in a traffic stop by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s office, CBS 58 reported.

“It caused so much emotion to rise to the surface for all the girls that are missing, and how he was a troller,” said community activist April Bentley. “He trolled the bars. He trolled the internet. He trolled the neighborhoods – and he was looking for girls like Sade, and he found one – if not many.”

Prosecutors said Anderson mutilated Robinson’s body, then dropped parts of her around the Milwaukee area. A leg severed at the hip was found by a passer-by down a bluff in Warnimont Park on the evening of April 2, and then a foot was found four days later near 31st and Galena streets in Milwaukee’s Walnut Hill neighborhood, CBS 58 reported.

More remains were found in the weeks afterward. A torso and an arm were found at a remote stretch of tree-lined Lake Michigan beach in South Milwaukee on April 18.

There has been an all-out search to find all the pieces of Robinson’s body since her murder in April.

This week – 53 miles from Milwaukee along the Lake Michigan shore, a human arm washed ashore at Waukegan Municipal Beach. Someone walking made the gruesome discovery.

The right arm was mostly intact from the shoulder down. It is believed to have belonged to Robinson, yet DNA tests are still pending.

The horrific case now has Wisconsin investigators in Illinois, trying to collect all the evidence to link Anderson to Robinson’s death.

Robinson’s family is aware of the human arm found in Waukegan. Anderson remained in jail as of Thursday night – charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson – for allegedly torching the car.

There was no word late Thursday on how long it would take for a positive identification on the remains to be found.

In a visit to Milwaukee on Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris pressed the case that the Biden-Harris Administration’s economic policies have helped Americans and, in particular, addressed disparities that affect Black Americans and business owners.

The visit is her fourth to the critical swing state ahead of the November presidential election that is expected to be a rematch of the 2020 race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Harris’ visit was part of what the White House has dubbed an “economic opportunity tour.”

“A lot of what this tour is highlighting is the various things that we are doing to acknowledge the various dimensions of who we are but in the context of economic opportunity, be it debt, be it homeownership, be it access to loans, be it access to counseling and the services that help people know how to start a business and keep a business,” Harris said during a stop at Discovery World museum in Milwaukee, where she spoke with comedian, radio host and author D.L. Hughley.

Here are a few takeaways from Harris’ visit:

Vice President Kamala Harris focuses on Black homeowners, businesses — a critical voting bloc

The conversation between Harris and Hughley before a packed room focused on the importance of access to information and relationships in building businesses and generational wealth ― and the challenges faced by communities of color across generations.

She said the tour intends to acknowledge both the opportunities and disparities and obstacles for communities of color.

Harris’ comments come as Democrats seek to maintain support among Black voters amid reports that the party’s backing among the key voting bloc has slipped.

She said the tour was designed to share information about the resources available, and she sought help from the people in the audience, who she said were invited to attend because they are business and opinion leaders.

“Please help us get the word out,” she said.

She said the administration was “dropping trillions of dollars on the streets of America” to rebuild infrastructure, invest in clean energy and build resilience to climate change.

Harris highlighted local business owner James Phelps

Harris highlighted James Phelps, president of JCP Construction who introduced her, saying that businesses like his bring to life the work that policy-makers in Washington D.C. envision.

On the issue of Black homeownership, she discussed the consequences of segregation, redlining and racial bias in home appraisals.

The administration, she said, is taking steps including requiring home appraisers to be trained on racial bias. She spoke to the administration’s efforts to forgive student loan debt and remove a prohibition on accessing small-business loans for people who had been previously incarcerated.

Biden last week met with Black voters on a trip to Wisconsin and on Wednesday made his case on Sherwin Hughes’ show on 101.7 The Truth, the news-talk radio station focusing on Milwaukee’s Black community.

Milwaukee mayor, county executive highlight visits by Biden, Harris to swing state Wisconsin

That Biden and Harris are putting time and energy into Wisconsin was a key message from speakers who took the stage before Harris’ arrival, including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and County Executive David Crowley.

“The administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris has gone to great lengths to invest, to build and to reshape the relationship that Wisconsin residents have with the federal government,” Johnson said.

He called Harris a “true partner to Milwaukee.”

Crowley said investments by the administration are showing up in affordable housing in neighborhoods and ensuring that Black and brown business owners have “the tools that they need to succeed.”

“Under this administration, we have witnessed the fastest growth of Black-owned small businesses in more than 30 years,” Crowley said.

Like Harris ― who made history as the first woman, first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected to her position ― Johnson and Crowley are each the first African Americans elected to the positions they hold.

Republicans slam Biden-Harris economic policies

Republicans, in response to the Harris visit, took aim at the administration’s economic policies. Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement “voters know they cannot afford another four years of Biden and Harris in the White House.”

“Every time Kamala Harris visits Wisconsin, voters are reminded of the failed agenda of the Biden Administration,” he said.

This is Vice President Kamala Harris’ fourth visit to Wisconsin in 2024

The steady rhythm of visits by Democrats and Republicans alike speaks to the intense focus on Wisconsin as both parties seek control of the White House.

If history is any guide, whether Trump or Biden wins Wisconsin in November is likely to be decided by a small margin and both campaigns are making their cases to voters.

In 2020, Biden won the state by about 21,000 votes after Trump won Wisconsin by a similar margin just four years earlier.

Biden has visited the state four times this year while Trump has visited twice.

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.