With the reigning Cy Younger Award winner Corbin Burnes, two different aces in Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta anchoring the beginning rotation and Devin Williams and Josh Hader sitting within the bullpen ready to lock down victories, the Brewers appeared like a lock to advance to the playoffs for a franchise-record fifth consecutive season.

As a substitute, the Brewers watched the postseason from the consolation of their very own properties after a late-season slide left Milwaukee 86-76 and one recreation again of the eventual NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies for the third and closing NL Wild Card spot.

As 2022 involves a detailed, right here’s a glance again on the tales that formed a irritating season and a purpose for optimism and the calendar flips to 2023.

Deadline Catastrophe

The Brewers have been driving excessive heading into Main League Baseball’s commerce deadline. After dropping eight of their final 11 earlier than the All-Star break, Milwaukee gained seven of eight to begin the second half however nonetheless held a three-game lead over the remainder of the division following a 7-2 loss at Boston on July 31.

All the pieces modified the subsequent day when All-Star nearer Josh Hader was dealt to San Diego for 4 gamers, left-handed nearer Taylor Rogers, minor leaguers Esteury Ruiz and Robert Gasser, as nicely right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet, who’d be designate for project earlier than throwing a single pitch for Milwaukee.

The transfer triggered fast uproar not simply amongst followers, but in addition within the clubhouse the place some gamers overtly query administration’s strikes — particularly when nothing was accomplished to deal with a struggling offense.

After the season, Stearns defended the choice to deal Hader — who is about to earn nicely greater than $10 million in arbitration this winter — however admitted that the deal impacted the crew greater than he anticipated.

“It had a extra pronounced affect than I assumed it might on the time, and the encircling strikes didn’t adequately fortify the crew in Josh’s absence,” Stearns stated throughout his annual end-of-season press convention.

Stearns Steps Down

Most gamers have been in all probability nonetheless unpacking when Stearns introduced he was stepping down because the Brewers’ President of Baseball Operations and into an advisory position whereas his longtime lieutenant, normal supervisor Matt Arnold, would take over Milwaukee’s entrance workplace.

Stearns oversaw a rebuilding course of that turned the Brewers from a 94-loss crew in 2015 to at least one that made the playoffs in 4 consecutive seasons, a stretch that included two NL Central Division titles and noticed the crew get inside a recreation of its first World Collection since 1982.

Regardless of persistent rumors that tied him to the New York Mets, Stearns plans to spend the ultimate 12 months of his contract in Milwaukee the place he’ll serve in an advisory position to Arnold, CEO Rick Schlesigner, COO Marty Wronski and proprietor Mark Attanasio.

Roster Shakeup

The Brewers weren’t anticipated to be main gamers for the top-name free brokers this winter and as of New Yr’s Eve, have but to signal a single Main League free agent however Arnold has been busy since taking on for Stearns as he tries to form the 2023 roster.

Three main trades have highlighted Milwaukee’s offseason up to now: first, Arnold shipped outfielder Hunter Renfroe — the Brewers’ prime offensive performer final season — to the Angels for 3 pitchers, a transfer that ostensibly clears the best way for a few of the Brewers’ highly-touted outfield prospects to get some big-league enjoying time.

Then, Arnold shipped second baseman Kolten Wong, whose $10 million crew possibility for 2023 was picked up just some weeks earlier, to Seattle for slugging outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro.

Arnold’s greatest transfer, nonetheless, got here in mid-December. After coming house from baseball’s Winter Conferences with little greater than a Rule 5 Draft Choose to point out for it, Arnold addressed Milwaukee’s greatest place of want by buying All-Star catcher William Contreras, a 25-year-old with a number of seasons of crew management remaining, plus two aid pitchers in a three-team commerce with the Athletics and Braves that solely price Milwaukee it’s eighth-ranked minor league prospect, the aforementioned Ruiz.

Promising Prospects

The information wasn’t all dangerous for the Brewers in 2022, particularly on the minor-league degree the place a handful of gifted younger gamers had breakout seasons and can be within the combine for spots on the big-league roster when Spring Coaching will get underway in February.

Garrett Mitchell was the primary to earn a call-up and the 2020 first-round decide lived as much as his billing as an thrilling, athletic participant by slashing .312/.373/.459 with two house runs, eight stolen bases and an .832 OPS in 28 video games.

Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer, who shared the outfield with Mitchell at Triple-A Nashville additionally produced spectacular seasons in 2022 however few gamers in all of baseball had a 12 months like Jackson Chourio who at simply 18 years previous and in his first full season {of professional} baseball slashed .288/.342/.538 with 20 house runs, 75 RBIs and an .897 OPS in 99 video games for Milwaukee’s Low A, Excessive A and Double-A associates.

Chourio is at the moment the Brewers’ prime prospect based on MLBPipeline.com, which additionally ranks him because the tenth total prospect in all of baseball heading into 2020 and whereas he’s nonetheless very younger — he doesn’t flip 19 till March — Brewers supervisor Craig Counsell isn’t ruling out the likelihood that Chourio may get known as up in some unspecified time in the future subsequent season.

“I do not know why [not],” Counsell stated throughout the Winter Conferences. “I feel he did a lot that why would you say you are not open to it?”