Most teams in contention for a playoff berth are considered buyers at the deadline. However, according to Bob Nightengale , the Milwaukee Brewers are going to be looking to buy while also selling off some of the team's most noteworthy players. As detailed here , this includes four-time All-Star Josh Hader. Apparently, it also includes Kolten Wong and Omar Narvaez. Nightengale spoke to several rival general managers who stated that the Brewers are set to move on from the two regular starters.
In another piece from earlier this week, it is detailed how Wong is struggling both offensively and defensively this season. The conclusion is that this may lead the Brewers to decline Wong’s player option for the 2023 season. However, Nightengale apparently believes that it means Milwaukee will try to move him before the trade deadline.
The notion does make some sense. Wong is a two-time Gold Glove winner at second base and is a great clubhouse presence. Even if the Brewers do not plan to keep Wong after the season, they may try to trade him at the deadline for some prospects. Of course, Wong will not fetch as massive a return as a player of Hader’s caliber, but it would be better than nothing.
In the case that Wong is traded, the Brewers have few options at second base. Luis Urias could slide into the role every day while Milwaukee pursues an upgrade at third. Other options to at least appear at second base are Keston Hiura and Jace Peterson. The Brewers do have Brice Turang at Triple-A Nashville, but he has not played second base since 2019.
Another roadblock for Turang is the fact that he is not on the Brewers’ 40-man roster. Of course, if the Brewers trade off Wong for prospects, that will open up a spot. Currently, Mark Mathias is playing second base for Nashville and he IS on the 40-man roster, as is Pablo Reyes.
Most Likely Replacement for 2022: In my opinion, it’s Urias. He is fine defensively at second base and has decent power in his bat. He also has been hitting much better in July (.250/.340/.450 for the month thus far).
This is a good question because there is not a clear answer. One possibility is that the Brewers think Victor Caratini or Pedro Severino can catch every day. The problem is that Severino is ineligible to play in the postseason due to his failed PED test during spring training.
Of course, there is a possibility that Milwaukee believes it can get some quality prospects for Narvaez. After all, he was an All-Star last season, though admittedly he has not hit very well this year. His batting line this year of .244/.339/.369 is well below his career averages of .264/.350/.396. Narvaez will be a free agent after this season, and the Brewers may try to get something for him at the deadline.
So, what could any possible solution be for the rest of the regular season AND the postseason? While we can speculate, it is interesting to note that Mario Feliciano, the Brewers’ top catching prospect, is currently with the big-league club as a part of their taxi squad.
Mario Feliciano is receiving a catching crash course during his six-game stint on the Brewers’ taxi squad. Here he talks a little about his season to date at Class AAA Nashville (with help from @cbriz): pic.twitter.com/Uy8hA9YRsI
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) July 15, 2022
Along with Narvaez, Severino, Caratini and Feliciano, the Brewers have Alex Jackson on their 40-man roster. Barring acquiring another catcher via trade, it is not likely that Milwaukee calls up a catcher from Double-A to take the back up role. Therefore, I believe the Brewers’ catching situation could unfold in three different ways:
Most Likely Solution: To me, cutting Severino makes the most sense anyway. There is no reason to have three catchers on the MLB roster right now. If Narvaez is traded, the Caratini/Feliciano combination would make the most sense. That being said, it also would be sensible to keep Severino through the season while Feliciano gets regular at-bats in the minors. In any case, without Narvaez on the team, I would expect Feliciano to be on the postseason roster as the backup catcher.
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