Brewers GM Matt Arnold On Burnes Woodruff Adames Counsell Prospect

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Brewers general manager Matt Arnold met with reporters (including and ) for the season wrap-up pre s conference today, and addre sing several major topics facing his team as the offseason begins. One question left open was the status of s right shoulder, as Arnold said more will be known once Woodruff has another visit with doctors. Hes going to be looked at this week. Were optimistic , Arnold said. We wont know until the reports come out, but were going to wait until he gets another opinion on his shoulder at this point . Woodruff suffered a capsular injury to his throwing shoulder just prior to the start of the Brewers Wild Card Series with the Diamondbacks, and it was unclear if Woodruff wouldve been able to pitch during any part of a postseason run even if the Brew Crew had made it as far as the World Series. Losing one of their top pitchers to injury proved to be a harbinger of bad news for Milwaukee, as the DBacks swept the NL Central champions in two games. Between this latest injury and the shoulder problems that caused Woodruff to mi s four months of regular season action, it seems po sible that surgery might be on the table as an option, which could threaten Woodruffs availability for 2024. It also adds another layer of intrigue to the longstanding expectation that at least one of Woodruff, , or Josh Hamilton Jersey could be traded. The three players are entering their and will be free agents next winter. Given Milwaukees modest payroll, extending even one of the players might not be feasible, and keeping all three beyond 2024 seems out of the question barring a major change in the Brewers spending approach. Arnold acknowledged this financial situation Tuesday, noting We can never close the door on any [trade] conversations, as you guys know. Thats just the reality of where we are . However, the GM unsurprisingly also didnt tip his hand in forecasting any moves, saying the short answer is that were extremely comfortable having Woodruff, Burnes, and Adames on the roster. The foundation is that theyre here and theyre really good players , Arnold said. Obviously, anything can happen over the course of an offseason. Well certainly have to entertain a lot of different discu sions but we recognize the value of these players and how much they mean to our franchise . Burnes in particular has seemed like the top trade candidate of the group ever since to his arbitration hearing back in February, though Arnold stre sed that Burnes means a ton to what weve done here. Hes been a warrior on the mound.Well see how it plays out over the course of the offseason, but I would expect him to be here next year . In terms of other winter priorities, the Brewers are hoping to boost offense, particularly at first and third base. Acquiring and at the trade deadline helped solidify the first base spot down the stretch, though Santana is a free agent and Canha will hit the market as well if the Crew dont exercise their $11.5MM club option on his services. Arnolds comments might imply that Canha and Santana could be let go if the Brewers want more pop out of the first base position, though Canha isnt only a first baseman, as he can also play in either corner outfield spot. seems like a candidate to be a third-base regular since Arnold said the team liked his work at the hot corner, though the GM also cited top prospect as a candidate at either infield position, potentially early on in the season. If Milwaukee is prepared to give Black a look out of Spring Training, that could mean the team might not pursue an everyday type of veteran corner infielder, in order to not block Black or Monasterio. There werent any new updates on s status, as Arnold said management had yet to sit down with the skipper to discu s a new contract. Counsells deal is officially up at the end of October, and owner Mark Attanasio that he wanted to wait until the season was over to explore an extension. Given the October 31st expiry date on his current contract, the Brewers will have a few weeks of exclusive negotiating time to explore po sibilities with Counsell, before becomes a free agent and open to pursuits from other teams such as the Mets, who now have David Stearns as president of baseball operations and a managerial vacancy after firing Buck Showalter. Evan Carter Jersey Click here Click here Click here