We're close, less than two weeks away. Pitchers and Catchers report on February 17th. It's been an unusually, if expectedly, quiet offseason on the player movement front for the Milwaukee Brewers, so it's time to take a look at how the roster groups look like they're going to flesh out.
Let's start simple, and take a look at the backstops for the Crew as we enter into spring training 2025. We do this by asking one simple question: is this good?
William Contreras
RBIs, good enough for a 4.9 WAR. He was, by nearly measure you can come up with, the best catcher in baseball for the 2024 season. You may have missed it, but Contreras finished 5th in MVP voting last season, in route to his second consecutive Silver Slugger award.
Of his 155 appearances, 120 were at Catcher, with 35 games as the Designated Hitter, something we should expect to see continue in 2025. Milwaukee will need to do everything possible to keep Contreras' bat in the lineup in 2025 since, as a whole, there are more questions than answers about where run production is going to come from.
The Brewers avoided arbitration with Contreras by signing him to a 1-year deal worth $6 million in 2025, with a club option for $12 million in 2026. His final arbitration year will be 2027, so if the Brewers are competitive we should expect to enjoy his talents in Milwaukee for at least the next two seasons. When it's all said and done he might wind up being the best Catcher that the organization has seen.
For the 2025 season at least, Contreras stands to be the cornerstone of the lineup and that is most certainly not a bad thing.
Is this good? Unequivocally yes.
Depth becomes a bigger question, although from a backup standpoint this position group looks alright. Haase raked in spring training in 2024, making a strong case for the opening roster. However, carrying three catchers in April is not usually great roster building. He would get the call-up in July, and stay on the roster through the end of the season.
Haase had a limited number of appearances, 69 at-bats in 30 games, but in that sample size he did have a slash line of .273/.304/.515 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. Nothing crazy, but simple, quality, depth. And that's really all you can hope for.
Look, he's a backup catcher, and likely a place holder while Milwaukee waits to see how Jeferson Quero looks after last season's injury.
Is this good? Maybe not good, but it's fine.
Honorable Mentions
Jeferson Quero
There's not a whole lot to say here, since Quero missed nearly the entire 2024 minor league season due to a torn labrum. The top prospect played in one game in Triple-A in 2024, before opting for season-ending shoulder surgery. If healthy, Quero is likely the first option for a catcher in the event of an injury. But it would make the most sense for him to start the season in Triple-A while he rounds into form instead of sitting on the bench in Milwaukee.
Jorge Alfaro
Minor league signings sometimes have an impact. Alfaro likely reflects just a depth option, so there isn't much to cover here. He appeared in only 18 games between two teams last season, hitting only .146 across 48 at-bats. Once upon a time, Alfaro was a top catching prospect, but entering his age-31 season, he looks more like a break glass in case of emergency option.
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Bolstered by a top tier starter, this is one of Milwaukee's strongest position groups. Having baseball's best catcher will do that, and if the Brewer's offense is going to have any consistency in 2025 that begins with what production Contreras can provide.
Past your starting catcher, the back-ups are back-ups, and the depth is just that - depth. Quero has a ton of questions coming back from a shoulder injury (shoulder injuries in baseball are always concerning), and Alfaro gives the Brewers major league experience in their minor league depth, a definite plus.
Is this good? Led by one of the best in the game - Yes it is good.
Make this a podcast already, nobody reads!!
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