When I gave this a try last week, I pitched the idea of the Brewers trading Devin Williams and signing a player like Gleyber Torres, even knowing it’s antithetical to everything they do defensively.
While Torres would provide an infusion of power in the lineup, it still can be an expensive investment that doesn’t exactly help out on all aspects of the game.
I took the criticism and I’m going to do it again.
This time, to keep things interesting, we are going to choose a different player to sign from free agency and trade away a different player. So, what ways can the Brewers cut payroll this time? Let’s look at a free agent who had an impact on and off the field.
Updated Payroll
There is an interesting update to the Brewers’ payroll. With the subtractions of Colin Rea, Wade Miley, Frankie Montas, and Gary Sánchez, as well as the declined options of Devin Williams and Eric Haase, the Brewers have managed to drop around $5 million from my initial projected salary.
These projections come from FanGraphs, adding all the players’ salaries with the already paid buyouts and the projected arbitration and pre-arbitration numbers.
What’s more interesting is the Brewers placing both Jake Bauers and Bryse Wilson on waivers.
According to Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy, the two of them were outrighted from the 40 man roster and will become free agents. Bauers was projected to make $2.3 million in arbitration, whereas Wilson was projected $1.5 million
With these numbers, the salary currently sits at around $120 million.
This is still $4 million more than the 2024 payroll. There is still a chance for the Brewers non-tender players in arbitration or trade those who will take up payroll. But for now, this is the number we are going to rely on at this time. Now back to the potential signing.
Brewers Sign INF Jose Iglesias (Calculated Market Value Per Spotrac: one year, $1.7 million)
While the Brewers may have a future infield with the likes of Cooper Pratt, Eric Bitonti, Mike Boeve and Brock Wilken, they still need a year or so in the minors before they get the call to the big leagues.
In other words, they might need a temporary solution to fill the hole at shortstop or third base as a stopgap.
In theory, they cpuld use players like Andruw Monasterio, Tyler Black and Oliver Dunn to take over on the left side of the field.
These three candidates have had their encouraging moments, but on the whole, none has made a strong case for increased big-league playing time.
Remember, a few years ago, the Brewers entered a season with the likes of Luis Urías, Jace Peterson and Mike Brosseau as candidates at third base.
The results weren’t what the organization hoped for, leading to moves at deadlines to grab players like Josh Donaldson and Eduardo Escobar.
So, why not add a veteran player who can be more reliable, while the others develop? Enter José Iglesias.
The 34-year-old veteran doesn’t exactly have power, but he was a very reliable bat for the Mets last season. Iglesias posted a .337/.381/.448 line, good for a sparkling 137 OPS+. He was more of a utility player early on, but took over for Jeff McNeil when he went down with a broken wrist. During his tenure at second base, Iglesias went on a 22-game hitting streak that will (technically) still be active entering the 2025 season, since postseason games neither count toward nor officially disrupt such streaks. In that made dash to the finish line for the surging Mets, he went 34-for-86 and scored 13 runs.
Throughout his career, Iglesias has a .299 batting average with two outs and runners in scoring position. In any situation with RISP, he’s hitting a career .309/.355/.436 with a 123 tOPS+.
He only stole six bases in eight attempts, but that could be very different if he joined the Brewers. According to Baseball Savant, the Cuban emigré had a 28.2 feet per second sprint speed in 2024. In comparison, Christian Yelich, who stole 21 bases before going down for the rest of the season, was at 28.5.
As for his fielding ability, across third base, shortstop, and second base this season, Iglesias recorded 2 Outs Above Average, according to Statcast. It’s his glove that has kept him in the big leagues this long; his flashy play and reputation as a glove whiz was the first thing that put him on the map.
If you haven’t heard about him from his hitting or fielding abilities, you may have heard about him through his hit song “OMG” which he released under the performance name Candelita. That song debuted at number one on Billboard’s Latin Digital Song Sales and eventually became the anthem of the 2024 Mets. This is also why you saw Mets players holding an OMG sign in the dugout.
Iglesias could be a great temporary solution for the infield. If they want to aim higher for a starting job, the Crew can also utilize him as the extra infielder off the bench and replace Monasterio in that role. Regardless, he would be a great acquisition.
He will be entering his age-35 season, so he is likely to regress from this season’s numbers. After having a season and building a fun relationship with the fanbase in New York, there might be a premium to lure him a small-market destination, but one could think of it as a premium paid for the extra energy he brings.
Prediction: Iglesias signs a one-year, $5-million deal with a mutual option for 2026 (with a buyout that could act as a deferral of part of the salary)
Brewers trade Aaron Civale (2025 Projected Salary: $8 million)
If you come to the game and start hearing Black Betty by Ram Jam play on the speakers, then you will know Aaron Civale is going to start. In his short time with the club, he did make an impact.
In 14 starts with the club, Civale recorded a 6-3 record with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. As a Brewer, he struggled with the walks, averaging three per nine innings.
Despite that, the former Ray rebounded from an unsuccessful Tampa stopover and looked much more like the version of himself who had posted marvelous numbers in the first half of 2023, with the Guardians.
Civale is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and team control, and is expected to make similar pay to ace Freddy Peralta.
Entering his age-30 season, he would be the second-oldest pitcher in the rotation, behind Brandon Woodruff, who is expected to make his return in 2025.
With his expected salary, the organization might consider parting ways with their trade deadline acquisition.
While Colin Rea may no longer be a part of the rotation, we can expect Peralta, Woodruff, and Tobias Myers will be there. DL Hall and Aaron Ashby are going to compete for a spot in the rotation. Carlos Rodriguez is already on the 40-man, waiting to make an impact.
Jacob Misiorowski is close to making his MLB debut. To top it all off, prospects Chad Patrick and Logan Henderson are Rule 5 Draft-eligible and will need to be added on the 40-man roster in order to stay with the organization.
While the club could trade away a veteran like Civale, there is plenty of veteran leadership in Woody and Peralta.
He’s probably not going to net a bunch of prospects or an impact player for another segment of the roster, like trading a Devin Williams could, but it will still help in cutting the payroll.
For the price tag he has, Civale could be a decent back-of-the-rotation option for those not looking to spend a ton of money in free agency.
The Brewers, who have to count each dollar, might do better by scooping up a cheap alternative and trading Civale to increase their organizational depth and flexibility.
Money Saved: About $5 million
If the Brewers are able to land Iglesias at the price predicted, the Brewers would only be in charge of $3 million for the 2025 season, paying the rest of the contract on a potential buyout. This would net them around $5 million, if they paired it with a Civale trade.
This would put the payroll around the same as the 2024 season.
In a couple of weeks, Adames will officially decline his qualifying offer, and we’ll see which other players (if any) the Brewers non-tender.
Even if what happens becomes reality, we can’t rule out other trades to cut payroll, like Williams. We don’t know how low the 2025 payroll will go. Maybe we’re worrying for nothing, and it will actually rise.
We are going to have to wait and see. But don’t expect the club to add too many players from the free agent market.
