Despite not being active in the free agent market at last week's winter meetings, the Milwaukee Brewers made a lot of noise with a three-team trade on Monday.
The Milwaukee Brewers acquired catcher William Contreras (ATL), right-handed pitcher Joel Payamps (OAK), and right-handed pitcher Justin Yeager (ATL) in a three-team trade with the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics. The team sent outfielder Esteury Ruiz to Oakland as part of the deal. In addition, catcher Sean Murphy was sent from Oakland to Atlanta, and catcher Manny Piña, left-handed pitcher Kyle Muller, right-handed pitcher Freddy Tarnok and right-handed pitcher Royber Salinas were sent from Atlanta to Oakland. The announcement was made by Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Arnold.
According to the Brewers, Contreras, who turns 25 on Dec. 24 and is under club control through the 2027 season, batted .278 with 20 HR and 45 RBI in 97 games in 2022 (.354 OBP/.506 SLG/.860 OPS). He made 89 starts (57g at C, 31g at DH, 1g in LF). He started the All-Star Game as the designated hitter for the National League. Over his last 48 games, he hit .304 (52-for-171) with 9 HR and 22 RBI (.366 OBP/.503 SLG/.869 OPS).
Making his way to Oakland, Ruiz, 23, was acquired on Aug. 1 with three other players in the trade that sent left-handed pitcher Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres. He made his Major League debut last season, appearing in 17 games between San Diego (14g) and Milwaukee (3g).
