Brewers Reacts Survey Results: Front office gets “C” for offseason moves

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Milwaukee Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate.

In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked fans to grade Milwaukee’s offseason and who they felt would be the Brewers’ most impactful newcomer in 2023.

While there was a pretty solid distribution of votes for the offseason grade, 42% of fans gave the front office a “C” while 35% gave them a “B.” As I wrote with the release of the survey, Milwaukee didn’t do much in free agency, adding Brian Anderson, Wade Miley, and Justin Wilson as the lone major league contracts tendered.

Milwaukee did quite a bit more via trade, adding William Contreras, Jesse Winker, and Abraham Toro, along with several potential relievers.

Speaking of Contreras and Winker, those two players received the most votes for most impactful newcomer in 2023, receiving 72% and 16% of the vote, respectively. Rookie outfielder Sal Frelick received 6% of the vote, followed by veteran pitcher Wade Miley at 4%.

Contreras, who had a breakout All-Star campaign with the Braves in 2022, figures to be a key part of Milwaukee’s lineup in 2023 and in years to come, with the only other starting catching option being veteran Victor Caratini, who didn’t produce down the stretch last season.

Winker had a tough season with the Mariners in 2022, but he’s looking to recapture some of his offensive production from his time with the Reds as he takes over as Milwaukee’s primary designated hitter.

Frelick had a strong year across three levels of the minors in 2022, improving his stats at each level. If he doesn’t make Milwaukee’s opening day roster, it can safely be assumed he’ll make his debut at some point in the first half of the season as the Crew lacks much depth in the outfield.

Miley, who pitched for the Brewers in 2018, had a quietly strong pair of seasons with the Reds in 2021 and the Cubs in 2022, winning 14 games and pitching to an ERA just over 3.00 across 37 total games.

Stay tuned for more Reacts surveys as spring training continues and the regular season quickly approaches.