Milwaukee Brewers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Pittsburgh Pirates are among the teams considering ex-New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, who had a fantastic year with the San Diego Padres in 2023 while become left-hander Blake Snell's personal catcher. The Pirates are expected to move Henry Davis to full-time catching duties in 2024, but maybe they'd like some insurance behind him in Sanchez. The 31-year-old backstop produced a .780 OPS -- his best mark since 2019 -- and hit 19 home runs in 75 games after joining the Padres midseason. He was somewhat of an offensive savior for a Padres All-Star lineup that fell flat. Sanchez hit only .217 but squared the ball up often and should at least be able to land a role somewhere in a timeshare at the catching position. Expecting a repeat of 2023 would be foolish, but Sanchez could land a timeshare role somewhere and be useful as a No. 2 catcher in fantasy for his power.

The Milwaukee Brewers "have entertained the possibility" of trading star closer Devin Williams, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. This news comes on the heels of a big night for the Brewers as they traded starter Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. Milwaukee has already parted with Burnes and Brandon Woodruff this offseason, so moving on from Williams would be quite significant. A Williams trade would presumably signal a rebuild of sorts for the Brewers, though such a path would counter some of the moves they've made this offseason, like signing Rhys Hoskins. Nevertheless, it's no secret that the Brewers could fetch quite the haul for Williams, who accrued a phenomenal 1.53 ERA and 13.35 K/9 while locking down 38 saves in 2023. He figures to be an All-Star-caliber closer for several years to come.

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired left-hander DL Hall, shortstop Joey Ortiz and the 34th overall pick in this year's MLB draft from the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in a blockbuster trade that sent right-hander Corbin Burnes to the O's, according to a source. Hall, 25, was once a top pitching prospect for Baltimore, but he's made 29 appearances and one start in the big leagues and was used as a reliever in 2023 due to an injury. Hall ended up with a 3.26 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 19 1/3 innings last season. With a change of scenery, Hall should have a better shot at cracking Milwaukee's Opening Day rotation, especially with Burnes now gone. Ortiz is in a similar situation after being blocked at the big-league level for a middle-infield spot in Baltimore. The 25-year-old will have more opportunity with the Brew Crew after hitting .321 (112-for-349) with nine home runs, 58 RBI and 11 steals in 88 games for Triple-A Norfolk in 2023.

SNY's Andy Martino said Tuesday that the New York Mets could consider signing free-agent starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (shoulder), although nothing is close to being finalized between the two sides. The 30-year-old, who underwent right shoulder surgery in 2023, may not pitch at all in 2024 but is likely looking for a two-year deal. Woodruff has been a high-end starter throughout his career when healthy and went 5-1 in 11 starts and 67 innings pitched in 2023 with a 2.28 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 29.2% strikeout rate. Woodruff has spent his entire seven-year career with the Brewers, coinciding with Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns' time as the Brewers' general manager.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (knee) said he will be full-go in spring training. "I'm pretty bored as a competitor," Hoskins said. The 30-year-old tore his left ACL in spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies last year and missed the entire 2023 campaign. Had the Phillies advanced further in the postseason last fall, Hoskins may have been ready to rejoin their lineup, and he hasn't had any setbacks in the offseason with his knee. He's now on the wrong side of 30, but Hoskins has moved to another hitter-friendly park and will see regular at-bats between first base and designated hitter in Milwaukee. The injury risk is apparent for fantasy managers after Hoskins missed all of last year, but if he's healthy, he should be a solid power contributor at the first-base position. In his 667 career big-league games, Hoskins has cleared the fences 148 times.