Offers and Salaries Impacted by Economic Uncertainties

×

Expand

PHOTO CREDIT: Milwaukee Brewers

Ben Gamel

Ben Gamel.

While the Brewers’ most notable names going through the arbitration process this winter are pitchers, some of their most telling decisions may be on the position player side.

The Brewers entered the offseason with 11 players between two-plus and six years of MLB service time, meaning they would be eligible for arbitration this winter. They trimmed that number to 10 when they removed Ryon Healy from the roster after the season. The team has until the first week in December to decide if they’ll offer those players contracts and begin the process of determining their salary for 2021 or “non-tender” them and allow them to become free agents. That decision is sometimes challenging in normal years, but certainly impacted this year by the sport’s uncertain economic status.

Last week we discussed the four pitchers among that group, including Brandon Woodruff and Josh Hader. This week we’ll move on to the position players, again sorted from low to high by Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors’ salary projections.

Jace Peterson, $700,000-900,000

Peterson got into 26 games for the Brewers in 2020 as the Brewers took advantage of his positional flexibility (he played five positions in the infield and outfield) and his plate discipline. Peterson batted just .200 as a Brewer but drew 15 walks in 61 plate appearances on his way to a .393 on-base percentage.

He’s played over 500 games in the majors over parts of the last seven seasons, so the Brewers largely know what they have with Peterson. His upside is relatively low, but his projected salary is also just slightly above the league minimum and it could make sense for the Brewers to keep him around to provide depth at a variety of positions.

Dan Vogelbach, $1.4-1.9 million

Vogelbach’s situation could provide a temperature check for the entire arbitration market this winter: He was a major spark for an otherwise punchless Brewers offense down the stretch, appearing in 19 games and batting .328 with a .418 on-base and .569 slugging. Without a clear answer at first base, it would make sense for the Brewers to make a relatively nominal investment to retain him as an option.

With that said, it’s hard to treat any expenditure as a given in baseball’s current economic climate. While Vogelbach was productive in a small sample and fills a need for this team, it’s still possible they could look to move on from him and try to catch lightning in a bottle with another buy-low candidate.

Ben Gamel, $1.7-2.1 million

When the Brewers avoided arbitration with Gamel last winter they tacked a one-year, $2.55 million club option onto the deal for 2021. They’ve since declined that option, however, putting Gamel back into the arbitration pool. With more playing time available in the outfield after Lorenzo Cain opted out, Gamel appeared in 40 games in 2020 and batted .237 with a .315 on-base percentage and .404 slugging.

Gamel might have been a non-tender candidate even under normal conditions: He’s provided some notable sparks for the Brewers during his tenure in Milwaukee but his overall production hasn’t been enough to warrant extended playing time, and he fills the kind of role that teams often seek to cover inexpensively.

Lorenzo Cain also could be a factor in this decision: If he’s coming back for 2021 then the Brewers are somewhat covered in the outfield and Gamel becomes even less of a necessary piece. If not, however, then losing both him and Gamel would leave the Brewers very short on strong defensive outfielders.

Manny Pina, $2.1-2.3 million

Pina is one of several decisions the Brewers need to make at catcher this winter, and in his case they’ll need to do it based on an even smaller sample size; Pina played in half of the team’s first 30 games before a torn meniscus ended his season.

When healthy Pina is, at minimum, a solid defensive backup with occasional pop off the bench. His ability to be more than that likely depends on what else the organization decides to do with this position this winter. If the Brewers see Pina as their regular option behind the plate in 2021 then this projected salary would be a bargain. If they don’t, it might be hard to justify spending this much on a part-time contributor.

Orlando Arcia, $2.7-3.8 million

Arcia came into the 2020 season with his back against the wall; he had back-to-back poor offensive showings in 2018 and 2019 and the Brewers had traded for Luis Urias, another shortstop, to compete for playing time at his position. Arcia responded with a season that ranks among his best offensively, posting a career-high .734 on-base plus slugging. He also played in 59 of the Brewers’ 60 games. Despite having played five MLB seasons Arcia is still only 26 years old.

Meanwhile, Urias got off to a hot start in the majors but struggled to maintain that momentum. After his first week as a Brewer he batted .189 with a .270 on-base and .233 slugging in his final 35 appearances and likely still has some work to do to prove he’s ready to be an everyday major league shortstop. Retaining Arcia would allow the Brewers to continue to use Urias as a utility player until he proves he’ll hit enough to play more regularly.

Omar Narvaez, $2.725-3.1 million

In a season where a lot of Brewers disappointed at the plate, Narvaez ranks among the biggest letdowns. In his first 19 games he was completely punchless offensively, slugging .189 with no home runs, and the Brewers went 5-14 in those contests. He lost playing time to Pina and eventually to Jacob Nottingham down the stretch.

It’s hard to tell what would be best for the Brewers or Narvaez at this point. It’s possible both sides could benefit from working out a lesser deal to allow him to stay in the organization and work to rebuild his value a bit, but there’s also a possibility that a change of scenery would be best for all parties. Either way, it seems unlikely the Brewers will spend this much on a catcher who was so unproductive in 2020.

To read more Brewers On Deck Circle columns by Kyle Lobner, click here.