The Milwaukee Brewers will face a number of personnel decisions with respect to their payroll this winter, but the team would like to re-sign catcher Yasmani Grandal and infielder Mike Moustakas.
Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that the team will pursue negotiations with Grandal and Moustakas, both of whom have mutual options for 2020:
Two others — Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas — will become free agents when they decline their half of mutual options. Grandal’s option is for $16 million with a $2.25 million buyout while Moustakas’ is for $11 million with a $3 million buyout. Moustakas’ agent, Scott Boras, this week described that as a formality and indicated his client would test the market again. Grandal is almost certain to do the same. The Brewers have not closed the door on bringing back either player.
“I don’t think it’s particularly controversial that I’d love to have both of them back,” Stearns said.
Grandal passed up on a four-year offer from the New York Mets, instead electing to bet on himself and sign a one-year deal with the Brewers.
That decision seems to have paid off, as Grandal had the best year of his career in 2019. The switch-hitting catcher slashed .246/.380/.468 with 28 homers, and he was once again one of the best framers in the game.
Moustakas had to wait a number of months before the Brewers brought him back on a one-year deal after they had acquired him at the 2018 trade deadline. He responded by mashing 35 homers and posting the best OPS of his career.
Both players have likely seen a rise in market value, so the Brewers will be hard-pressed to re-sign them this winter.
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