Brewers acquire All-Star catcher from Atlanta in three-way deal

December 12, 2022
|In Brewers
|By Zach Heilprin

Milwaukee has landed its new catcher.

As part of a three-way trade with Atlanta and Oakland, the Brewers acquired All-Star William Contreras from the Braves along with two pitchers. Outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz was the only player Milwaukee sent out in the deal.

Contreras played in 97 games last season for Atlanta and had a breakout campaign. He batted .278 with an on-base percentage of .354 and slugging percentage of .506. He hit 20 home runs and had 45 RBI for the NL East champions. The 24-year-old started as the DH for the NL in the All-Star Game. He isn’t scheduled to be a free agent until 2028.

The pitchers Milwaukee received were right-handers Joel Payamps from Oakland and Justin Yeager from Atlanta. The 28-year-old Payamps pitched in 41 games last year, going 3-6 with a 3.23 ERA. Yeager, who is 24 years old, spent much of last year with Atlanta’s Double-A squad.

“We are excited to welcome one of the top young catchers in baseball to the Brewers,” GM Matt Arnold said in a release. “William adds a power bat to our lineup, was an All-Star last season, and we believe he will only improve going forward. We are also excited to add Joel to our bullpen and a young quality arm in Justin to our farm system.”

Ruiz’s stay in Milwaukee was a short one. He was part of the trade that sent closer Josh Hader to San Diego last July. Known for his speed, Ruiz played in just three games or the Brewers. He was rated as the eighth-best prospect in Milwaukee’s farm system.