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It’s still not entirely clear how William Contreras (3.4 WAR) ended up in Milwaukee. The A’s were trading Sean Murphy to the Braves, and suddenly, Brewers GM Matt Arnold was just...there...inserting Esteury Ruiz into the deal and snagging Contreras, coming off a 136 OPS+ and an All-Star appearance. Since that deal, Contreras has been a top-50 player in baseball, and right there with Will Smith and Cal Raleigh among the most valuable catchers in the game. With the Brewers Contreras improved his framing, and on the whole he helps the team with his defense, to go with a .278/.365/.44 batting line in three seasons up north.
Contreras has been playing through a broken left middle finger all season, an injury that caused the Brewers to add Danny Jansen at the trade deadline. Contreras finished the first half at .245/.351/.347, just unable to drive the ball. The break seems to have done him good, though, as he’s hit .317/.391/.554 out of it. As Turang does, Contreras gives the Brewers a huge edge in providing top-of-the-lineup offense from an up-the-middle position.
