The top 5 moves that helped get the Milwaukee Brewers to the playoffs in 2023

After the Milwaukee Brewers fell one game short of the postseason last year, the team's front office personnel got to work.

They had the luxury of a solid returning core, particularly on the pitching side, but not the same financial resources to supplement it as most teams did. Still, the Brewers were able to improve their roster. They put together a team that won 92 games, an improvement of six wins from the previous season, with a series of under-the-radar yet deft transactions.

The 2023 Brewers won the National League Central Division with their elite pitching, but they also won it with depth. And defense. And big contributions from hitters who weren't in the organization this time last year.

Here were the five most important moves by the Brewers to make it back to the postseason:

5. The Josh Donaldson signing

Toward the end of August, the New York Yankees released Josh Donaldson. The veteran third baseman hadn’t lived up to his contract and his poor numbers at the plate (.142 average, .659 OPS) had drawn the ire of frustrated Yankees fans.

The Brewers front office felt they saw through the on-the-surface numbers and had a proven hitter available with good plate discipline who hits the ball hard and in the air. And he was essentially free.

Milwaukee inked Donaldson to a minor-league deal on Aug. 31, making him eligible for the playoff roster.

He has hit three homers and four doubles in 17 games since joining the Brewers and will likely be the starting third baseman in the playoffs.

This wasn't the most important move in terms of getting the Brewers to the playoffs because of how late it happened. But it might turn out to be one of the biggest if they make a run this month.

4. The moves you didn’t even notice when they happened

The Brewers have been as diligent as improving on the margins as any other team in recent years. That was as true in 2023 as ever.

Andruw Monasterio (1.3 wins above replacement) signed a minor-league deal and appeared in 92 big-league games.

Colin Rea, another minor-league signing, finished third on the team in innings.

Blake Perkins was second among Brewers outfielders in WAR (1.2).

Don’t overlook the decision to tender Hoby Milner a contract in arbitration or acquire Bryse Wilson for cash.

Milner had a decent season in 2022 and only cost $1.03 million, but the Brewers have shown a knack of turning their bullpen over year after year and finding breakout arms for even cheaper. Wilson had underperformed as a starter but the Brewers saw potential as a reliever in the former top prospect. Both were excellent in the bullpen this year.

3. The trade deadline

The Brewers at the date of the trade deadline trailed the Reds by 1 ½ games for first place in the division. They ranked 25th as an offense in weighted runs created plus (wRC+) and were buoyed almost entirely by two hitters: Christian Yelich and William Contreras.

Arnold acquired Mark Canha and Carlos Santana at the deadline to bolster positions where the Brewers had struggled immensely at the plate: first base, right field and designated hitter.

Flash forward to the end of the year. Canha was excellent with the bat and Santana above-average while also playing great defense. The Brewers ranked 14th in wRC+ in baseball after the trade deadline.

Arnold and the Brewers front office effectively upgraded their team as well as anyone else in the league at the deadline, and did so without giving up any prized assets in the system.

2. Signing Wade Miley

How good was the Wade Miley contract for the Brewers?

Miley signed a $3.5 million deal for 2023 with a $10 million mutual option for 2024 featuring a $1 million buyout.

Thirty-one starting pitchers received more money on the free-agent market last off-season. Among those players: Zach Davies, Rich Hill, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke, Corey Kluber, Jordan Lyles and Noah Syndergaard.

Only six had a higher WAR than Miley (2.5).

Miley delivered 23 starts of 3.14 earned run average pitching, delivering consistency and quality when healthy.

1. The heist of the off-season

Remember the Sean Murphy trade?

Yeah, it was actually the William Contreras trade, it turns out.

When the Braves and A’s couldn’t quite agree on a two-team deal that sent Murphy to Atlanta, the Brewers, aware that Oakland coveted outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz, swooped in to push the deal over the finish line.

All national headlines focused on the Braves getting a bona fide elite catcher in Murphy and sending a minimal return to Oakland.

It was Contreras – the player the Braves flipped to Milwaukee – who had the best season of any catcher in baseball, though. He led all MLB catchers with 5.5 WAR as he turned into a great defensive catcher while also maintaining his status as a slugger. He was even better than Murphy.

The Brewers also got Joel Payamps from Oakland and he proved to be one of the top setup men in baseball this year. Payamps had a 2.55 ERA across 69 games.

As for Ruiz? He stole a ton of bases (67), sure, but didn’t have much impact as a hitter and graded out poorly as a defender and was a negative-value player according to Baseball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The moves that got the Milwaukee Brewers to the 2023 playoffs