Like the last couple of years, the Milwaukee Brewers have a lot of decisions to make with their team. They’re not easy decisions per se, but this offseason, there is a little less pressure than years past. For the last couple of years, the goal was to field a competitive team to convince Christian Yelich to stay in Milwaukee. That has already happened so now it is up to the Brewers to figure out how to keep this team competitive while also building towards the future. Milwaukee did not have a good season with who they brought in, and David Stearns will have to adjust his roster. Here are five decisions that he should make this offseason.

1. Agree to the mutual options with Jedd Gyroko and Ben Gamel – One of the boom/bust guys that actually boomed last year was Gyroko. He gives the Brewers an option at first base and third next season. He is awesome against left-handed pitching and provides pop to an order. Now, he should be hitting sixth or seventh in a good lineup so let’s hope Milwaukee has a better offense. Ben Gamel is a great fourth outfielder. The only reason to not do it is if you think Tyrone Taylor and Corey Ray are ready to take over that spot next season.

2. Don’t tender Omar Naravez – Some feel that it is inevitable that Narvaez will get another look at catcher, but personally, that feels like a miss to me. He didn’t seem to listen to his coaches down the stretch with bad at-bats consistently and tried to make things happen hiseaown way. He also did not seem on the same page with his pitching staff. After seeing what Travis D’Anuard did this season as a flyer for Atlanta, I want that same sort of lightning in a bottle opportunity as well.

3. Try to trade Josh Hader – This is probably worth its own post, but the time has come to deal Josh Hader. They have a star in Devin Williams who can close games or stay in his position in the bullpen. Corey Knebel started to find himself again as the season wrapped up. You can get Knebel another year to either close or be Williams’ set-up guy. The value you could get for Hader would be immense. They could get immediate impact on offense and the farm system. Milwaukee should look for a deal that resembles what the Cleveland Indians got for Mike Clevniger.

4. Do an arbitration deal with Orlando Arica – This is one that I feel Brewers fans will be split on. Do you buy that Orlando Arcia turned the corner or do you cite that it was a short season? Personally, I see Carlos Gomez with him. Maybe not as much power, but the same sort of thing that happened with Gomez as he got older, more mature, better things started happening for him. I know they have Luis Urias, but maybe, he becomes trade bait or moves to second base with Keston Hiura being a permanent DH. Giving Urias the keys to shortstop feels risky to me.

5. Sign Trevor Bauer – The controversial right-hander has made it known that he doesn’t want to sign multi-year deals. It is almost like he wants to play around the league and try out new things. He spoke fondly of the City of Milwaukee in the past and would probably come to Milwaukee on a deal that would equate to 20-30 million for one year. Maybe the Brewers could convince him for two which would make things easier on the small market squad. There will be many teams trying to get Bauer this offseason.

It should be a fun offseason for the Brew Crew.

Charlie.