Hunter Renfroe not surprised by trade to Angels

Many Milwaukee Brewers players and fans may have been surprised by Hunter Renfroe's trade to the Los Angeles Angels. Hunter Renfroe himself was not one of them.

"Unfortunately, we were kind of expecting it. The nature of the beast is you get too expensive a type deal for a team like Milwaukee," Renfroe told Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Renfroe, who made $7.65 million in 2022, was eligible to go to arbitration to determine his 2023 salary. NBC Sports reported that the small-market Brewers were unwilling to risk paying what the arbitration figures might have been -- projected by Major League Trade Rumors writer Matt Swartz to be in the range of $11.2 million for next season.

"Just spoke to Hunter Renfroe, who had indicated he had a sneaking suspicion he'd be moving on from Milwaukee. 'Unfortunately, we were kind of expecting it. The nature of the beast is you get too expensive type deal for a team like Milwaukee.'" -- @Todd_Rosiak

Instead of paying up, Brewers ship Hunter Renfroe off

The Brewers answered any questions regarding their intentions with Hunter Renfroe on Nov. 23, when they sent the outfielder to the Angels for three pitchers. Janson Junk, Elvis Peguero, and Adam Seminaris are headed from Los Angeles to Milwaukee in return for Renfroe.

The Angels will be Hunter Renfroe's fifth team in as many seasons. After spending his first four major league seasons with the San Diego Padres, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth in 2019. After one year in Tampa, Renfroe signed a free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox for 2020, with the Red Sox dealing him to the Brewers in 2021.

"It's weird," Renfroe told Rosiak. "Especially when you're in arbitration. It's not like you're a one-year free agent. I never have been really good at names, but I guess I've got to figure it out quick."

Hunter Renfroe has been a reliable source of decent power for the teams he has played for in his major league career, averaging one home run per every 4.46 games over seven MLB seasons. In 2022, he hit 29 home runs with 72 RBI and a .255 batting average for Milwaukee. He has twice topped the 30-homer mark, smacking 33 round-trippers with the Padres in 2019 and 31 with the Red Sox in 2021.

"Renfroe said he's spoken to a number of his ex-Brewers temmates already. 'I loved my time in Milwaukee,' he said. 'It sucks. I love those guys. But I expect to have a good year with the Angels and look forward to the adventure there.'" -- @Todd_Rosiak

Renfroe provides added pop to a lineup that is projected to include Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon in Los Angeles. However, Rendon has played in just 157 combined over three seasons with the Angels due to multiple injuries.