With Willy Adames gone, the Brewers have a (potential) glaring hole in the infield
After Willy Adames left Milwaukee for San Francisco in early December, the Brewers have chosen to fill that hole with…Caleb Durbin?
Adames signed with the Giants on December 10 and, since that time, the only major league additions the Brewers have made are acquiring Nestor Cortes, Grant Anderson, and Durbin in a pair of trades that sent Devin Williams to the Yankees and Mason Molina to the Rangers. Jake Bauers did return on a minor league deal last week, but that also won’t fill the hole left by Adames.
As it stands right now, Milwaukee’s depth chart features Joey Ortiz as the starter at both shortstop and third base, which simply isn’t possible. Beyond Ortiz and Brice Turang, the top candidates at shortstop (or second or third, depending if those other two move) are Durbin and Andruw Monasterio.
Not to be a Negative Nancy, but I don’t have the most faith in an infielder with below-average arm strength who’s played just 82 games at Triple-A (Durbin) and another guy who hit just .208/.303/.272 with one homer across 59 games in 2024 (Monasterio). Feel free to come after me if one of them has a breakout season.
I don’t think either of those guys are the worst option we could put out there — after all, we’re not the White Sox or the Marlins. But even so, I think there are players available on the open market that could be better options. Here are five free agents I think the Brewers should at least consider adding before spring training kicks off about a month from now.
Jorge Polanco (31 years old, 1.3 2024 bWAR)
Polanco is probably one of the more attractive the options on this list, but he’s also one of the most expensive. He’s split most of his career between second base and shortstop, and he’s also played at third base. He’s a switch hitter that provides some pop (16 homers in 118 games in 2024; averages 22 homers across 162 games for his career). Yes, he’s a well-below-average defender (something the Brewers would hate), but he could be a nice option for a year or two as Milwaukee’s infield prospects (see: Cooper Pratt, Eric Bitonti, Mike Boeve, etc.) get closer to the majors.
Given his down season in 2024, he should be affordable for the Brewers, with a contract somewhere in the range of Kolten Wong’s 2021 deal of two years, $18 million. He’s a true bounce back candidate after totaling 9.6 bWAR from 2021-2023 with the Twins.
Brendan Rodgers (28 years old, 1.1 2024 bWAR)
Likely the least-well-known player on this list, most of that can be attributed to the fact that Rodgers played for the Rockies. He basically has the exact opposite profile of Polanco, as he’s a great defender (he led the majors in total zone fielding runs above average in 2022, when he won a Gold Glove) but a below-average hitter, posting an OPS+ below 100 in all but one of his four full major league seasons.
Colorado non-tendered Rodgers this offseason with a projected salary of around $5.5 million, per MLB Trade Rumors, so the Brewers would be able to get him on a cheap deal, and, given Milwaukee’s defense-first style, I wouldn’t be surprised if the front office preferred him over players like Polanco anyways.
Brandon Drury (32 years old, -2.0 2024 bWAR)
Drury had a major down year with the Angels in 2024, hitting just .169/.242/.228 (35 OPS+) with four homers and 15 RBIs across 97 games. Like Polanco, he had a solid few years before that though, finishing with an OPS+ of 110 or better in each season from 2021-2023 between the Mets, Reds, Padres, and Angels. His profile also features plenty of pop, with 20 homers per 162 games across his career. He also offers plenty of versatility in the field, as he’s played all over the infield.
As is the case with Rodgers, the Brewers should be able to ink Drury on a cost-effective one year, $6 million contract, or something in that ballpark.
Ha-Seong Kim (29 years old, 2.6 2024 bWAR)
After a 14th place finish in the NL MVP race in 2023, Kim was limited to 121 games in 2024, though he still posted 2.6 bWAR. Across four seasons with the Padres, Kim finished with 15.3 WAR while playing at third base, shortstop, and second base. He provides some pop, with 47 homers across 540 career games, and he’s also an above-average defender, winning a Gold Glove in 2024.
He declined an $8 million mutual option for 2025, so he’s certainly looking for a deal larger than that. Kim is likely looking for a solid one-year prove-it deal — something in the ballpark of $12-$15 million would be my guess. We’ll see if the Brewers are willing to dish that out.
Paul DeJong (31 years old, 0.9 2024 bWAR)
Likely a familiar face for most Brewers fans, DeJong spent seven years with the Cardinals before shorter stints with the Blue Jays, Giants, White Sox, and Royals the last two years. Primarily a shortstop, DeJong provides plenty of power (26 homers per 162 games across his career), though he gets on at a low clip, with a career OBP of .295. Defensively, he’s nothing to write home about, but he’s serviceable.
Coming off a cheap one year, $1.75 million contract, DeJong is likely looking to cash in on a solid 2024 in the AL Central. His contract should be in the $5-$6 million annual range.
Verdict
Knowing the Brewers front office, I don’t think they’ll willingly dish out a “big” contract to a below-average defensive player like Jorge Polanco. That being said, I’d love to see Milwaukee bring in a stopgap player for one or two years as their prospects develop — that includes Durbin, who is still just 24. I think Ha-Seong Kim is a fit that makes sense for both sides, but I wouldn’t be opposed to someone like Brendan Rodgers either.