The loss of Willy Adames leaves a hole at shortstop; how can GM Matt Arnold fill that hole on a budget?
Shortstop Willy Adames, acquired from Tampa Bay in 2021, quickly became one of the best players on the Brewers. After a somewhat down season in 2023, Adames’ 2024 was a different story. He hit .251 with 32 home runs and 3.1 WAR, finishing 10th in NL MVP voting. Adames was a difference maker for the Brewers due to his consistent ability to hit for power (hitting over 30 homers twice in his three full seasons in Milwaukee) and his defense.
In short, he played himself out of the Brewers’ price range.
In December, the Giants signed Adames to the largest contract in the history of their franchise. Adames’ new contract is a reported $182 million over seven years, which would have also been the largest deal (in terms of AAV) in the history of the Brewers. For some perspective, Adames is now making over $2 million more per year than Christian Yelich.
The blow of losing Adames may have been dampened by an obvious succession plan, which the Brewers do not have. Top prospects Cooper Pratt and Jesus Made (pronounced MAH-day), both shortstops, are realistically at least two years away from making an impact in the bigs. A few of the other top 30 Brewers prospects — Eric Bitonti, Luis Peña, and Filippo Di Turi — are shortstops, but none of them are expected to start the season above High-A.
Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang both came up at shortstop, so one of them could potentially shift back. However, Turang just won a Gold Glove at second base, and Ortiz’s advanced stats put him among the best defensive third basemen in the league. Andruw Monasterio could potentially factor in if either of Ortiz or Turang were to move back to short. Monasterio is an above-average defender but hit just .208 with one home run last year. He profiles as more of a utility man and spot starter, not a long-term answer for a team with playoff aspirations. Ideally, the Brewers would be able to leave Turang and Ortiz at their respective positions and find their shortstop elsewhere.
So, what options do the Brewers have?
Since the arrivals of Pratt and Made are somewhat imminent, it doesn’t make sense to chase an expensive free agent or trade target, especially considering Mark Attanasio is historically reluctant to spend on free agents. Lorenzo Cain’s contract ($80 million over five years) represents the high-water mark for a Brewers free agent signing in Attanasio’s tenure as owner. Any player that would command significantly more than that probably isn’t a realistic target. Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Arnold could opt to fill the gap at shortstop with a veteran who won’t command a massive contract or find value somewhere outside of their top 30 prospects. The best option for the Brewers is to find someone who can provide slightly above replacement value for a couple years until Made and/or Pratt are ready, whether that be a less-heralded minor leaguer or a veteran free agent.
While Harrison wrote an article on major league veterans yesterday, I wanted to explore some minor league options. I’ll also quickly recap a couple of major league options that may fit the Brewers’ stringent budget.
Option 1: Minor Leaguers
In November, the Milwaukee Brewers signed SS/CF Bladimir Restituyo to a minor league deal, assigning him to Triple-A Nashville. Restituyo, signed at just 16 years old, is a career minor leaguer who has been in the Rockies’ farm system since 2018. He originally played shortstop but has played mainly outfield the last few years because of the Rockies’ glut of shortstop options. Three of the Rockies top 12 prospects, including top prospect Adael Amador, are shortstops. Even Amador might have to move to second base because of the presence of 2024 Gold Glove winner Ezequiel Tovar, who projects to be their starter long-term.
Restituyo is still only 23 but has been surpassed by those other prospects — part of the reason the Rockies were willing to give him up. He’s listed not as a CF but as a SS, belying Milwaukee’s intentions to give him a shot at shortstop next season.
Restituyo has had consistently good, but not great, stats in the minors. He slashed .270/.312/.350 last year at Double-A, not hitting for much power but showing a knack for both getting on base and stealing bases. He’s been a plus defender at SS, 2B, and CF throughout his time in the minors. Furthermore, the Brewers have had success in recent years in developing the bats of younger minor leaguers (such as Brice Turang and Blake Perkins).
Restituyo, while somewhat unheralded, could develop further in a new organization, especially one as developmentally sound as the Brewers. While he will start the season in Triple-A barring a standout spring training, he could prove himself enough by May to be given a shot with the big club.
Another Brewers minor leaguer who might end up being serviceable at shortstop is 25-year-old Anthony Seigler. Seigler, a first-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2018, has mainly played catcher and second base in the minors. Despite playing second due to concerns about his range, Seigler has a plus arm at catcher, a skill that would translate well to the keystone position.
Just like Restituyo, Seigler stagnated in the Yankees farm system and elected free agency after 2024. The Brewers signed him and assigned him to Triple-A Nashville, where he is likely to start the season at 2B. Seigler’s profile isn’t as natural of a fit at shortstop; if he can’t play short, but can contribute at second, the Brewers could move Turang to short for 2025.
Seigler has admittedly struggled at the plate, hitting just .218 for his minor league career. He was drafted in the first round for his power, which makes him an appealing option considering Adames’ skill set. Despite this, his hit tool hasn’t really translated to his stats in the pros (although he hit a career-high 12 home runs in 118 games last season). Like Restituyo, him being serviceable in the big leagues hinges on further development. However, Seigler is a former top prospect who was stuck in another prospect-rich farm system. The Brewers clearly saw something in him to sign him, and he could end up making an impact sometime in 2025.
The other option would be Pratt. While pretty unlikely that Pratt would debut in the bigs before the end of next season, it’s not worth fully counting out due to his prospect pedigrees. Pratt is expected to start the season at AA-Biloxi after slashing .295/.394/.395 at A-Ball and .221/.258/.442/ in 23 games at High-A Wisconsin.
The drop-off in batting average and OBP in High-A suggests that Pratt will need a little more time to develop, but his increased slugging percentage suggests he’ll eventually be able to get the hang of hitting higher-quality pitching consistently. A Jackson Chourio-esque rapid ascension through the farm system isn’t likely; however, if Pratt starts the season hot in Biloxi, he’ll probably get a Triple-A nod. At that point, he’s only one step from the bigs, and the Brewers would have nothing to lose by giving him a shot for a week or two with the big club to see how he acclimates.
Made, being still only 17 years old, is a lot more unlikely than Pratt. Even if he continues the insane hot streak he was on in the Dominican Summer League, this season will be his first taste of real minor league baseball. and it’s unfeasible he’d even finish the year in Triple A. Even Chourio, ranked as MLB.com’s No. 2 overall prospect before last season, didn’t get the Triple-A call up until he was 19.
Option 2: Free Agent Bridge Guys
The most exciting option that the Brewers might be able to afford is Ha-Seong Kim, the first Korean-born player to ever win a Gold Glove. Kim declined his player option for the 2025 season in hopes he can command more than the four-year, $28 million deal he signed with the Padres. He probably will — estimates of a deal for Kim are somewhere in the four-year, $60 million range.
Kim had a bit of a down year last year, hitting only .233 with 11 home runs. He is, however, a defensive wizard. The Brewers have historically focused on players who provide plus defensive value, which could make Arnold and Co. look harder at him. However, Kim doesn’t hit for power, unlike Adames. Kim is also represented by Scott Boras, which might make an affordable contract a lot harder.
The most realistic way the Brewers could get Kim is selling him, and Boras, on the opportunity to rebuild a bit of the value lost last season. If Arnold can sign him on a one year prove-it deal, maybe with a player option for a second year, they could pitch Milwaukee as a projected playoff team with a great developmental staff that could help Kim put up better stats than he did last year. The Brewers would get an above-average shortstop for a couple seasons, ideally on a cheaper deal, and Kim would still eventually get his big contract. This would also have the added bonus of not blocking Pratt or Made, should either of them be ready by the start of next season.
Free agent defensive standout Jose Iglesias is also someone the Brewers might look into. The 35-year-old Iglesias is definitely a less sexy option than Kim. He doesn’t hit for power at all, recording double digit home runs just once in his 12 MLB seasons. However, he’s a career .283 hitter, and hit .337 in 85 games with the Mets last year. Given that Iglesias had appeared to be on his way out of the league before last season — he spent the entire 2023 season at Triple-A — teams might be wary of giving him a deal with significant money. If other clubs chalk his 2024 season up to a fluke, why shouldn’t the Brewers give him a cheap one-year deal?
Even at 35, Iglesias is still an exceptional fielder and hit for a higher average than anyone starting for the Brewers last year. Worst case, he doesn’t work out, and they use him as someone who can mentor some of the young guys. Best case, he builds on the 3.1 WAR he provided the Mets last season (the same as Adames), and Arnold looks like a genius when they transition from him to Made or Pratt.
So, what do you think? Let me know in the comments who you think is most likely to help fill the gap at shortstop, or if there’s another option that makes more sense for Milwaukee.