The Brewers Can Still Get The Offseason’s Most Intriguing Infield Free Agent

[Jason Wang]

To Kiké Hernández, a pair of glasses has been more beneficial than any performance-enhancing drug on the market. 

Image courtesy of © Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

In my humble opinion, the most interesting part of baseball isn’t the history, analytics, or teams' ability to sell beer and hot dogs at exorbitant markups. Instead, what initially brought me to the sport and has kept me around has been the kooky storylines. A few come up every year, and my favorite from the 2024 season has been Kiké Hernández's realization that he has astigmatism, more or less by accident. 

After more than 3,500 major league plate appearances and a career OPS+ of 93, he was casually chatting with fellow Puerto Rican Martín Maldonado at the start of the season as countrymen often do. Maldonado mentioned that he and his White Sox teammates had taken more thorough eye exams than those in spring training and found that they needed to wear glasses. Intrigued by this revelation, Hernández figured taking similar steps could help improve his first-half OPS of .557. After being diagnosed with right-eye astigmatism, he began wearing prescription glasses, allowing him to post a .766 OPS in the second half of the season. He also managed to carry his success into the postseason, slashing .294/.357/.451 over his 57 playoff plate appearances. 

This story is just one of several factors that make Hernández a potential hidden gem free agent this offseason. His full-season stats are uninspiring, and he’s on the slightly older side at 33 years old, but there’s good reason to place more stock in his latest accomplishments. Recency bias is a dangerous thing, especially in baseball. Still, there’s reason to believe that the newfound improvement in his eyesight will lead to greater offensive production in the long term. He struggled immensely against fastballs and breaking balls at the start of the season. If we look at his batting average against both pitch types by month, we can see a clear step forward after the All-Star break:

	Fastball	Breaking
April	.250	.120
May	.182	.083
June	.194	.200
July	.206	.105
August	.259	.263
September	.360	.263

This improvement becomes even more apparent when we look at his slugging numbers against both pitch types in the same way:

	Fastball	Breaking
April	.250	.240
May	.273	.083
June	.361	.333
July	.324	.263
August	.481	.421
September	.480	.632

He was able to get more hits in general and seemingly pummeling the ball with more authority. 

His new and improved eyesight allowed him to make better swing decisions and, most importantly, improved his hitting against right-handed hitters, a hole in his game that he has had throughout his entire big-league career. 

He’s quite good as a defender, racking up six Defensive Runs Saved in 2024, but his greatest value is in his overall flexibility. He played 50 innings or more at six different positions (did not play catcher or right field) on the Dodgers but spent most of his time at third base. This has been the case for his entire career, and even if tasked with one primary position, he has been excellent in the infield and the outfield. Long story short, his new team should feel free to plug him in wherever and expect him to get the job done.

For the Brewers, he could be an outstanding fit for the current roster and payroll. With the departure of Willy Adames, the one clear weakness in the lineup is at third base. Joey Ortiz is the most likely candidate to move to shortstop, leaving Andruw Monasterio or short-king Caleb Durbin to man the hot corner. We more or less know what we’re getting in Monasterio, who may be a one-win player at best. In contrast, Caleb Durbin could be a total dice-toss that will, at the very least, still need some more time in the Brewers’ minor-league system before he’s fully baked and ready to hit the big leagues. 

Financially, top-dollar suitors aren’t exactly clamoring for his services. The Dodgers have expressed no interest in bringing him back, especially after they picked up utility infielder Hyeseong Kim and extended Tommy Edman. The Yankees have expressed interest, but in 2025, that means about as much as the Pirates front office saying they would like to compete in the upcoming season. Given his limited market and an inconsistent track record, Milwaukee probably wouldn’t have to break the bank to get him, at least not for a year or two. He may even want a short-term deal to get a full season of spectacled at-bats to boost his player stock before soliciting a more lucrative offer. 

The Brewers have always moved quite late in free agency and sought value for money. With their current gaps in the infield, a move to acquire Kiké Hernández could be the best of both worlds.

View full article

[Bratwithspecialsauce]

Great insight I haven't seen anywhere. Hernandez has always been an enigma.

He's been solid for the Dodgers as a utility guy for years, often coming through in the clutch..

After reading this, it sounds legit. Still, he's 33.  But with the only other desirable 3b that might give the Brewers  what they desperately need (power and defense) , Yoan Moncada hardly gives me confidence.

He has talent but after showing potential 5 years ago, he's been injured and an apathetic member of the White Sox dumpster fire.  Not convinced he'd be a good Brewers fit.

Between the two, Hernandez would be affordable and has a tempting upside for a year or two.

[Jason Wang]

8 hours ago, Bratwithspecialsauce said:

Great insight I haven't seen anywhere. Hernandez has always been an enigma.

He's been solid for the Dodgers as a utility guy for years, often coming through in the clutch..

After reading this, it sounds legit. Still, he's 33.  But with the only other desirable 3b that might give the Brewers  what they desperately need (power and defense) , Yoan Moncada hardly gives me confidence.

He has talent but after showing potential 5 years ago, he's been injured and an apathetic member of the White Sox dumpster fire.  Not convinced he'd be a good Brewers fit.

Between the two, Hernandez would be affordable and has a tempting upside for a year or two.

It's definitely a thin market for free agent third basemen. In the past, Kiké Hernández has typically been described as a "vibes guy" with, as you mentioned, a strong clutch gene but I think he has the potential to be a lot more. I definitely think he has more upside than Yoán Moncada even with all of his musical talent.