What Role Will Manuel Margot Play in Milwaukee?

[Jason Wang]

The Brewers signed the outfielder to a minor league deal, but will he see any major league action?

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Manuel Margot has been in the big leagues for a while. He spent his best years with the Padres and Rays, but most recently, he had quite a poor year with the Twins, slashing .238/.289/.337 over 343 plate appearances. He also had a peculiar tendency to be regularly called on to pinch hit despite not being particularly adept at the role. On the bright side, he made league history, becoming the first player ever to go 0-29 (and later 0-30) in a season as a pinch hitter. His $12 million mutual option was understandably declined by the Twins, allowing him to sign a free-agent deal with the Brewers, so what does he add to the team, if anything?

Offensively, Margot has never been much to write home about. Over his roughly 3,000 big league plate appearances, he has only managed a career OPS+ of 90. On the bright side, at least he’s consistently below average, with 2022 as the only season in his career where he managed offensive production above league average (104 OPS+). 

Before 2023, it was his fielding prowess from which he made a living. From 2016 - 2022, he accumulated 44 Defensive Runs Saved across the three outfield positions but spent the lion’s share of his innings in center. Unfortunately, he went from toting a reliable glove to a subpar defender starting in 2023. He has always had a weak arm, but in years past, he relied on translating his speed into excellent range, allowing him to cover more ground than most. 

Unfortunately, all that would change after he tore the patellar tendon in his right knee in the middle of 2022, causing him to miss half the season. This began a gradual decline in his speed, dragging him from an 88th percentile sprint speed in 2021 to a 53rd percentile in 2024. Without improvements to his arm or bat, his main upside as a player is now gone. 

However, it’s not all bad. He has proven the ability to be a serviceable outfielder so long as he isn’t expected to cover large swaths of land. Considering his weak arm, he should be okay in left field. He also struggled primarily against righties in Minnesota but had decent numbers against left-handed pitching, posting a .713 OPS over 171 plate appearances. His bat-to-ball skills are still respectable, and his xBA of .261 could suggest he was a little unlucky with his actual BA of .238 last season.

Ultimately, this is a move to add veteran depth that can be called upon in the event of injury. Christian Yelich has said that he should be ready for Opening Day, but given his persistent back issues, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to stick around as consistently as fans might hope. Throw in Garrett Mitchell's penchant for finding new and inventive ways to break his body, and getting backup outfielders seems like a no-brainer. Acquiring Margot allows Milwaukee to get some cheap depth to act as insurance. Similar to their earlier pickup of Jorge Alfaro, this seems like a low-risk, low-reward pickup. This late in the offseason, it would have been foolish to assume that the Brewers would have done otherwise.

View full article

[SandyTolan]

With his opt-outs, isn't there a decent chance he won't be on the team in a few weeks? Seems he has zero chance of making the 26-man roster, and would be free to opt out.  So I'm guessing he won't play an inning with Milwaukee this year.

[Devinep]

Now that Perkins will Miss the beginning of the year, the Margot signing looks a lot more useful since he will likely be the backup OF to start vs LHP. He still hits them well 

[wallus]

Hopefully just a better option than Hicklen and Collins in AAA

[Jim French Stepstool]

10 hours ago, Devinep said:

Now that Perkins will Miss the beginning of the year, the Margot signing looks a lot more useful since he will likely be the backup OF to start vs LHP. He still hits them well 

To answer the question at the head of this article, I think this is it. He'll play the Blake Perkins role, for about six weeks. 

How well he plays it is anyones' guess.

[Sugarrayray]

Now that Brother Canha has returned for his second ride I believe Margot will not factor into the Brewers’ season.