Should the Brewers Take a Flier on Brendan Rodgers to Boost Their Infield Depth?

[Jack Stern]

Image courtesy of © Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Brewers have had a predictably quiet offseason. Milwaukee is returning most of the roster that won a league-leading 97 regular-season games last year. ZiPS projects them for at least 2 fWAR—the benchmark for a capable starter—at every position but first base.

Because the existing team has a high floor and a small budget, signing mid-tier free agents would be a poor use of resources. To get the most bang for their buck, the Brewers would have to go big, but most of the top free agents are out of their price range, particularly amid the financial fallout of the club terminating its broadcast rights deal with Main Street Sports Group.

That leaves low-risk, high-reward acquisitions as the best way for the Brewers to round out their roster, which could still use more power and another bench infielder behind Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler. Brendan Rodgers might be the best free agent to check both boxes.

Rodgers was a potential target a year ago, before the Brewers acquired Caleb Durbin to round out their infield. The former Colorado Rockies top prospect ultimately signed a minor-league contract with the Houston Astros, with whom he limped to a career-worst .191/.266/.278 line (55 wRC+) in 128 plate appearances. He hit the injured list on June 18 with an oblique strain. While on a rehab assignment, he collided with shortstop Edwin Díaz while fielding a ground ball, sustaining a concussion and a nasal fracture that ended his season.

There were some promising signs in Rodgers’s bat when he was healthy. He added 2.4 mph of average bat speed, which allowed him to hit the ball harder. He also nearly doubled his rate of balls pulled in the air.

Season	Avg. Bat Speed (MPH)	Avg Exit Velo (MPH)	Barrel%	HardHit%	Pull Air%	xwOBAcon
2024	71.7	89.3	5.6%	44.1%	9.9%	.369
2025	74.1	90.5	14.3%	48.6%	17.1%	.421

Because he was making louder contact, Rodgers’s .296 xwOBA and 98 DRC+ suggested he was better than his results indicated. Even those marks were unremarkable, though. Rodgers was swinging faster and meeting the ball in front of the plate more consistently, but his bat-to-ball ability suffered amid those changes. Not much of a contact hitter to begin with, he saw his whiff rate skyrocket from 25.9% to 37.8% last year. His 35.9% strikeout rate was a career-worst mark.

That much swing-and-miss won’t cut it, but Rodgers could figure things out with more time to acclimate to a new approach or some adjustments that bring him to the right mix of power and contact. He’s still under 30 years old, and there’s some upside in his bat if he’s healthy. There would be no risk for the Brewers in signing him to a minor-league deal to compete in spring training for a roster spot.

The greatest question surrounding Rodgers may be his usefulness in the field as a backup infielder. A former minor-league shortstop, he quickly moved to second base in the big leagues, where his defense has been inconsistent. His suspect arm could complicate his ability to fill in at third base, although the Brewers made do with Durbin’s below-average throwing at the hot corner last year. Even if Rodgers isn’t the perfect fit, he may be a worthwhile bargain.

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[wntrtxn21]

I don't see any use in Rodgers. His defense is suspect at every position and the bat is also highly questionable.  Mono is far ahead of him and there are a ton of young guys nearly ready to contribute. 

[Sixtolezcano]

So a back-up infielder with less than average defense skills and is a terrible hitter? No thank you1 But thanks for the effort trying to come up with an article this late into the offseason.

 

[long ball]

I mean any minor league deal is probably fine, but not much out there on the free agent market that warrants a major league deal as far as the bench goes. 
 

we are a bit thin at SS, but I kinda figure if Ortiz is out for an extended period of time it would be either Mona or Turang to play there. M

Seigler and Eddys Leonard are probably first guys up if/when there is a need. But if we get later in the season, then Pratt and Wilken may be options. 
 

I guess I’m not all that worried about our depth on the infield at this point. 

[nathanj42]

At this point, I'm not for locking down a back up IF with a guarantee roster spot, and Rodgers RH isn't ideal match to Durbin & Ortiz. I agree that Rodgers is a slight upgrade over the internal options (Monasterio & Seigler) given a long term injury to an IF starter, but the possible improvement is not enough to take away from the roster flexibility of having the back-up IF having options. Hopefully, Cooper Pratt needs major league PAs at some point in 2026.

 

[Jim French Stepstool]

Minor league deal & non-roster invite to spring training, maybe. But he'll get a better offer from SOMEONE, I would guess?

[ClosetBrewerFan]

This is exactly the type of player / minor league contract I expect the Brewers to pickup.  The promotions to AAA are limiting the need to sign minor league free agents like we had to do in the past, but I think they will take a chance on a few fliers like Rodgers.

[Ron750]

Anthony Seigler was given more than a fair chance. I did not think he had the great plate discipline he was supposed to. 
I’m tired of the Brewers shopping in the bargain basement. We need a legit clean up hitter. If Yelich’s back is bothering him, he should retire. Then the Brewers could sign a healthy power hitter. And he could avoid a lifetime of chronic pain. 

[wiguy94]

12 minutes ago, Ron750 said:

Anthony Seigler was given more than a fair chance. I did not think he had the great plate discipline he was supposed to. 

Seigler had a league average swing rate on pitches in the zone with an 18% chase rate. The league average chase rate last year was 28.1%. 

[jay87shot]

With Mone, Seigler, and now Williams add I dont see a path to playing time. However as a minor league contract, yes I am all for adding that depth through spring training at least.