Offseason Handbook: 4 Creative Ways to Replace Willy Adames on Brewers Infield

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While you won't hear them put it this way, the Brewers are almost certainly entering this offseason hoping to replace WIlly Adames's power through the simple maturation and steady improvements of Jackson Chourio and Joey Ortiz. Those two each had strong rookie seasons, and in particular, each flashed much more power than they were able to get to on a consistent basis over a full season against the best pitchers on Earth. Adames takes 32 home runs with him to greener pastures this winter, but between Chourio, Ortiz, and Rhys Hoskins, the team probably hopes they'll get half of those lost dingers back from a mixture of development and regression.

The team also has to write someone into the lineup every day to physically replace Adames, though, and that person can't be an automatic out or a non-threat at the plate. They need someone who can keep their lineup long, while holding together one of the best defenses in baseball. The potential for even better production from Chourio, Ortiz, and Christian Yelich—whose back surgery might finally resolve the lingering issues he's dealt with for years—takes some pressure off the process of that replacement, but it's never easy to find a player who can both play high-level defense on the infield and acquit themselves in the batter's box.

Easy? No. Possible? For this front office, all things are, and this offseason seems to offer some especially intriguing possibilities. It's a good time to leverage a trade that might need to be made anyway to pad the middle of the lineup. It's a good time to sneak in and snatch away a player whose team has little chance of recognizing how good they just might be. It's a good time to fish in remote waters, embracing a small amount of risk to seize the potential reward. It's even a good time to take a bit of an unconventional swing, knowing there's a safety net below if a grand attempt doesn't yield the hoped-for results. The Brewers just need to pick their favorite opportunity and time their leap.