5 Sneaky Free Agents the Milwaukee Brewers Could Sign to One Year Deals

We have entered that part of the offseason where small-market teams strike deals with some of the available free agents who didn’t get signed in the first wave. The Brewers are very notorious for this. In previous offseasons, they have landed players like Lorenzo Cain, Yasmani Grandal, Christian Yelich, and most recently Rhys Hoskins in the second half of January.

With the limited amount of budgetary flexibility for the offseason, you can probably rule out the Brewers signing Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander, or Alex Bregman. But that doesn’t mean the Brewers can’t sign a sneaky, impact signing to a one-year deal. Who could fall into the Brewers' lap this offseason? Here are five players that just might get the job done.

Yoan Moncada
While adding Caleb Durbin to the roster has helped the club with their infield depth, he doesn’t exactly provide veteran experience in the infield—nor power. With Willy Adames’s departure, the Brewers could definitely use some of each, even if it’s for one season.

Though not exactly a power hitter recently, Moncada is a name that has repeatedly come up as a rumored fit for the Brewers. After another injury-marred season, the switch-hitting third baseman could use a one-year deal, in hopes of bouncing back and getting a better payday for 2026.

In 2023, Moncada hit .260/.305/.425 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs in 357 plate appearances with the White Sox. He was, that year and in earlier ones, a fairly ferocious line-drive hitter. We are well removed from his 2019 season, when he had a .315 batting average and a 140 OPS+ with 25 home runs and 79 RBIs. But he can still be a threat to hit 15-20 home runs, assuming he plays more than 100 games.

Alas, injuries have kept him off the field throughout his career. Since his first full season with the White Sox in 2018, Moncada has played 685 games, out of a possible 1,032 (66.4%). As so often happens, after a few serious injuries, he also seems diminished even when he's on the field.

The Brewers would use the Cuban third baseman at the hot corner and move Joey Ortiz over to shortstop, keeping their Platinum Glove winner Brice Turang at second base. Moncada isn’t a defensive standout, but his 8 Outs Above Average (OAA) at third over 4,400 innings in his career gives us confidence that he's about average.

The club could also use Moncada as a DH on occasion, to keep him off the field and try to prevent serious injuries. That way, players like Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, or even Sal Frelick can have opportunities at third base.

Because of his injuries, there is a good chance he won’t cost as much as he was being paid even last season. Based on how the offseason spending is going, somewhere around $6-8 million could be enough to sign Moncada.

Paul Dejong
If the Brewers want to have a perfect replacement for the departed Adames, then Paul Dejong is a (very) poor man’s version of him.

This is another name that has been tossed around the Brewers faithful, and rightfully so. Between his time with the White Sox and Royals, Dejong hit 24 home runs, driving in 56 runs in 482 plate appearances. If he maintains that same hitting ability, he will provide another right-handed bat that can hit for power. But that’s really all he is: a power bat.

While he may have been an All-Star with the Cardinals back in 2019, he has a career .229 batting average, along with a 27.5% strikeout rate that has been rising over recent seasons. Perhaps re-joining a competitive NL Central with a team looking to win their division for a third straight season could help figure some stuff out, but it would be a bad idea to bet heavily on any more than average, power-led production.

He does fit the Brewers' mold on defense. In 2023, Dejong recorded a 9 OAA as a shortstop. While he did take a step down in fielding in 2024, he was better at third base, recording 5 OAA in 41 games. This will give the Brewers more options on the infield, as they can find the alignment that works best for them and change it up as needed. Somewhat like Moncada, Dejong will command something in the $5-7 million range.

Cal Quantrill
At first glance, you would think the starting rotation is set. On paper, Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Brandon Woodruff, Aaron Civale, and Nestor Cortes sounds like a solid rotation.

But it doesn’t hurt to have a little more depth. Woodruff is coming off a serious shoulder injury which kept him out the entire 2024 season. Nearly every pitcher who has had the same injury wasn’t the same as they were before. Cortes suffered from a left elbow flexor strain late in the season, and didn't look good when he rushed back for the World Series.

The Brewers do have other options for the rotation in Aaron Ashby, Carlos Rodriguez, and DL Hall, who could receive some looks. But based on their past numbers as starters, the club could be reluctant to put them out in that spot.

So, the Brewers might need to look for more reliable depth. Whereas they would love a Max Scherzer or a Jack Flaherty, it might be too pricey. Enter a player like Cal Quantrill, who has had great success in the past and won’t break the bank.

The former Cleveland Guardian was traded to the Rockies after being designated for assignment after the 2023 season. In his one season with the Rockies, He was off to a strong start, recording a 3.30 ERA in his first 14 starts with the organization. Then the struggles started. Quantrill ended the season with an 8-11 record with a 93 ERA+ and a 1.6 WAR. He also led the National League in walks (69), having a 1.52 WHIP.

If there is any organization that can switch Quantrill back to his good form, it would be the Brewers. Quantrill isn’t that far removed from his 2022 season, where he recorded a 3.38 ERA, 128 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP. These aren’t ace numbers, but they're what a club can hope for in a spot starter or for the sixth man in a rotation. Think about what Bryse Wilson was for the Brewers the last couple of seasons. While mainly a bullpen guy, he was an arm who could fill the role here and there in the rotation when injuries arose.

Quantrill was non-tendered by the Rockies as he was entering his final season of arbitration. Last season, he signed a $6.55-million contract to avoid arbitration. Quantrill was projected to make around $9 million in arbitration this season. He will likely sign for less, as we get closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. At a minimum, Quantrill could sign a deal similar to Colin Rea’s with the Cubs this offseason ($4.25 million in ’25, $6-million option for ’26 with a $750,000 buyout). I'd say a $6-million deal will be roughly what he signs for.

Harrison Bader

I know what the immediate reaction is: why would the Brewers add another outfielder, when they have Frelick, Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Blake Perkins? Aren’t there other needs that are more important than the outfield? In a way, signing another outfielder like Harrison Bader does fill some needs.

Arguably, the direst need is the hot corner. While Ortiz could stay at third, it’s very easy to move him over to shortstop and find another third baseman. Where the newly acquired Durbin and Oliver Dunn could be solutions, I believe Frelick should be given a good look in the infield.

Last offseason, he got to work out alongside one of his idols and former Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. He even had some reps at third base during last year’s spring training. Pat Murphy suggested the Frelick to third base experiment could be back on during his end-of-season press conference.

Moving Frelick to the infield does open up a spot which could easily be filled by Mitchell or Perkins. But moving the reigning Gold Glove right fielder would take the outfield down a notch. Not to mention, Mitchell has yet to stay healthy for an entire season, and Yelich is coming off back surgery and isn’t getting any younger.

The 2021 Gold Glove winner is exactly the type of player the Brewers love to use to win through great execution: good defense and speed. He had 17 stolen bases, 10 OAA, and a 28.1-MPH sprint speed, all great traits to have for this team.

As for his bat, it does leave a little to be desired. Bader has a career .242/.306/.392 slash line, a career 91 OPS+, and a career .250 batting average with runners in scoring position. With 71 career home runs in eight seasons, he isn’t going to be a heavy hitter. But he could be a solid platoon for the outfield.

Should the Brewers add Bader, they can comfortably move Yelich to a more regular DH role; continue their Frelick infield experiment; and work around a strong defensive outfield with Chourio, Perkins, Mitchell and Bader. He signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Mets last year. He will likely need to sign a contract below that number to re-join the NL Central.

J.D. Martinez
Well, this sounds familiar. If the Brewers would love to add a veteran bat with proven power to bolster their lineup, then why not add six-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger J.D. Martinez.

Isn’t he 37 years old? Isn’t he coming off a lackluster campaign with the Mets? While these are both true, you have to remember he was one of the Boras clients who held all the way out until the end of spring training last year. Furthermore, Citi Field is not really a hitter-friendly ballpark, per Baseball Savant park factors.

What we can say positively about his year with the Mets is he was still able to slug 16 home runs with a 106 OPS+. Against NL Central opponents (not including the Brewers), He went .266/.309/.391 with one home run and 10 RBIs. He had a .296 batting average and a .955 OPS with runners in scoring position. He was also more successful against left-handed pitchers, hitting .263 with a .836 OPS.

Turning 38 in August, it looks like the DH still has something left in the tank. He can still hit 20-plus home runs, and has consistently gotten on base. Martinez signed an interesting contract with the Mets last season. Worth $12 million, Martinez was owed $2 million last season, $2.5 million as a signing bonus, and will be owed $7.5 million in deferred money ($1.5 million a year) starting in 2034. Should a team sign him prior to the start of spring training, he probably won’t get that complicated of a contract. If the Brewers offer him in the ballpark of $8 million, it should be enough to bring him in.

It's getting late in the offseason, and Matt Arnold might have some tricks up his sleeve. Let’s hope it happens soon, as we are in the heat of Brewers Month.

Is there any player you’d like to see the Brewers sign? What is the clubs biggest need as we get closer to spring training? Let us know in the comments.