In a Buyer's Market, Brendan Rodgers Could Be a Great Value for Bargain-Hunting Brewers

It has not been a good year or two for Brendan Rodgers. Once the third overall pick in the MLB Draft (in 2015), he's been hampered by injuries at times, but that excuse no longer holds much water. Faced with the prospect of paying him a healthy salary in his final season of arbitration eligibility, the Rockies elected to non-tender Rodgers Friday evening, making him a free agent at 28 years old. He hits the open market coming off a season in which he batted .267/.314/.407, with 13 home runs, all while playing his home games at Coors Field.

Rodgers has some redeeming qualities as a hitter. He's about average in terms of plate discipline and contact within the zone, and he hits the ball hard at a strong rate. The missing ingredient in his game has been that second level of thoughtfulness in terms of approach. He also has pretty limited power utility, despite that capacity for hard contact, because he doesn't lift the ball much at all. The Brewers probably wouldn't be able to do much to help him with the latter, but they're quite good at helping hitters develop their approach beyond the basics of pitch recognition. In that sense, he'd be a fine bet, for a team that prizes contact and exit velocity over pulling the ball in the air, anyway.

In truth, though, the separator for Rodgers was his glove. A couple years ago, he was one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball. After multiple hamstring strains and the second major shoulder injury of his career (he suffered one to his right labrum years ago, and one to his left in 2023), however, he has looked badly diminished the last two seasons. His arm strength and his range graded out as below-average in 2024. Without significant defensive value, he's not a very useful player. His offensive profile, like those of Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, and (so far) Joey Ortiz, is valuable primarily if it's attached to someone who helps prevent runs in bunches.

That's the bad news. The good news is, he's still only 28, after all. Rodgers finished this season healthy, and could report to spring training ready for his first truly representative season in three years come February. If he's physically restored, he could recover both defensive and offensive value. He'd also benefit, almost certainly, from being on any team other than the Rockies, where elevation and lousy player development form a deadly cocktail for would-be stars.

It's very unlikely that Rodgers finds a robust market after being non-tendered. He's a reclamation project, although a potentially promising one. This winter is going to be especially unkind to players in this position. With the TV bubble popping and uncertainty looming about the economy of the game, sellers and payroll trimmers are outnumbering aggressive buyers. This dynamic tends not to severely affect elite players like Juan Soto, but at the level of players like Rodgers, it can have a profound impact. The Brewers can probably scoop Rodgers up for less than $5 million on a one-year deal, if they're patient and if they elect to roll the dice with him. Because there are still tools to dream on and there's some hope for a rebound based on improving health, though, aiming low with Rodgers need not mean settling. He would become the team's second baseman, with Turang sliding over to shortstop, and the Brewers might not find a combination this winter that more nicely combines affordability and upside.