Sal Frelick Moving to Infield Would Let Brewers Sign Another Big Bat

It sounds like, for the moment, Sal Frelick is only taking reps at second and third base so as to be ready in case of emergency. The story in The Athletic that reported Frelick's offseason project included praise for his progress from Dustin Pedroia (himself an undersized player who ended up right on the fringe of Hall of Fame status after a career spent at second base), and it noted the first-round pick's track record as a middle infielder in high school and collegiate summer leagues, but it stopped well short of suggesting that Frelick will take over for Brice Turang or join the free-for-all of a battle for the starting third base role in camp.

Let's take this beginning closer to its natural ending, though. Frelick taking grounders indicates at least some hope, on the part of the player and the organization, that he'll eventually be able to regularly man one of the infield spots. We've seen this work relatively often, relatively recently. Mookie Betts is the most famous name to do so recently, but in times not so long past, other players have made similar moves. The Cardinals converted both Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter from corner outfielders to competent second basemen--and than, in Carpenter's case, a third baseman. 

If Frelick manages the same transition, it will do more than clarify a position at which the Brewers currently have massive uncertainty. It will also create an opening for the team to add one of the available hitters who can still make a difference in the middle of a contender's batting order. Rhys Hoskins gave the Brewers stability and power at first base, but while the DH spot looks spoken-for in a formulation where Frelick plays the outfield--with the team's five likely outfielders (Frelick, Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Joey Wiemer, and Garrett Mitchell) and catchers William Contreras and Gary Sánchez rotating through--it's much more fluid if Frelick is in the second or third base mix, instead.

Pinning down the Brewers' likely payroll and remaining spending power has been a difficult exercise, all winter. The Hoskins signing and the Corbin Burnes trade, alone, seem to push against one another as one tries to construct a clear narrative or framework for their approach to 2024. Assuming the team has anything real left to expend, though, there are a few hitters out there who could occupy the DH spot on a regular basis and fill in at first base or in the outfield under exigent circumstances, while significantly raising the team's offensive ceiling.

Most notable among these are Brandon Belt and J.D. Martinez. Belt, who will turn 36 in April, is a patience-and-power star whose left-handed bat would further balance and deepen the team's batting order. He's no longer much of a first baseman, defensively, but he can play that spot if and when Hoskins gets hurt, and in the meantime, he projects to lay waste to right-handed pitchers, as he has done throughout his career. With Sánchez or Contreras spelling him against lefties, he'd be a catalyst for the lineup.

Martinez, who is about eight months older than Belt, had big strikeout problems last year with the Dodgers, just as Belt did with the Blue Jays. Like Belt, though, he would give a team still slightly short on fly-ball, pull-power bats one of the best of his generation. He's not as versatile even as Belt, and should only be thrown out into the outfield in true emergencies, but his stick would turn the Crew's offense into the most formidable in the National League Central. 

Those two are relatively expensive options, though Belt figures to be more affordable than Martinez. The lower-cost options include C.J. Cron, who feels like he should have been a Brewer twice by now but actually has yet to be one, and Joey Votto, who has professed a certain affection for Milwaukee in the past and would become an instant fan favorite, if he's willing to shift into the kind of complementary role Jason Giambi filled in the final year or two of his career. Ex-Brewers farmhand Garrett Cooper is another intriguing option, but perhaps one less likely to be open to the kind of part-time role he would merit with this team.

The moonshot--the dream--is Cody Bellinger. Although wildly unlikely to be available on terms Mark Attanasio and Matt Arnold would find palatable, Bellinger would give the team flexibility on both offense and defense and deny the rival Cubs the chance to bring him back. A Bellinger deal lasting five or more years is out of the question for the Crew, but if he were willing to ink a slightly richer version of Hoskins's deal--something like three years and $65 million in total guaranteed money, with a pair of opt-outs that would further juice his side of it--then things could get interesting.

It's fun to imagine Frelick blossoming on the dirt, à la Carpenter or even Betts. It's even more exciting, though, if that kind of move could open things up and allow the Brewers to score more runs, making possible not only a repeat division title, but a deeper run into October in 2024.

What do you make of Frelick's flirtation with a position change? How would such a development change your thinking about building the best possible roster for the Brewers this season? Join the conversation in the comments.