Should The Brewers Give Up On First Base And Focus On The Hot Corner?

The free agent market had some big names at first base, with Christian Walker, Paul Goldschmidt, Pete Alonso, and Carlos Santana among those on the open market. But now, that market seems to be settled, with Walker going to Houston, Santana to Cleveland, and Goldschmidt to the Yankees. So, should the Brewers give up on finding an external upgrade at first base and deal with their hole at the hot corner?

The Current First Base Situation
The Brewers are not in terrible shape at first base entering 2025. Rhys Hoskins had a solid offensive season after missing all of 2023 with a knee injury, but he is owed $18 million for 2025.

Jake Bauers was a decent backup first baseman who also filled in at the corner outfield spots, although the Brewers let him walk after last season. Tyler Black, who was on the Milwaukee-Nashville shuttle, has to be the favorite to replace Bauers on the 26-man, adding more positional versatility (Black has played second base, third base, and center field during his professional career in addition to first base and designated hitter). At the same time, his bat is widely acknowledged to be MLB-ready.

One X-factor is non-roster invitee Ernesto Martinez. Martinez has been under the radar for a while. Despite a massive 6’6”, 250-pound frame, he’s also been quite athletic, manning center field in his professional career. He’s provided excellent defense during his long journey to NRI status. Wes Clarke could also emerge, having spent 2023 between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville. It's not a bad situation for the Crew.

The Current Market For First Base
Per MLB.com’s listing of 2024-2025 free agents by position, Pete Alonso is the only real significant upgrade available on the market. Alonso, who crushed a ninth-inning home run in Game Three of the NL Wild Card Series off Devin Williams, declined a qualifying offer from the Mets and could be in line for a huge deal.

The Mets have broken the bank for Juan Soto, luring him from the Bronx with the biggest deal ever given to a player. They also added Frankie Montas from the Brewers. With their current set-up at first base, the Brewers probably can’t go on the free-agent market for Alonso, and players like Connor Joe and Justin Turner may not be much of an improvement.

The Crew’s Current Hot Corner Hole
With Joey Ortiz likely to move to shortstop to replace Willy Adames, the Brewers are in the market for a third baseman. Even after ruling out using Black at the position, even as a short-term solution for 2025 as they await Brock Wilken or Mike Boeve’s arrival in Milwaukee, they have several internal options, but all have their warts.

Oliver Dunn’s swing showed major holes at the MLB level in 2024, and he missed a lot of time with injuries. Caleb Durbin is an unproven rookie with an exciting blend of speed, some power, and OBP skills, but he also has had several injury list visits. Andruw Monasterio’s solid in the field, but his offensive ceiling is limited compared to Durbin, Dunn, and Black.

Cooper Pratt, Luke Adams, Eric Bitonti, and Jadher Areinamo look promising, but they are not likely to compete for 26-man roster spots until 2026 or 2027.

The Hot Free Agent Market At The Hot Corner
The Brewers could look to sign a third baseman, but the options on the market are limited. Alex Bregman is likely out of their price range. Yoan Moncada could be an option, but he barely saw the field for an atrocious White Sox team.

Another option could be to look for a free agent at shortstop to move to third base. Ha-Seong Kim could be an option as he looks to rebound from a 2024 slump after finishing in the top 15 for MVP voting and securing a Gold Glove in 2023. Paul DeJong provides a chance to replace the power lost when Adames packed his bags for the Bay Area, but he has had high strikeout totals over his career, and his walk rate has been down since 2022.

If they went the free-agency route, the best option would be to see if they could acquire Kim on a two-year deal with a team option. However, with questions about TV revenue since the bankruptcy of the Bally Sports networks and the massive money currently committed to Hoskins, the budget looks tight for a free-agent addition.

Overview
The small-market straightjacket is hitting the Brewers some in the 2024-2025 offseason when it comes to finding a third baseman. Still, the team’s internal options are not entirely horrible, and they could get some decent stopgaps at the hot corner for a cut-rate price, while first base looks solid for 2025.