Should The Crew Flip Jake Bauers?

Even after going 0-for-10 over the first three games of the Brewers' series against the Cubs this week, Jake Bauers is hitting .205/.297/.402. In this year's starved offensive environment, that's essentially league-average production, and Bauers's combination of speed, power, and defense at first base has been energizing for the lineup. This is a small sample, and his recent success following an adjustment is an even smaller one, but even with those caveats, Bauers is looking like a real bargain in 2024. The Crew has team control through 2026. But could they do better than Bauers in-house?

The Case For Keeping Bauers
Bauer is, when it comes down to it, a solid complement for Rhys Hoskins. Should Hoskins opt in for 2025, he and Bauers make for an excellent platoon at first base (with the other either DHing or sitting on the bench, depending on the matchup).

The Brewers' other main options for first base in 2025 would be to promote Tyler Black or to shift Christian Yelich from left field to the infield, in order to keep their young, talented outfielders (Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Wiemer), while also maintaining Blake Perkins and Chris Roller for depth. It's possible neither of those things will happen: Yelich’s back may result in him seeing more time at DH, while Black’s defense is a work in progress.

So, there’s a case to keep Bauers around. That said, there are also reasons to consider pivoting away from him right away.

The Case To Move Bauers
Why move Bauers? Think of it this way: the Brewers could soon face a crowd at the first base and DH positions. Yelich is spending time at DH since his return from the injured list. Hoskins may do the same when he returns from his hamstring tear. Gary Sánchez was signed to be the DH and backup catcher. Those are, of course, the veteran options at those slots.

The farm could give the Crew a few more choices. The aforementioned Black has been knocking at the MLB door since an outstanding 2023 performance in Nashville, and he’s spending a lot of time at first base. Black’s offensive skill set could turn out to be similar to what Paul Molitor displayed in the 1987-1994 timeframe – and he will have plenty of team control. That would be one potential replacement for Bauers.

But Black is not the only option. There is the under-the-radar battle between Wes Clarke and Ernesto Martinez, both of whom are clobbering the ball down on the farm (Clarke with an .821 OPS, Martinez with a .740 in the Southern League, which is making MLB's offensive downturn look minor).

All three of these options in the minors could be better for the Crew in certain contexts, offering more team control at a lower cost. For the short term, Black offers a bat that is quite dynamic, and additional positional coverage (he’s played third base, second base, and the outfield as a professional). Over the medium-to-long term, a Clarke/Martinez platoon could offer solid production, while also providing more positional coverage than Bauers (Clarke has seen significant action at catcher, while Martinez could handle all three outfield positions).

What Could The Crew Get For Bauers?
This becomes a big question. Bauers is a solid first baseman, but those don’t tend to draw a huge return. Two or three players at the Rookie level (either the Dominican Summer League, the Florida Complex League, or the Arizona Complex League) might be a potential return. That might seem underwhelming, but then again, the Crew got a similar package for Adam Lind, and I don’t think Brewers fans are complaining too much about how that trade worked out (in the form of Freddy Peralta).

But if the Brewers don’t want to have that sort of wait time, there may be a few teams whom they could make a deal with. The Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's, and Pittsburgh Pirates all seem to be struggling to get good performance from their primary options at first base. The Brewers might be able to get a decent return from at least one of these teams that would be eager for some improvement, Pittsburgh is an especially interesting possible landing spot, since they might not have given up on the 2024 season yet, and could be more willing to part with far-off prospects in exchange for a medium-term upgrade.

Overview
Jake Bauers has been a solid performer for the Brewers. While he can certainly help the Crew win games, it may be time for the team to think seriously about flipping him now in order to open up a spot for some young prospects--and maybe to pick up some more.