Harold Hutchison

The Brewers currently have 37 players on the 40-man roster. This means that if they wanted to, they could snag a pick or two from the Rule 5 draft to audition for the opening at third base, with the likely move of Joey Ortiz to shortstop as competition for one of their internal options at the hot corner. One Who Got Away One name, in particular, could be intriguing for Milwaukee – Gage Workman, who the Tigers left unprotected. He’s on their Triple-A roster, so the Brewers would have to keep him on the 26-man roster all season, or they would have to offer him back to Detroit. Still, there’s a lot to like about Workman. Workman is familiar to Brewers fans as one of those draft picks that “got away.” He was a 14th-round pick by the Brewers in 2017 but chose to go to the University of Arizona instead, where he became a 4th-round pick for the Tigers in 2021. He primarily played third base in 2024 but had extensive experience at shortstop in the minors, playing both positions quite well on the defensive side. Offensively, Workman has displayed excellent OBP skills, power, and speed throughout his career. The big question was hitting for contact, which improved dramatically in 2024 with a career-high .280 batting average after he started hitting left-handed exclusively that season after switch-hitting throughout his career. Workman still has more strikeouts than one would be comfortable with (153 in 483 at-bats in 2024), but his on-base ability (65 walks), power (53 extra-base hits), and speed (30 steals in 43 attempts) make him very intriguing and worth an audition. The best utilization of Workman in 2024 would likely be in a platoon situation with current Brewer Andruw Monasterio. Filching From The Athletics Logan Davidson was Oakland’s first-round pick in 2019. Since then, he’s played all four infield positions and all three outfield positions, embarrassing himself at none of them. Davidson missed substantial time with an injury in 2024, and the A’s decided to chance leaving him off the 40-man. The Brewers could capitalize on that big time. Davidson’s offensive profile shows he can hit for contact (.303 in 2024, .280 over two stops in 2023), power (77 extra-base hits, including 25 homers, in 707 at-bats in 2023 and 2024), and on-base ability (73 walks in those 707 at-bats). The one area of concern is 217 strikeouts in that timeframe, but Davidson provides an intriguing, versatile profile. Davidson could get an audition for third base since he spent 2024 in Triple-A Las Vegas. But his versatility and switch-hitting make him an excellent option for a spot on the bench alongside Blake Perkins and Isaac Collins, especially if the Brewers trade Tyler Black. Davidson would give the Brewers options. If he wins the job in spring training, the team could put him at third base. He could also be in a soft platoon with Monasterio at the hot corner, getting at-bats at other positions. The other option would be for Davidson to be a bench player, using his versatility to get him playing time. Robbing The Rangers One last option could be Rangers prospect Cody Freeman. Freeman, a right-handed hitter, has power and speed, but the OBP skills are a question (only 37 walks in 470 at-bats in Double-A in 2024). Freeman is intriguing because he spent some significant time behind the plate prior to 2024, where he threw out 23% of would-be base stealers. He’s also flashed excellent defense at the hot corner. That said, he would need to win the third base job to really have a hope to stay in Milwaukee, or at least emerge as a better platoon option for Black than Andruw Monasterio or as a semi-reliable backup to William Contreras – but he’s not caught above the Advanced-A level. Overview The Rule 5 draft has some intriguing options for the hot corner – or at least players the Brewers could give a chance to. With three open spaces on the 40-man, it might be time for the Crew to roll with a Rule 5 pick or two and see if they can fill the hot corner hole that way,

Internal options—players already in the farm system or on the roster—offer several benefits to an organization, relative to external additions. Firstly, the team knows the background on these players, so there is a better idea of what they can get. Second, they come without any additional cost, either in money or in players, international bonus slots, or draft picks. For the Brewers, that second consideration is huge. Let’s look at three options. The Previous Regular In 2023, Andruw Monasterio took over at third base after Brian Anderson faded into a dugout phantom. He held the position down well defensively, while providing a below-average 86 OPS+. Monasterio did make contact at an excellent rate, and was an asset against left-handed pitching, both of which were weaknesses of the 2023 team. One advantage of bringing him back is that the Crew knows what he can provide when given regular playing time. He still provided 1.3 Wins Above Replacement in about a half-season, according to Baseball Reference. That is a solid starter or excellent bench player. In 2024, with less regular playing time and some trips on the Milwaukee-Nashville shuttle, Monasterio’s offense cratered, with only a 62 OPS+, but his walk rate improved slightly. Meanwhile, Oliver Dunn showed glimpses of the same caliber of play last spring, but as a power-over-hit, left-handed bat. He and Monasterio could form a credible (if uninspiring) platoon at the hot corner. The Gold Glove Outfielder During spring training, Sal Frelick saw time in the infield, re-learning how to play second and third base as the Brewers faced a logjam in the outfield and some questions about the infield. There’s still a logjam in the outfield, despite the trade of Joey Wiemer, due to the rapid rise of Jackson Chourio and the potential move of Tyler Black to left field. There are still questions about third base. (Second base was the big question mark at this time last year.) Could Frelick be the answer to the two-fold question in 2025? He played infield in the Future Collegiate Baseball League before being drafted as an outfielder by the Brewers in 2021. Frelick’s offensive profile is well-known: he has excellent OBP skills, makes contact, and has the speed to be a menace on the basepaths. That said, he provided 2.1 WAR per Baseball Reference, and his 83 OPS+ over the full 2024 season is actually slightly below Monasterio’s. It also pulls a Gold Glove outfielder away from where his defense wins games. Frelick is an option at third base, but the Brewers would have to be desperate to play him there. The Top Prospect Tyler Black was on the Milwaukee-Nashville shuttle in 2024, but in 2023, he had a breakout season wherein he held down third base for a good chunk of the season. He moved to first base in 2024, but still saw (limited) action at the hot corner in Nashville. His defense at the position is dubious, with 17 errors in 127 games throughout his minor-league career. His bat has never been a question, though. While it lacks the punch that Chourio provides, he puts bat to ball and makes sound swing decisions. If the Brewers want someone who could hold down third base for 2025, then move across the diamond should one of Brock Wilken or Mike Boeve prove themselves ready for MLB, Tyler Black could be the best choice. Overview It might be tempting to look to a trade or free agency to fill the hole at third base now that Willy Adames is with the Giants, but the Brewers are not locked into those options. They have a handful candidates who could be serviceable at third base—at least until a number of young prospects, including Wilken, Boeve, Eric Bitonti, Luke Adams, Juan Baez, and/or Cooper Pratt force their way to the majors.

All that those three signings secured the Crew was a top-of-the-rotation arm, a Gold Glove-finalist center fielder, and a valuable utility player who was a serviceable third baseman for a team that won the NL Central Division championship. The Brewers may have done something akin to those signings again. The Overview Of Offense Anthony Seigler is a former first-round pick in the 2018 amateur draft who left the Yankees in minor-league free agency. His offensive profile points to excellent on-base skills and some pop while also flashing some speed on the base paths. His major weakness has been hitting for average. The switch-hitting Seigler’s on-base ability is the most notable item of his profile: in 2022 and 2023, his walks exceeded his strikeouts (144 to 132), while he also flashed some power (33 doubles and 11 home runs) over 465 at-bats. In addition to the power, Seigler added 23 stolen bases while he was caught stealing a dozen times. In 2024, Seigler posted 64 walks to 77 strikeouts in 364 at-bats at Double-A Somerset while delivering 24 doubles and 12 home runs. Siegler added 29 steals in 32 attempts, with his baserunning going up a notch. The low strikeout rate and speed suggest that his low batting average (never higher than .236 since the pandemic) is due to bad luck rather than poor decisions. This is a bat that could break out, or at least be very solid, with either some luck or a little coaching. Defensive Details On defense, Seigler is very intriguing. He spent most of his minor-league career (through 2023) as a catcher before making a Craig Biggio-esque move to second base after some very limited time in both corner outfield spots. At second base, he made 15 errors in 118 games. He also saw some additional playing time in left and right field. Seigler’s defense at catcher was solid, even as he may have had some issues throwing out runners (the highest caught-stealing percentage since the 2019 minor-league season was 24%). He was otherwise solid, much like current Brewers farmhand Wes Clarke, who also has seen time behind the plate in the minors. Seigler’s move to second points to an ability to play other positions. His arm could possibly handle third base, where the Brewers are looking for an immediate solution. At the same time, Brock Wilken, Mike Boeve, Luke Adams, and Eric Bitonti are top prospects with experience at the position. The Andruw Monasterio Match-Up In one sense, Seigler is like Monasterio, who was signed as a minor-league free agent before the 2022 season. He had solid seasons and made his way to Milwaukee in 2023, where he performed well as the team’s third baseman down the stretch with his contact-hitting skills and ability to hit left-handers. While he hasn’t seen much action at the variety of infield positions as Monasterio, he has extensive experience at catcher and he did play both corner outfield positions very briefly. If Seigler can handle additional infield positions, like third base and first base, he could be a valuable asset with his switch-hitting. Seigler’s Likely Status Seigler appears ticketed for Triple-A Nashville in 2025, where he could continue some of his breakout in 2024 with Double-A Somerset for the Yankees. But there is an off chance he could beat out Oliver Dunn and Tyler Black for a spot on the Brewers’ bench, given his experience at catcher and the likelihood that William Contreras could see time at DH to give him semi-days off from the wear and tear behind the plate. Given the Brewers’ financial uncertainty due to the collapse of the Bally sports networks and the shift to MLB streaming for their local broadcast options, the team can’t win bidding wars to attract free agents. The almost certain departure of Willy Adames is another example. But if Seigler can become another Monasterio, Perkins, or Myers, then the Brewers can certainly improve their odds of being competitive.

This series of articles is a primer for the release of our new "You're The Brewers GM!" tool, where you play the role of Matt Arnold and build your own Brewers offseason. Please visit the tool here and join in on the fun! While we earlier discussed an offseason where the Brewers retained Willy Adames, this time, the door closes a little earlier. For the sake of this discussion, we’re going to assume that despite Adames saying he would take less money to stay in Milwaukee and the Crew channeling the spirit of Bobby Bonilla, he moves on to another MLB team. The Brewers have multiple battle royales brewing in the position player group and the rotation. They’ve done well building up a bullpen out of almost nothing for years before the run of success they had. So, what could they do in the offseason? Here’s what I’d do if I were in Matt Arnold’s chair. Trade: Send 1B Rhys Hoskins to the Arizona Diamondbacks for C Ivan Luciano The first order of business is to gain some financial flexibility—a necessity with the collapse of the Bally Sports regional networks—and the best way to do that is to move Rhys Hoskins. Arizona will be looking for a replacement for Christian Walker, who draws interest from the Yankees. The Brewers can provide that in Hoskins, who did not do poorly in his first season back from knee surgery. The Brewers don’t ask for much for this salary dump; in this case, the return is a catcher in rookie-league ball. Luciano looks much like Darrien Miller, who has better defense and is a left-handed hitter. Luciano could be a viable #2 catcher behind Jeferson Quero starting in 2028 when William Contreras will likely depart as a free agent (if he isn’t traded sooner). Reunion: Sign 1B Carlos Santana for one year, $6 million with a mutual option for 2026 for $7.5 million and a $1.5 million buyout In hindsight, the Brewers might have been better off retaining Santana in the 2023-2024 offseason. For about half Hoskins’ salary, he played 150 games, posted a .749 OPS, and added Gold Glove defense. A reunion, in this case, makes sense. Santana is a switch-hitter, and while he is seven years older than Hoskins, his bat still looks potent; his on-base skills are sharp, and it improves the Brewers defensively in 2025 and provides a possible bridge to Ernesto Martinez (or one of the Brewers in the third-base battle royale) in 2026. Yes, the Brewers may want to give the defense less to do, but it never hurts to boost defense. If it can be done for a third of the cost and with about the same offensive production, that’s a much better bargain for a team that will need it due to revenue uncertainty. The International Star: Brewers sign Roki Sasaki for $3 million in international bonus money This probably blows up plans surrounding the 2025 international free agent class. The team will have to re-configure how they do the other signings to an extent, but Sasaki is a game-changer for the 2025 Brewers. Sasaki’s description of what he is looking for seems to fit Milwaukee very well, and it gives the Brewers a new Big Three when you add Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to the mix. It’s an excellent replacement for Colin Rea on a one-for-one basis (with a higher upside) and a good insurance policy if Brandon Woodruff isn’t the same after his shoulder surgery. Plus, Sasaki will have an outstanding bullpen behind him. It's hard to imagine a better situation for a starting pitching phenom to air-drop into. As for the contract itself? How about something along the lines of the contracts Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby signed? Pay $2 million in 2025, $4 million in 2026 and 2027, $6 million in 2028 and 2029, $8.5 million in 2030 and 2031, with team options of $15 million in 2032 and 2033. Other Moves I’d retain Devin Williams, offering him a four-year, $30 million deal with an opt-out after the second year with the money saved by moving Hoskins. Williams is coming off the back injury that cost him about two-thirds of 2024, and he will likely be glad to get some financial stability. At the same time, it’s a deal that could make Williams an enticing trade target for other teams, especially if he proves the back problems were a one-time thing. Aaron Civale also becomes a hold in this case, becoming the team’s fourth starter. Yes, this will be expensive, but at the same time, the money isn’t just for Civale – it’s buying a year of Triple-A seasoning for Carlos F. Rodriguez, Logan Henderson, Jacob Misiorowski, Shane Smith, Chad Patrick, and K.C. Hunt, among others. It buys Robert Gasser and Brandon Woodruff time to rehab properly. Bryse Wilson will be brought back after being outrighted to Triple-A Nashville, simply because he’s been a solid performer as a multi-inning reliever and emergency starter. Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps, J.B. Bukauskas, Vinny Capra, and Brewer Hicklen will likely also be moved, ideally for international bonus money to compensate for the massive bonus it will take to lure Sasaki to Milwaukee. Projected 26-man Roster On Opening Day Lineup: 3B: Tyler Black LF: Jackson Chourio DH: Christian Yelich C: William Contreras CF: Garrett Mitchell 1B: Carlos Santana RF: Sal Frelick SS: Joey Ortiz 2B: Brice Turang Bench: C Eric Haase IF Andruw Monasterio IF/OF Isaac Collins OF Blake Perkins Rotation: RHP Freddy Peralta RHP Tobias Myers RHP Roki Sasaki RHP Aaron Civale LHP DL Hall Bullpen: RHP Devin Williams RHP Trevor Megill RHP Nick Mears LHP Jared Koenig RHP Abner Uribe LHP Bryan Hudson LHP Aaron Ashby RHP Bryse Wilson 60-Day Injured List Brandon Woodruff Robert Gasser What do you think of this offseason plan? Do you think you can do better? Then build your own Brewers roster and hit the button below! Start Your Payroll Blueprint Now

This series of articles is a primer for the release of our new "You're The Brewers GM!" tool, where you play the role of Matt Arnold and build your own Brewers offseason. Please visit the tool here and join in on the fun! We know what the conventional wisdom about Willy Adames is. Even though Adames has said he would take less money to stay in Milwaukee, the expectation is that he’s headed to a big-market city. But that hasn’t been determined for sure, not until the ink is on the contract. We’re run down how an offseason strategy could bolster the Brewers in that situation. The fact is, miracles can happen, whether it’s Easter Sunday 1987, the United States Men’s Olympic Hockey team toppling the Soviets, Jim McMahon’s Hail Mary at the 1980 Holiday Bowl, or any one of the improbable comebacks in sports history. So what if the miracle happens? Here’s an offseason plan for that. The Miracle: Willy Adames signs a 6-year, $120 million contract with a team option for 2031. Somehow, between Mark Attanasio opening the checkbook, the Brewers channeling the spirit of Bobby Bonilla, and a little extra luck, Adames returns to Milwaukee to hold down shortstop. The deal is, on paper, $20 million a year from 2025 through 2030, with a team option for 2031 that includes a $10 million buyout. Of that money, $45 million is deferred over 30 years after the contract expires. This cements the Brewers' excellent defense at third base (Joey Ortiz), shortstop (Adames), and second base (Platinum Glover Brice Turang) for the next four years. Given the battle royales at shortstop and third base, this will cause a bit of havoc, but the Brewers could always use the prospects as trade assets or move Ortiz and Turang if the prospects are clear upgrades. The Brewers also get the off-field benefits of Adames’ clubhouse leadership for that timeframe. Trade: Send 1B Rhys Hoskins to the Arizona Diamondbacks for C Ivan Luciano The next order of business is to get some financial flexibility after retaining Adames – a necessity with the collapse of the Bally Sports regional networks – and the best way to do that is to move Rhys Hoskins. Fortunately, the Brewers could have a potential buyer in the Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona will likely be looking for a replacement for Christian Walker, who is drawing interest from the Yankees – and the Brewers can provide that in Hoskins, who did not do poorly in his first season back from knee surgery. Hoskins is also cheaper than Walker (by as much as $4.6 million, per Sportrac’s projection). Tyler Black would likely replace Hoskins. The Brewers hope for an OPS similar to Jackson Chourio's, albeit with more on-base percentage and less slugging. The International Star: Brewers sign Roki Sasaki for $3 million in international bonus money This move is not very different from what the Brewers would do if Adames goes elsewhere in free agency. Again, this probably blows up plans surrounding the 2025 international free agent class. The team will have to re-configure how they do the other signings to an extent, but Sasaki is a game-changer for the 2025 Brewers. Sasaki’s description of what he is looking for seems to fit Milwaukee very well, and it gives the Brewers a new Big Three when you add Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to the mix. It’s an excellent replacement for Colin Rea on a one-for-one basis (with a higher upside) and a good insurance policy if Brandon Woodruff isn’t the same after his shoulder surgery. Plus, Sasaki will have an outstanding bullpen behind him. It's hard to imagine a better situation for a starting pitching phenom to air-drop into. As for the contract itself, How about something similar to the contracts Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby signed? Pay $2 million in 2025, $4 million in 2026 and 2027, $6 million in 2028 and 2029, $8.5 million in 2030 and 2031, with team options of $15 million in 2032 and 2033. Other Moves In this case, the Brewers will probably move Aaron Civale and Devin Williams again to free up some money. The returns will likely be some prospects in Double-A or Triple-A who are relatively close to the majors. Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps, J.B. Bukauskas, Vinny Capra, and Brewer Hicklen will likely also be moved, ideally for international bonus money to make up for the massive bonus it will take to lure Sasaki to Milwaukee. One move that will help is a reunion with Colin Rea on a two-year contract at $5 million yearly. Rea spent most of 2022 in NPB and, in this case, can be a touchstone for Sasaki in his first years in Milwaukee. Projected 26-man Roster On Opening Day Lineup: 1B: Tyler Black LF: Jackson Chourio DH: Christian Yelich C: William Contreras CF: Garrett Mitchell SS: Willy Adames RF: Sal Frelick 3B: Joey Ortiz 2B: Brice Turang Bench: C Eric Haase IF Andruw Monasterio IF/OF Isaac Collins OF Black Perkins Rotation RHP Freddy Peralta RHP Tobias Myers RHP Roki Sasaki RHP Colin Rea LHP DL Hall Bullpen RHP Trevor Megill RHP Nick Mears LHP Jared Koenig RHP Abner Uribe RHP Craig Yoho LHP Bryan Hudson LHP Aaron Ashby RHP Bryse Wilson 60-Day Injured List Brandon Woodruff Robert Gasser What do you think of this offseason plan? Do you think you can do better? Then build your own Brewers roster and hit the button below! Start Your Payroll Blueprint Now

That’s the depth in their farm system, which arguably makes their inability to play in the free agent pool an inconvenience instead of a serious issue. So, what positions likely have a lot of contenders fighting to make it to MLB with Milwaukee? Let’s take a look. Shortstop Okay, let’s get this out of the way: Willy Adames said he would take less money to stay in Milwaukee, and the Crew could channel the spirit of Bobby Bonilla to help keep him. It gives the Brewers a slim chance to keep Adames in Milwaukee. Put that possibility aside for the sake of this discussion. Because in the next year or two, the Brewers could have a lot of choices to make. Cooper Pratt reached Double-A Biloxi in 2024, where Eric Brown Jr. had a rough, injury-plagued season where he didn’t crack the Uecker line. Vinny Capra had a decent season in Triple-A Nashville. Freddy Zamora, Ethan Murray, and Casey Martin had rough seasons at Biloxi. The real logjam is in the lower minors, where Eduardo Garcia had a bit of a breakout, and Jadher Areinamo had a real breakout in High-A Wisconsin. At the same time, Jesus Made and Luis Pena flashed dynamic offensive profiles in the DSL, overshadowing Jorge Quintana. Keep in mind, these players are behind Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang, even though the latter seems entrenched at second base, where he won both the Gold Glove and the Platinum Glove. Third Base Should Joey Ortiz slide over to shortstop to replace Adames, the Brewers will need a new third baseman. Again, the team will have a lot of potential choices to fill that hole, both short-term and long-term. We start with Tyler Black (who mostly played first base in 2024 but had a solid defensive performance in 2023) as perhaps the front-runner if the Brewers want an in-house short-term option. Mike Boeve and Brock Wilken, who reached Double-A Biloxi, could be added to the mix. Boeve is arguably ahead of his fellow 2023 draft classmate. Just below them, there’s Luke Adams, Juan Baez, and Eric Bitonti, who reached full-season professional ball – all of whom have flashed some very good offensive tools. Wilken arguably had the roughest year of the bunch, while Black wasn’t helped by spending time on the Milwaukee-Nashville shuttle. The former showed a three-true-outcome profile in 2024, albeit he struggled to reach the Uecker line, while the latter is arguably somewhat deficient in power but brings good contact-hitting skills, OBP skills, and speed. Boeve and Baez look to have excellent hit-for-contact tools and some decent pop, while Adams and Bitonti’s profiles are more akin to three-true-outcome hitters, though Adams has also been a legitimate threat on the basepaths. Some players could move across the diamond, as the Brewers have few blue-chip prospects at first base (Ernesto Martinez and Wes Clarke are the best options in the upper minors). Starting Rotation The surprise placement of rotation mainstay Colin Rea on the waiver wire can best be explained by listing the starting pitchers in Double-A or higher that are not currently on the 40-man roster: Chad Patrick, Shane Smith, Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, K.C. Hunt, Brett Wichrowski, Nate Peterson, and Tate Kuehner. That’s just from Double-A and Triple-A; of those eight pitchers, only one had an ERA above 4.00. In that sense, it’s easy to understand why Colin Rea was waived and Frankie Montas’ option was not picked up. The Brewers have lots of rotation options in the upper minors. That’s before considering the fact that the Brewers start with Tobias Myers, Freddy Peralta, Aaron Civale, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, Brandon Woodruff, Robert Gasser, and Carlos Rodriguez on their 40-man roster. Overview When it comes to potential holes, the Brewers have a lot of options to address them on the farm. These internal options make filling holes a lot easier, especially with the uncertainty of broadcast revenue hanging over the team’s payroll. But these will be fun battles to watch, and each player involved can make a good case to be the one who stays.

One school of thought is to use Tyler Black as a supersub: have him split time at multiple positions to give Christian Yelich time off in left field and at DH; to platoon with Rhys Hoskins at first base; to spell a third baseman to be named later this offseason; and to rotate through the outfield with Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick. Assuming Willy Adames departs in free agency and Joey Ortiz moves to shortstop, though, the Brewers will have a hole at the hot corner. Why not have Black hold down third base in 2025? It could solve both the problem of getting him regular playing time at the MLB level and of replacing Ortiz, when he slides over to replace Adames. While Black saw limited action (nine games) at third in 2024, he held it down for most of 2023 between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville. We know Black is below-average defensively at the hot corner. We also know he won't be an elite hitter. His bat, though, is not a liability. In 529 Triple-A at-bats, Black’s posted a .278/.389/.452 slash line, with 23 doubles, nine triples, 18 homers, 92 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases in 34 attempts. As a replacement for Adames in the lineup, he offers more contact skills and speed, with less power. Still, if he can provide an OPS close to Chourio’s .791 for 2024, that would be very good news for the Brewers. The Brewers missed the chance to break Black in when Yelich was out with back surgery in 2024. This means Black will have to make adjustments to MLB pitching in 2025, as Chourio had to in 2024. The good news here is that Black has seen a lot more of Triple-A pitching than Chourio did, and he had some exposure to MLB pitching in 2024. The hope is that Black’s adjustment will be shorter than Chourio’s. In addition, as an “in-house” solution, having Tyler Black at third will greatly ease the payroll issues the Brewers are facing. Ryan McMahon, a possible trade target, is owed $44 million over the next three years. Black’s salary will be the MLB minimum for at least two of those years (with the prospect of “Super-Two” status in the worst case), so the Brewers will get a huge discount on the total salary for Black’s contributions as opposed to McMahon. In short, if the Brewers need a third baseman in 2025, they could do far worse than making it Black’s job to lose in spring training.

Let’s look at four possibilities, which are either among the Brewer Fanatic Top 20 or the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospect lists. 3B Brock Wilken (#8 MLB Pipeline, #7 Brewer Fanatic) .199/.312/.363 in 402 AB, 15 doubles, 17 home runs, 63 BB, 133 K with Double-A Biloxi Take away a horrible August and September (and Arizona Fall League), and Brock Wilken had a decent year despite a real injury scare early in the 2024 season. However, his late-season slump and his struggles in the Arizona Fall League may make it worth the Brewers’ while to consider selling (relatively) high on their 2023 first-round pick. Wilken had a pure three-true-outcomes bat over the year. The problem was his batting average didn’t cross the Uecker line, and he only stole one base over the course of the season. Still, it was his first full professional season, and he arguably warrants a mulligan after his injury in 2024. It’s not as if there aren’t other options at third base in the system. Tyler Black held it solidly in 2023 in Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville, though defensive concerns may keep him off the cornerstone in Milwaukee. Mike Boeve looks like a left-handed version of one-time Brewer Jeff Cirillo. Eric Bitonti brings a good power profile from the left side of the plate. Luke Adams has posted a strong three-true-outcome bat similar to Wilken’s but has also stolen 58 bases over his two full seasons in professional ball. It’s not that Wilken is a bad option, but the Brewers arguably have several other great options for the hot corner, and as a firmer first-round pick, Wilken can net a better return. SS Jorge Quintana (#25 MLB Pipeline) .250/.361/.380 in 200 AB, 14 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 33 BB, 51 K with FRk DSL Brewers 1 Quintana was one of three shortstops the Brewers signed before the 2024 season. He wasn’t horrible. The switch-hitter flashed speed and on-base skills. However, offensively, he was overshadowed by Jesus Made and Luis Pena. Made earned Brewer Fanatic Short-Season Minor-League Hitter of the Year honors with an excellent season in which he drew more walks than strikeouts. At the same time, Pena flashed elite contact-hitting skills and posted a .393 batting average. Quintana got a $1.7 million bonus to sign with the Brewers, who haven’t been shy about trading infielders in the lower levels of the minors for help elsewhere (the Crew traded Jhonny Severino for Carlos Santana in 2023, packaged Alex Binelas with David Hamilton and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the deal that brought Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee, and dealt Gregory Barrios for Aaron Civale in 2024). Quintana may be the next to be moved along those lines. SS Filippo Di Turi (#23 MLB Pipeline) .225/.358/.294 in 320 AB, 15 doubles, two triples, one home run, 64 BB, 84 K with Rk ACL Brewers and Single-A Carolina Di Turi is another switch-hitter, and he’s got OBP skills galore. The issue here is a lack of pop and a high strikeout rate, particularly with Carolina. He’s been bypassed by 2023 draft pick Cooper Pratt, who reached as high as Double-A Biloxi. He's facing Made and Pena as potential competition in 2025. That said, he received a $1.3 million bonus, and he could be enticing enough given the .358 on-base percentage he displayed, even in a down year. 2B/OF Dylan O’Rae (#26 MLB Pipeline) .217/.356/.265 in 475 ABs, 14 doubles, three triples, one home run, 87 walks, 122 strikeouts between Advanced-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi O’Rae’s biggest asset is his speed – 106 stolen bases in two full professional seasons. That and excellent on-base ability make him a potential threat at the top of a lineup. His low batting average is not as bad as it looks, either – he spent half the year in Biloxi as a 20-year-old, over three and a half years below the league’s average age. He’s a lot like Esteury Ruiz, who the Brewers acquired in the Josh Hader deal, only with more positional versatility and better plate discipline. O’Rae faces a lot of competition at either the middle infield or the outfield in the Brewers system. Still, the Brewers were able to turn Ruiz into a package of William Contreras, Joel Payamps, and minor-league pitcher Justin Yeager. Could the same be done with O’Rae? Which top prospects do you think the Brewers should consider moving? Let us know in the comments below!