Hot stove Major League Baseball Free agency was in full swing this weekend. Three former Milwaukee Brewers players found novel homes over the weekend amid a surge in spending on free agents.
Former starting pitcher Adrian Houser, who played for the New York Mets before being released in 2023, has signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers.
Gary Sanchez, who spent the 2023 season in Milwaukee, has signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
However, the greatest former Brewers player to sign with another club was Willy Adames.
Former Milwaukee Brewers player Willy Adames has signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants
Many were surprised that the Brewers decided not to trade Adames this offseason because 2024 was his final year of arbitration. However, Milwaukee decided to keep him for one more season.
Adames made the most of his final year in Milwaukee. He had the most productive season of his career, hitting .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
That production made him one of the most coveted names on the free agent market, and the former Brewers shortstop cashed in on it.
As previously reported, Adames signed a seven-year contract worth $182 million with the club San Francisco Giants. The deal is the richest in Giants franchise history and the third for any player born in the Dominican Republic.
The Milwaukee Brewers may replace Willy Adames with Gio Urshela
2024 NL Manager of the Year Pat Murphy has already announced that Joey Ortiz, who played third base last season, will move to shortstop in 2025. Ortiz came through the Orioles organization as a shortstop and is considered an above-average fielder at the position.
However, moving Ortiz in the low term leaves a hole at third base. It also does not solve the problem of having to replace Adames in attack. Although there are no free agents [that the Brewers would be willing to pay] who can match Adames offensively, there is someone who can aid [if he stays healthy].
Lately, Patrick McAvoy z Illustrated sports suggested that Milwaukee could sign former New York Yankees star Gio Urshela, writing: “He’s a starting-caliber player who can be acquired very cheaply. He’s the type of guy who could add more depth to the Brewers.
This would be a great option for Milwaukee, but it would only work if Urshela stayed hearty.
In 2019, his first full season in the Major Leagues, Urshela hit .314/.355/.534 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI for the New York Yankees. He played in 43 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, hitting .298/.368/.490 with six home runs and 30 RBI.
After a down year in 2021 (he still hit .265), Urshela was traded (along with Gary Sanchez) to the Minnesota Twins for another player who would eventually play for the Brewers: Josh Donaldson.
In 2022, Urshela appeared in 144 games for the Twins, the most of her career, and hit .285/.338/.429 with 13 home runs and 64 RBI.
Playing with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023, he appeared in just 62 games due to injury, but hit .299/.329/.374 with two home runs and 24 RBI.
Last year, playing between the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers, Urshela hit .250/.286/.361 with nine home runs and 52 RBI in 128 games.
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