The Milwaukee Brewers have some work to do this offseason if they want to repeat their 2023 success. However, they certainly have a robust base to work from. Pat Murphy won NL Manager of the Year honors in his first season at the helm, managing one Major League Baseballthe youngest players to a level of success that few outside their own club believed in.
Star rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, hitting .275/.327/.464 with 21 home runs, 79 RBI and 22 stolen bases. He became the youngest player in MLB history to have a 20-20 season.
All-Star catcher William Contreras won his second straight Silver Slugger after hitting .281/.365/.466 with 23 home runs and 92 RBI. Surprisingly, he also played in 155 games, 120 of them as catcher.
Young second-year players Brice Turang and Sal Frelick were successful defensively, with each winning Gold Gloves at their positions.
Indeed, the future is vivid, but there is still much to do.
The Milwaukee Brewers need to replace Willy Adames
Of course, the biggest question surrounding the Brewers this offseason is how they will replace the offensive production of shortstop Willy Adames. Last season, the final year of team control, the fan favorite hit .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
He set a Brewers franchise record for home runs in a season by a shortstop and became the first player at his position in franchise history to have a 30-20 season.
Now a free agent, there isn’t much hope that he’ll return to Milwaukee. Murphy has already said that Joey Ortiz, who hit .239/.329/.398 with 11 home runs, 60 RBI and 11 stolen bases last season at third base, will move to shortstop.
This move is likely why the Brewers traded Ortiz in the first place, sending Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. While this solves a defensive problem at shortstop, it creates a fresh hole at third base and does not replace Adames’ offensive play.
MLB analyst predicts Milwaukee Brewers will trade Tyler Black
Since Milwaukee isn’t spending gigantic in free agency, their answer at third base could be a trade. One MLB analyst, Joel Reuter z Bleacher Reportbelieves the Brewers could utilize fifth prospect Tyler Black to support find a player to support fill the most pressing need:
“The 24-year-old is probably best suited at first base, and while he lacks prototypical power for the position, he could profile as a Brandon lane type with solid base skills and double pop that could fit into some legal circles.
“If he proves he can handle third base at the MLB level, he could be the answer to that question, with Joey Ortiz expected to move to shortstop, but he could also be used as a trade chip to acquire a more proven veteran.”
As Reuter mentions, Black could also be moved to third base if the Brewers feel he can play there. However, Black hit just .204/.316/.245 in 18 games with Milwaukee in 2024. And while that’s a small sample size, he hit .258/.375/.429 with 14 home runs and 67 RBI (finally with 20 stolen bases) in the Triple-A And Nashville.
Black is certainly an intriguing prospect who could provide Milwaukee with an MLB-caliber third baseman or starting pitcher in the winter meetings.
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