The Milwaukee Brewers bid adieu to some familiar faces following the 2024 season. Two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams was traded to the New York Yankees for left-handed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and intriguing infield prospect Caleb Durbin. Additionally, former shortstop Willy Adames signed a seven-year $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
While both departures were expected, replacing Williams will be a great deal easier for the Brewers than replacing Adames. After all, Williams missed most of 2024 due to stress fractures in his back and Trevor Megill saved 20 games in 22 chances while posting a 2.72 ERA during that time.
Adames, on the other hand, led Milwaukee’s offense while hitting .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. There is a reason he was the most coveted free agent shortstop on the market, and his run production will not be so easy to replace.
The Milwaukee Brewers Could Acquire Brett Baty from the New York Mets
The fact of the matter is that the Brewers simply are not going to go out and sign a player who will hit 30+ home runs and drive in 100+ runs. They do not have the payroll flexibility to do so. Instead, they will rely on young stars like Jackson Chourio to grow in 2025 and hope that others, like Christian Yelich, will bounce back from injury-plagued seasons.
Still, they do need to find more depth for the infield. While Durbin plays both second and third base, he has not made his Major League debut yet. He is an exciting prospect that fits the Brewers’ style of play, but he is still an unknown.
With Joey Ortiz likely sliding over to shortstop sans Adames on Milwaukee’s roster, Mike Axisa of CBS Sports believes that Milwaukee could trade for third baseman Brett Baty of the New York Mets, who may need a change of scenery in order to reach his full potential:
“Milwaukee has a thing for hitters with high ground ball rates too, though Baty lacks the foot speed to make it work the way Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Brice Turang, et al do. Also, the Brewers are the two-time defending NL Central champs and they are expected to contend in 2025. They have only so much latitude to let a young hitter work through growing pains.”
In 169 career games spread across three seasons, Baty is hitting just .215/.282/.325 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI.
Those numbers do not paint a pretty picture, nor does the fact that he has stolen just two bases in that time. The Brewers are an aggressive offense that likes to have their baserunners steal bases. Baty, obviously, does not fit that profile.
That being said, there was a time when Baty was the Mets’ number one overall prospect. In 2022, his final year as a full-time prospect, Baty hit .315/.410/.533 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI.
Taking a flyer on a player like Baty certainly sounds like something the Brewers would do, but they would likely not be willing to give up much for him (nor should they, based on his production).
More Milwaukee Brewers News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
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