The hot stove of Major League Baseball free agency has been cooking at full heat this weekend. Three former Milwaukee Brewers players all found new homes over the weekend as a result of the flash of free agent spending.
Former starting pitcher Adrian Houser, who pitched for the New York Mets before being released in 2023, signed with the Texas Rangers on a minor league deal.
Gary Sanchez, who spent the 2023 season with Milwaukee, signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
But, of course, the biggest former Brewers player to sign elsewhere was shortstop Willy Adames.
Former Milwaukee Brewers Shortstop Willy Adames Signed with the San Francisco Giants
Many were surprised that the Brewers decided not to trade Adames last offseason as 2024 was his final year of arbitration. Milwaukee, though, decided to hang onto 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.
This production made him one of the most coveted names on the free agent market, and the former Brewers shortstop cashed in because of it.
As reported earlier, Adames signed a seven-year $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. The deal is the richest in Giants franchise history and the third-riches for any Dominican-born player.
The Milwaukee Brewers Could 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 over to shortstop in 2025. Ortiz came up through the Orioles organization as a shortstop and is considered an above-average defender at the position.
Moving Ortiz to short, though, leaves a hole at third base. It also does not solve the problem of having to replace Adames’ offense. While there are no free agents [that the Brewers would be willing to pay] who can match Adames’ offensive output, there is one who could help [if he stays healthy].
Recently, Patrick McAvoy of Sports Illustrated suggested that Milwaukee could pursue former New York Yankees star Gio Urshela, writing, “He’s a starting-caliber player who could be had for very cheap. He’s the type of guy that could provide more depth to the Brewers’ infield.
This would be an excellent option for Milwaukee, but it would only work if Urshela can stay healthy.
In 2019, his first full season in the Majors, Urshela hit .314/.355/.534 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI for the New York Yankees. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he played in 43 games and hit .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 that ended up playing for the Brewers: Josh Donaldson.
In 2022, Urshela appeared in 144 games for the Twins, the most in his 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 because of injuries, but hit .299/.329/.374 with two home runs and 24 RBI.
Last year, split 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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