The Milwaukee Brewers lost the heart and soul of their clubhouse when shortstop Willy Adames signed a seven-year $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants earlier this offseason. Ever since he arrived in Milwaukee via a mid-season trade in 2021, Adames was a fan-favorite for his incredible personality and propensity to hit home runs.
Last season, Adams hit .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. He holds the single-season franchise record for home runs and RBI by a shortstop, both of which he set in his incredible 2024 campaign.
Now that he is gone, Milwaukee faces the tough uphill challenge of replacing him, at least on offense. Defensively, well, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio may have already revealed who will be starting at shortstop this season.
Milwaukee Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio Reveals Joey Ortiz Will Play Shortstop
In an interview with Adam McCalvy, Attanasio was asked about Milwaukee’s lack of spending in free agency. To the surprise (and likely frustration) of many fans, the Brewers owner explained that he did not believe his team had any holes to fill on the open market:
“So, there really weren’t any spots to fill. Maybe third base, but we want to give Tyler Black a shot and Ollie Dunn, and [Joey] Ortiz can slide over. So there was no space to fill. Yeah, there’s always room for starting pitching, but that’s quite expensive, and we want to see what some of these young guys can do.”
As one can see from the quote, it appears that Milwaukee’s plan is to move Joey Ortiz from third base to shortstop, a move that makes sense as he came up in the Baltimore Orioles system as a shortstop.
Last season, Ortiz played in 142 games and hit .239/.329/.398 with 11 home runs, 60 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. He also played exceptional defense at the hot corner, with many feeling he was snubbed from consideration for a Gold Glove at the position.
The question, though, remains of how to replace Adames’ offensive production, and that will not be so easy, especially with no free agents signed for that purpose.
Instead, Milwaukee is going to have to rely on the players they already have improving their production, and it stands to reason that some will. Christian Yelich hit .315/.406/.504 with 11 home runs, 42 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in just 75 games before back surgery ended his season. If he can keep hitting like he did in 2024, and stay healthy, his bat will help ease the blow of losing Adames.
Additionally, star outfielder Jackson Chourio, who hit .275/.327/.464 with 21 home runs, 79 RBI, and 22 stolen bases, is only going to get better as he matures. Just 20 years old last year, he became the youngest player in MLB history to post a 20-20 season.
As one can see, the Brewers certainly have the players already to make up for losing Adames. However, they need the cards to fall the right way in order for that to happen, and that is a very big gamble.
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