Milwaukee Brewers: How will the outfield shake out this spring?

The Milwaukee Brewers have seven outfielders on their 40-man roster. Not everyone will make the trip north when Spring Training ends. Who makes the team? Who goes to Colorado Springs? Will anyone get traded…ever?

There are 25 spots on the Milwaukee Brewers active roster. 12 will go to pitchers. Two will be catchers. Five or six will go to infielders. That leaves five or six roster spots for seven outfielders. Someone has to move to Triple-A or to a new team.

The locks for the 25-man roster

Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, and Domingo Santana will make the 25-man roster. Braun is likely to spend time at first base this season, but the Milwaukee Brewers still have Eric Thames and Jesus Aguilar. Unless one of their first basemen gets moved, Braun won’t get very many games at first base.

The only way any of these four don’t make the Opening Day roster is if they’re on the disabled list.

The guy who should make the team

Hernan Perez should also make the 25-man roster with ease. His speed and versatility make Perez a valuable part of the Milwaukee Brewers bench. Perez is listed on the roster as an outfielder, but he could also see a lot of time at second base.

The question marks

With five roster spots secured, Keon Broxton and Brett Phillips could both end up in Colorado Springs to start the season.

Phillips needs every day at bats to continue his development. Those are at bats that he won’t get with the Milwaukee Brewers unless there’s an injury or a trade. Phillips appears to be on the outside looking in even if he has a ridiculous spring.

It was revealed that Broxton still has a Minor League option left, so he can be reassigned to Triple-A without being exposed to waivers. It’s clear that he fell out of favor last season, despite his 20/20 season. It’s rumored that the Brewers wanted to deal Broxton all off season. If he isn’t traded during Spring Training, he’ll end up back in Colorado Springs for the beginning of the year.

Next: Should the Brewers deal Aguilar, move Braun to first?

The Milwaukee Brewers outfield situation isn’t as muddled as it appears. Yelich, Cain, Santana, and Braun will work their way into the every day lineup more often than not. Perez should continue to function as a utility man, and Broxton and Phillips are likely going back to Colorado Springs. Just wait until a trade gets made this weekend, and throws all of this out of whack.