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Brewers: 3 Free Agents from MLBTR’s Top 50 List Predicted to the Crew

By Matt Carroll |
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 31: Jorge Soler #12 of the Atlanta Braves bats during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Truist Park on July 31, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 31: Jorge Soler #12 of the Atlanta Braves bats during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Truist Park on July 31, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images)
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ATLANTA, GA – JULY 31: Jorge Soler #12 of the Atlanta Braves bats during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Truist Park on July 31, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – JULY 31: Jorge Soler #12 of the Atlanta Braves bats during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Truist Park on July 31, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) /

Though we have plenty of baseball-less months ahead of us, one fun exercise Brewers fans can go through to pass the time will be guessing which free agents the team might sign in the offseason. For some, that means reading many of the top free agent lists across the internet.

MLB Trade Rumors recently released their annual list of their Top 50 Free Agents in baseball. The list comes complete with contract projections as well as the teams with which they expect the players to land. This year, they have three different writers predicting the landing spot for each player.

The Brewers have some needs of their own to fill ahead of the 2022 season, and as such, there are a few players that the MLBTR piece feels would be good fits for Milwaukee. A couple would address their outfield depth, while another would require a new rule to be implemented for next season.

Here are three free agents that MLBTR has predicted to the Brewers for the 2022 season.

1. OF Jorge Soler

There’s an old saying that goes, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” Perhaps in this case, you have ’em join you.

Jorge Soler was a thorn in the Brewers’ side when he played them in 2021. In six regular season games, he went 7 for 21 with three home runs, four RBIs, and four runs scored. And he did it as a member of two different teams.

Soler began the season slowly while playing in his fifth season for the Kansas City Royals, slashing .192/.288/.370 in 94 games. He found some new life, though, after being traded to the Atlanta Braves at the deadline, slashing .269/.358/.524 with 14 homers in 55 games the rest of the way.

The 29-year-old outfielder first broke through to the majors with the Cubs in 2014 and has compiled an overall slash line of .246/.331/.465 over eight seasons as well as a 3.6 bWAR. Now he finds himself in free agency for the first time in his career.

If there was one thing Soler does, it’s hit the ball hard as his average exit velocity, hard hit rate, and barrel rate have all ranked in the 79th percentile or better in each of the last three seasons per Statcast. He also strikes out a lot, however, having never had less than a 23.6% strikeout rate.

Tim Dierkes of MLBTR has Soler predicted to the Brewers at $36MM over three years. Milwaukee could use some outfield depth after Avisail Garcia decided to exercise the opt out in his contract, but it would be surprising to see David Stearns pony up that amount for a player who had a negative bWAR (-0.3) last season.

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 02: Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets reacts with teammates after hitting a ball deep for a home run during the eighth inning of the game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on October 2, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 02: Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets reacts with teammates after hitting a ball deep for a home run during the eighth inning of the game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on October 2, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

2. OF Michael Conforto

Now if the Brewers are going to spend big money on an outfielder, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco has the player for you. And he has more solid of a track record in the majors too.

Michael Conforto had an off season by his standards in 2021. A bit over a month on the injured list in May and June may have had something to do with it, but one way or another, it ended up with him slashing .232/.344/.384 with 14 homers in 125 games when all was said and done.

But it’s his previous history that will make Conforto a hot commodity this offseason. Going into last season, he had a career slash line of .259/.358/.484 with 118 homers and 341 RBIs in 632 games, all with the New York Mets. That came with a career OPS+ of 128, much better than the average 101 OPS+ he had last season.

He can hold his own in the field well enough too with a career -2 defensive runs saved across all three outfield positions. Safe to say that is much better than what Soler provides seeing as he has an awful -50 DRS for his career in the field.

Did I mention that Conforto has primarily been a right fielder, the exact position vacated by Garcia, for the last three years?

Of course the issue here again is the price tag. Conforto already rejected the $18.4MM qualifying offer given to him by the Mets, and is projected by MLBTR to sign a one-year deal for $20MM this offseason.

That combined with the fact that agent Scott Boras will likely find a way to earn his client a nice payday probably puts him out of Milwaukee’s range. Fans can dream though, right?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 02: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Tampa Bay Rays in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on October 02, 2021 in New York City. The Rays defeated the Yankees 12-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 02: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Tampa Bay Rays in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on October 02, 2021 in New York City. The Rays defeated the Yankees 12-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

3. DH Nelson Cruz

Sometimes adding a player to a team is nice and easy. Other times, it takes adding an actual rule to the MLB rule book.

Under most circumstances, Nelson Cruz would be the type of batter that basically every team would want in their lineup. He hits for a good average, he gets on base, and he is adept at knocking the ball out of the park.

He also happens to be a designated hitter these days, and previously that ruled half the league out from signing him during the offseason.

Last season, though, the league utilized a universal DH during the Covid-shortened season, and it drew pretty positive reviews. With the league set to go through a tough CBA battle this offseason, most seem to think that adding this rule back in next year is one thing the owners and players union might actually be able to agree upon.

If that’s the case, Cruz will be coveted by a whole new set of teams. That group of teams could include the Milwaukee Brewers, whom Franco of MLBTR is predicting will sign the 41-year-old slugger.

Cruz’s reputation speaks for itself. He is a career .277 hitter, a seven-time All-Star, and has 449 career home runs to his name. Last season, as a 40-year-old, he still managed to slash .265/.334/.497 and swat 32 homers with 86 RBIs.

Cruz is projected for a one-year, $12MM contract by MLBTR, which seems like a lot for a player his age. And at some point, he will finally start declining. But the Brewers can use some extra offense, and that is something that Cruz has had no short supply of over the years. If he can squeeze one more year of it out, the ex-Brewer could be worth the money.

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These three predictions by MLBTR writers range from the bold to the semi-reasonable for the Brewers. You probably wouldn’t get any arguments from the fans if any of them came true, though.

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