Brewers: 8 Free Agents Who Could Thrive at American Family Field

Major League Baseball is currently locked out which means teams cannot negotiate contracts with free agents, however once MLB and the Players Association come to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a free agency frenzy will begin.

The Milwaukee Brewers could use this urgency to grab an impact player or two on short term deals that they may not have been able to sway to Milwaukee had there been a full offseason of negotiations with other teams willing to pay more and give longer term contracts.

According to spotrac.com, the Milwaukee Brewers current payroll stands at $101,890,000, which is prior to setting salaries for arbitration-eligible players. The Brewers 40-man roster currently stands at 36 players, meaning the team will likely look to free agency to potentially fill some of those four open roster spots.

Which MLB free agents could do well with the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field?

Looking at players that are currently free agents, I looked at four statistics to help determine what players could potentially succeed at a hitter’s ballpark like American Family Field.

Using Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference, I looked at home run percentage, the number of plate appearances that result in home runs, hard hit percentage, the percent of balls in play with an exit velocity of 95 miles per hour or higher, slugging percentage, which gives greater weight to players who hit for extra bases and is calculated by total bases divided by at bats, and lastly wRC+ (weighted runs created plus), which takes into account things like what ballpark you play in.

Using these eight statistics I compiled a list of eight potential targets for the Milwaukee Brewers that could help their offense at American Family Field. Also, I took into account age, position and likely cost to determine the rankings for which I believe the Brewers should target these eight players.

Free Agents who could thrive at AFF: #8 Nelson Cruz

Since the announcement of the designated hitter coming to the National League, many have begun proposing the reunion of longtime MLB designated hitter Nelson Cruz and the Milwaukee Brewers. There are a handful of reasons to consider this despite the fact that Cruz will be 42 on July 1st.

Firstly, Nelson Cruz hit home runs in 5.5 percent of his at bats in 2021 as a member of the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays. Cruz hit 19 home runs as a Twin and another 13 after being traded to the Rays. Secondly, 52.5 percent of Nelson Cruz’s batted balls in play left his bat at 95 miles per hour or higher, that is the highest percentage of players on this list.

Thirdly, Nelson Cruz slugged .497 in 2021, and in addition to his 32 home runs, Cruz added 21 doubles. Cruz also had 86 RBIs, which would have tied Avisail Garcia for the most on the Brewers in 2021. Lastly, Nelson Cruz finished 2021 with a 122 wRC+, meaning he was 22 points above average as a batter when factoring in the ballparks he played in and being in the American League.

As mentioned, Nelson Cruz will be 42 in July so its a bit of an unknown how much he has left in the tank. However, if used strictly as a designated hitter, Cruz has given no indications that he is slowing down and likely wouldn’t cost a ton for the Milwaukee Brewers to offer him a one year deal.

Free Agents who could thrive at AFF: #7 Andrew McCutchen

Andrew McCutchen comes in at number seven on this list for a similar reason as Nelson Cruz, age. If the Milwaukee Brewers were to consider signing McCutchen to a deal as a designated hitter and potential backup outfielder, it would likely be a short term deal as McCutchen is already 35 years old.

That being said Andrew McCutchen still had a solid 2021 at the plate and has been reliable his whole career, McCutchen has been above 100 in wRC+ his entire career, including 107 in 2021. In addition to his wRC+, Andrew McCutchen also hit home runs on 4.7 percent of his at bats and had a hard hit percentage of 39.5 percent on his way to slugging .444.

Where Andrew McCutchen has been less valuable is in the outfield, that said with the National League adopting the designated hitter, maybe the Milwaukee Brewers could see McCutchen as an under the radar player for that role and sign him to a short term deal. He’s not as good as he once was, but he’s still a productive hitter.

Free Agents who could thrive at AFF: #4 Jorge Soler

Jorge Soler was another mid-season acquisition by the Atlanta Braves in 2021, like Eddie Rosario, Soler is primarily an outfielder, mainly right field, and also an occasional designated hitter, which the Milwaukee Brewers will need in 2022.

In 2021, Jorge Soler posted a 4.5 home run percentage, including 5.8 after his trade to Atlanta. Over the course of the year Soler had a hard hit percentage of 46.8 and slugged .432. Jorge Soler finished 2021 with a wRC+ of 101.

Despite a solid finish to his season, Jorge Soler, who turns 30 on February 25th, had a down year in 2021 compared to his 2019 and 2020 seasons, perhaps that slight dip in his production could allow the small market Milwaukee Brewers to swoop in and grab him. Fellow Reviewing the Brew writer Matt Carroll highlighted Soler and the previously mentioned Nelson Cruz as predicted Brewers signings.

Free Agents who could thrive at AFF: #3 Colin Moran

Milwaukee Brewers fans may recognize the name Colin Moran as he has been a Brewer killer for years. Moran, who turns 30 in October, has spent most of his major league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a first baseman. The Brewers elected not to tender a deal to Daniel Vogelbach, leaving Rowdy Tellez as the Brewers lone first baseman.

Colin Moran may make a perfect Brewers target because he didn’t have a strong 2021, however going back to 2018, 2019 and 2020 Moran has put up some really solid and some impressive numbers in his past few seasons.

Colin Moran profiles as a type of free agent the Brewers would look to sign on a team friendly deal compared to some of the other players on this list as a potential bounce back player. In addition to his bat Moran would also fit a need in the field.

Free Agents who could thrive at AFF: #2 Kyle Schwarber

Another potentially familiar face to Milwaukee Brewers fans is former Chicago Cub Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber is going to be one of the most sought after free agents in baseball when free agency resumes and for good reason.

In 2021 as a member of the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox, Kyle Schwarber posted a home run percentage of 6.8 percent and a hard hit rate of 52.4 percent, both highest on this list. In addition, Schwarber also finished 2021 slugging .554 and a wRC+ of 145, also highest on this list.

While the Milwaukee Brewers would certainly have to pay up for Kyle Schwarber, there is no doubt that the team could use his bat in their lineup. Signing Schwarber would go a very long way in helping to cure the offensive woes that plagued the team during the 2021 season.

Free Agents who could thrive at AFF: #1 Nick Castellanos

Nick Castellanos makes the top of the list of players that could thrive at American Family field for a couple reasons. He is the only player with a higher slugging percentage than Schwarber (.576 to .554) and finished just barely behind him in wRC+ (140 to Schwarber’s 145).

Nick Castellanos also had an impressive 5.8 home run percentage and a strong 46.9 percent hard hit rate. So it is well within reason to believe Castellanos could succeed at a hitter friendly ballpark like American Family Field. It has been suggested by MLB insiders that Milwaukee could be a landing place for the All-Star.

Nick Castellanos turns 30 next month so a short to medium length contract could work well for both Castellanos and the Milwaukee Brewers who would gladly welcome his .309 batting average and 34 home runs to Milwaukee. Not to mention Castellanos is another guy who could offer the Brewers some outfield depth.

These hitters would all thrive here, and there’s a chance the Brewers could sign someone from this list. We have to wait to find out until after the lockout ends.