Brewers 2024 Winter Meetings: Full Details and Matt Arnold's checklist heading in

#1 - Add a legitimate solution at SS/3B

It's no secret that Willy Adames is not coming back. The question is who do the Brewers get to fill the gap on the left side of the infield. Manager Pat Murphy has said he's inclined to move Joey Ortiz over to the shortstop spot, which would leave an opening at third base.

Incumbent options at third base are Andruw Monasterio, Oliver Dunn, and Sal Frelick. The first two are not starting caliber options and Frelick is a Gold Glove outfielder that, while he could play the position, also doesn't fit the offensive need the Brewers will have at third base to replace Adames' production. Frelick at third base is more of a band-aid than a desirable solution.

How Arnold fills that gap on the left side of the infield is anyone's guess. Free agent options include Alex Bregman, Ha-Seong Kim, Hye-Seong Kim, Josh Rojas, and Yoan Moncada. Bregman is going to be out of Milwaukee's price range, the Kims are unrelated but both are logical fits, could be in the Crew's price range, and can play shortstop, keeping Ortiz at third. Rojas and Moncada are coming off down years but should be plenty affordable with decent upside.

Trade options include Alec Bohm, Coby Mayo, Ryan McMahon, and Jeimer Candelario. Bohm makes a lot of sense for Milwaukee to immediately replace the offensive output of Adames, Mayo fits the mold as a young, controllable player that the Brewers like to get, while McMahon and Candelario have bigger contracts to take on.

There's several more options available to Arnold that aren't named here, but by the end of the Winter Meetings, Arnold is going to want to have checked off the box of getting someone that can realistically be plugged into the starting lineup everyday on the left side of the infield, because he doesn't currently have it on this roster.