Brewers’ 2025-26 offseason free agent decision is getting more and more difficult to justify

Matt Arnold's reputation while leading the Milwaukee Brewers is much like his predecessor's: immaculate. He wins nearly every trade, gets surplus value on nearly every signing, and generally keeps a small-market team head and shoulders above the competition.

Of course, personnel management is as fickle as the game that's played on the field. Not every move is going to be a winner, no matter how sensible it seems in the moment. Alas, such is the reality of Luis Rengifo, who has been a wholesale disaster in his maiden campaign with the Brewers this year.

The veteran infielder, signed to replace Caleb Durbin at third base, is hitting just .207/.273/.260 thus far, with practically no power (.053 ISO) to speak of. It's clear the Crew need an upgrade, and with other options available in the organization, one has to wonder how long Rengifo will stick around.

Brewers have every incentive to part ways with Luis Rengifo this summer

If not for Blake Perkins' disastrous campaign, Rengifo would be the worst player on the Brewers by every available metric. His -0.5 fWAR and 53 wRC+ are both the second-lowest among the team's position player contingent.

Perhaps the best thing one could say about him is that he's improved defensively at third base, though that was a low bar to clear. He's still been a below-average stopper at the hot corner this year, at least according to Outs Above Average (-2).

His contract ($3.5 million guaranteed over one year) is small enough that the Brewers could simply eat the remainder of it, but that's just not how this team does business. Finding a taker in a trade would probably be a more difficult task than anything Arnold's done to this point, but that would be the ideal way to part ways with Rengifo.

Whether it's an unlikely trade or an expensive DFA, the incentive to move on is great, and goes beyond just Rengifo's struggles. Cooper Pratt -- who signed a $50.75 million extension earlier in the year -- still has yet to make his MLB debut despite being a member of the 40-man roster. Despite being just 21 years old, he owns a 101 wRC+ in Triple-A to go along with 12 steals, strong defense, and near-equal walk and strikeout rates.

Likewise, top prospect Jett Williams (not on the 40-man) has shockingly similar numbers to Pratt, with a 103 wRC+ and 12 steals of his own. Both players are far more dynamic on the basepaths and in the field than Rengifo, and it's hard to imagine that they'd be worse at the plate.

For a front office that rarely makes mistakes, it can be hard to know how to address one. The worst thing the team can do right now is double down on Rengifo and let him dig himself a deeper hole. Move on and bring the youth movement forward.

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