Brewers rumors: The other infielder Milwaukee was considering before signing Rengifo

The Milwaukee Brewers' infield group saw a late-offseason shake-up that few were anticipating. The Brew Crew seemed poised to bring back their starting group of Caleb Durbin, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn that finished out the 2025 season and started all but two playoff games together (Jake Bauers replaced Vaughn at first base in Game 3 of the NLDS and Game 4 of the NLCS).

However, on the Monday morning of the week that pitchers and catchers were set to report to Arizona for Spring Training, the Brewers swung a deal that sent Durbin and two other third base options in Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler to the Boston Red Sox. The deal, which was motivated by the Brewers' rising group of talented infield prospects and Durbin's boosted trade value after his standout rookie campaign, can certainly be justified by the two talented, left-handed arms that Milwaukee acquired in the deal -- Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan -- but it undoubtedly raised questions about the infield picture in 2026.

Those questions were somewhat addressed on Friday night when the Brewers signed free agent infielder Luis Rengifo to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. Though Rengifo has played more second base than third base throughout his seven-year MLB career, and his glove at the hot corner is accompanied by some minor concerns, as the roster currently stands, the former Los Angeles Angel appears likely to be Milwaukee's Opening Day third baseman.

However, before agreeing to a contract with Rengifo, the Brewers were reportedly interested in a different free agent infielder -- one who has an indirect connection to Milwaukee.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Brewers were deciding between Luis Rengifo and Ramón Urías to replace Durbin in their infield group

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic revealed in an article published on Saturday morning that the Brewers were discussing contracts with both Rengifo and Ramón Urías -- brother of former Brewer Luis Urías -- prior to handing a one-year deal to the former. Rosenthal was rather critical of the Brewers' choice, noting that Urías is a better defender than Rengifo and that Rengifo is coming off a down season at the plate.

However, while it's tough to argue with the fact that Urías is a better defender, Rengifo's ceiling at the plate is much higher, and his down season in 2025 should be viewed as an outlier rather than a new norm. Prior to the 2025 season, Rengifo posted an OPS+ above 100 (league average) in three consecutive seasons. In 2022 and 2023, despite playing just 253 games (126.5 games per season), Rengifo slugged a total of 33 homers and posted a .436 slugging percentage that is 13 points higher than any full single-season mark that Urías has posted.

In addition to having slightly more pop in his bat, Rengifo is two years younger than Urías, entering his age-29 season, and has more versatility at the plate as a switch hitter. The two have comparable career walk rates (Rengifo: 6.8%, Urías: 7.4%), but Rengifo's career strikeout rate is more than 4% lower than Urías'. Neither is particularly fast, but Rengifo has shown a better ability to steal bases throughout his career.

Rosenthal is absolutely correct in saying that it is surprising that a defensive-minded team like the Brewers opted for Rengifo over Urías, but his analysis ignores the rest of their profiles. Rengifo remains in his physical prime, has more upside at the plate, is a switch hitter, and a slightly more impactful baserunner. With the added bonus of playing next to Joey Ortiz rather than sharing the left side of the infield with Zach Neto -- the Angels' shortstop who struggles defensively -- Rengifo's defensive value is likely to increase slightly in a Brewers uniform, alleviating, to some extent, the one advantage that Urías has over him.