Brewers surprisingly add free agent outfielder in wake of 2025 Winter Meetings

The Winter Meetings generally kick-start a flurry of trades and free agent signings. After major dominoes fall and teams have a better understanding of how the market is unfolding, news of players joining new organizations or re-signing with their former squads starts to pour in.

Not expected to be too largely impacted by this opening of the floodgates were the Milwaukee Brewers, who are supposedly in a tight spot when it comes to their payroll. With very few holes on their roster, no one expected the Brewers to be one of the first teams to sign a major league free agent in the days following the Winter Meetings. Rather, teams expected them to be active in the trade market, needing to clear some payroll before they make a free agent signing.

However, just moments ago, Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office stunned their fans by not only signing a free agent, but signing one to a major league deal. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Brewers have agreed to a one-year, major-league contract with former Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo.

Brewers agree to major league deal with free agent outfielder Akil Baddoo

It's a fairly shocking move to say the least, and not just because few were expecting the Brewers to make a major league signing in the near future. Already with Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio locked into starting roles in the outfield, and Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins, Isaac Collins, and Brandon Lockridge all vying for the third spot, the Brewers add another name to the mix in Baddoo, and one who is not a clear-cut improvement over the other four names competing for playing time.

That's not to say there isn't potential in Baddoo's profile; there absolutely is. The now-27-year-old Baddoo burst onto the scene back in 2021, posting a solid slash line of .259/.330/.436 with 40 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases for the Tigers in his rookie campaign. Since that season, however, Baddoo has struggled to live up to his potential. His fall from grace has been so severe that he logged just seven MLB games in 2025, spending most of his time in Triple-A.

There's certainly speed in his profile; Baddoo's sprint speed hovered around the 90th percentile during his first three years in MLB, but his glove isn't much to write home about. At his best, Baddoo collected 5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), and at his worst he posted -2 DRS. He does have the ability to play all three outfield positions, but poor arm strength has prevented him from logging many innings in right field throughout his career.

In a vacuum, Baddoo at least looks like an intriguing signing; if the Brewers are willing to give him a major league deal and a spot on the 40-man roster, which is now full, they must see something they like in his profile that leads them to believe he will be a more productive big leaguer than he has been in recent history. However, free agent signings don't happen in a vacuum, and what makes this deal perplexing is the current state of the Brewers' outfield group. Already with nine outfielders on the 40-man roster (if you include Tyler Black), the Brewers seemingly didn't need another one unless it was a needle-moving player. Baddoo, who holds a similar profile to many of the other options the Brewers have, seems only to add to that redundancy rather than move any needles.

Something positive to note, however, is just how thin the free agent outfield market is. With loads of outfield depth and other teams not being able to supplement their outfield groups with free agent talent, it's possible Milwaukee could swing a trade or two before the end of the winter. Players like Mitchell, Collins, and Perkins could all garner interest on the trade market, especially as teams start to grow more desperate.

All in all, it's an odd, but intriguing signing from the Brewers' front office. It feels like the type of move that precedes a bigger move, but only time will tell.