Here's the free agent the Brewers should make their first call to this offseason

Beginning today, the Milwaukee Brewers can now make outgoing calls to free agents from other teams to discuss deals and sign them to contracts. In the first five days following the World Series, teams are only permitted to talk with their own free agents. This afternoon, free agency truly gets started.

The Brewers front office likely has their list of targets and free agents they're interested in They'll make calls expressing their interest and finding out what kind of contract a player is looking for. This doesn't mean there's going to be a flurry of signings right out of the gate, sometimes these deals take time, but it sets the foundation for what will happen later. Several years ago, the Brewers called Lorenzo Cain as soon as free agency opened, and they didn't put pen to paper until late January.

This offseason, the Brewers are facing the loss of their shortstop Willy Adames. He's one of the top free agents on the market, looking for a massive long-term contract that Milwaukee is not going to give him. The Brewers will be left with a hole in their infield.

Shortstop would be the hole to fill, and it could be filled by Brice Turang, which would leave a Gold Glove sized hole at second base. Or it could be filled by Joey Ortiz, which would then leave a hole at third base to be filled. No matter what, the Brewers will need another infield at one of those three positions

It just so happens there's an excellent defensive infielder that can play all three of those positions and should be available on an affordable contract in free agency.

Ha-Seong Kim should be the Brewers' first call in free agency

Ha-Seong Kim has a lot of the qualities the Brewers look for when building their roster. He's versatile and is an excellent glove-man at all three infield positions, winning the NL Utility Gold Glove last season. If the Brewers are going to have to replace Willy Adames on the infield, they're likely going to do it with someone who is a strong defender. An infield defense of Kim, Turang, and Ortiz no matter the combination, would be the best in the league.

Offensively, Kim isn't a slugger like Adames, but he's no slouch at the plate. He put up his best season in 2023, hitting .260 with 17 homers, 38 stolen bases, and a 107 OPS+. He had a down year in 2024 that ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury, but he brings good speed, solid power, and solid on-base ability that should help mitigate the loss of Adames in the lineup.

One thing working against Kim this offseason is that he underwent shoulder surgery late in the season, which is likely to hinder his market. Instead of seeking a long-term contract this winter, Kim may be forced to settle for a pillow contract to re-establish his health and his value. A one year deal or even a modified pillow contract with a player option like Rhys Hoskins signed is something that Kim and the Brewers may be open to.

The Brewers corner infield prospects like Brock Wilken and Mike Boeve aren't ready to take over third base quite yet and neither is Cooper Pratt. There needs to be at least another year of a bridge before those players can be counted on in the infield and Kim may just be that perfect bridge option.

He's an excellent defender at all three spots, which would allow Pat Murphy to put whoever the best defender is at shortstop, whether that's Kim or Turang or Ortiz, and know that all three spots will be in good hands. Kim's bat is solid and he does like to steal bases, which will help him fit into this Brewers offense as well, and he's likely looking at a short-term deal.

It's not ideal that Kim is coming off an injury, but as a player, everything about him screams that he'd be a perfect fit in Milwaukee and he should be the first call they make as free agency opens.