Rumored Brewers infield target feels like a very on-brand move for Milwaukee

Now that the Milwaukee Brewers are without Willy Adames, speculation has been flying all around the industry over just how they're going to replace him moving forward. Right now, it sounds like the plan is for Joey Ortiz, an incredible fielder in his own right, to shift over to shortstop.

That leaves the third base position wide open. Adames himself could come back and throw a wrench in this plan or Alex Bregman could be enticed to join the Crew, but it's best to try and remain realistic here.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently came in with one of the more level-headed and entirely realistic Brewers roster predictions, and it's one that's not very easy to pokes holes in. Reuter believes that the big addition to Milwaukee's infield will be Paul DeJong, who raised his value considerably this past season.

Rumored Brewers infield fit makes a ton of sense as free agent target

DeJong is a player the Brewers are intimately familiar with, as he spent the first seven-plus years of his career as a member of the division rival Cardinals. During his stint there, he showed occasional promise as a long-term piece, highlighted by a 30-home run season in 2019, but he struggled mightily with inconsistency.

This led to DeJong being traded to the Blue Jays at the 2023 deadline and eventually suiting up for the Giants, White Sox and Royals before finding himself back on the open market right now.

In 2024, the infielder made it into 139 games for the White Sox and Royals (the most he's had since 2019), hitting 24 home runs while driving in 56 runs and posting a .703 OPS. This was a significant improvement over the production he had been putting up in the multiple years prior, so perhaps there's some value to be found here.

DeJong is a very "Brewers" type of player in that he is regularly slept on and underrated, but quietly does have value. He'd bring Milwaukee a power bat and an adequate defender who can play multiple different spots around the infield. Bleacher Report has him listed as the Brewers' Opening Day third baseman and it's hard to hate the fit. He'll come cheap and could be another prime bounce-back candidate that the Brewers always seem to find their way towards.

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