MLB Free Agency Signings: How Does This Impact the Milwaukee Brewers?

MLB Free Agency Signings: How Does This Impact the Milwaukee Brewers?
Mon 15th February 2021

The Milwaukee Brewers have a few interesting players that can make them competitive. Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff are among the best pitchers in the NL Central.

Lorenzo Cain, Christian Yelich, and Orlando Arcia are also worth watching on offense. The team has been above-average for the past few years, and they’re hoping to bring playoff baseball back to the newly-renamed American Family Field very soon.

But the Brewers did not try doing all that much during the MLB free agency period this offseason. The Brewers’ lack of action might be better than what happened with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs, two teams that saw plenty of top players leave. But the Brewers showed they have plenty of things to do before they can become more competitive.

New Players of Note

The Brewers did bring in a few new players on the MLB free agency market. Second baseman Kolten Wong signed a two-year deal with the Brewers after spending the last few seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. Wong had been a critical role player for the Cardinals the past few years, and he will make a difference for the team this season.

Third baseman Daniel Robertson signed a one-year contract with the Brewers after spending last season with San Francisco Giants. Robertson had a .333 average off the bench with two RBI. Robertson will likely see a slight bit of extra action this season, although he will compete with Luis Urias for starting time at third base.

The team spent much of the free agency period acquiring some new players for its farm system. The team signed catcher Luke Maile from the Pittsburgh Pirates to a minor league deal. They also acquired third baseman Zach Green from San Francisco.

Starting pitcher Luis Perdomo was also signed by the team after spending last year with San Diego Padres, although whether he will be healthy enough to compete in 2021 remains uncertain.

Tim Lopes was also signed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners this offseason. Lopes had a .238 average last season and also had two home runs and fifteen RBI. Whether he will be on the major league roster this April remains unclear.

Departures for the Team

There are a few players who left the Brewers this offseason. Reliever Alex Claudio left for the Los Angeles Angels after having a 4.26 ERA with fifteen strikeouts last season. Corey Knebel also departed for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Some of the most noteworthy MLB free agency moves for the Brewers this season entail some of the players the Brewers declined to bring back. The team declined its options for outfield Ryan Brawn and third baseman Jedd Gyorko. Both of those players almost had ten home runs in last year’s shortened season.

The Brewers also declined to resign starting pitcher Brett Anderson. He had a 4-4 record with 32 strikeouts in 2020. The Brewers will be sticking with Brandon Woodruff and Josh Lindblom and some other younger starters.

The Overall Look

The Milwaukee Brewers are not tearing themselves apart, but they aren’t trying to make much of a splash on the MLB free agency market. The team is trying to build themselves up and become more interesting, and they have many high-value players right now. But competing in this current situation won’t be all that easy to manage.

You can expect the Brewers to compete with the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL Central, although that will be a challenge. But Brewers fans can at least feel good knowing that the team isn’t tearing itself apart like the Chicago Cubs or Cincinnati Reds.

The MLB season is almost upon us! If you are like us, then you are counting down the days until the season opener. But until then, make sure you check out our MLB hub page, for all the latest on what’s going on in baseball.

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