The Brewers made an early contract extension with their top prospect, Jackson Chourio, before his debut. This move has highlighted the overcrowding in the outfield for the 2024 season. Even though the team traded Tyrone Taylor to the Mets along with Adrian Houser, there are still multiple players vying for outfield positions, including Chourio, Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Wiemer, Sal Frelick, and Blake Perkins. This surplus of outfielders has led to speculation that the Brewers may consider trading some of their depth to address other areas of the team. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has proposed a unique solution to this logjam: moving Frelick to the infield.
Frelick, who will turn 24 in April, was the Brewers’ first-round pick in the 2021 draft and made his MLB debut last season. In his 57 games at the highest level, the left-handed hitter posted a respectable .246/.341/.351 slash line. Although his power numbers were not impressive, his overall performance was around the league average. Despite a somewhat underwhelming debut, Frelick was considered one of the top 40 prospects heading into the 2023 season. Throughout his minor league career, he has maintained an impressive .314/.393/.451 slash line, including a .311/.388/.432 line at the Triple-A level. Despite his strong track record, Frelick finds himself blocked in the outfield by Yelich, Chourio, and Mitchell.
Unsurprisingly, Frelick has attracted interest on the trade market. The San Diego Padres have reportedly shown interest in acquiring him, especially after losing Juan Soto and Trent Grisham earlier in the offseason. However, the Brewers seem to be exploring ways to keep Frelick in their lineup instead of trading him away. According to Rosenthal, Frelick is preparing to play both second and third base in addition to the outfield during spring training. With Willy Adames firmly holding the shortstop position, Frelick would join an infield mix that currently includes Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang as the probable starters. Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller, and top infield prospect Tyler Black are also in contention for playing time.
Moving on to news from the rest of the NL Central…
According to the Source mlbtraderumors.com