Milwaukee Brewers Could Land Top Free Agents

Although the Milwaukee Brewers got a wild card berth in this wacky 2020 shortened season, they finished with a record below .500 for the first time since 2016.  There is plenty of work to do in order to improve in 2021.

With the free agency period beginning, the Brewers declined options on four players, now the process starts to see which free agents will sign in what locations. Despite potential payroll issues, the Milwaukee Brewers appear in the mix for signing two top free agents.

A name that has come up in the past with the Brewers is left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray, who had a breakthrough season in 2017, winning 15 with an EAR of 2.89. Ray struggled last season while pitching for the Diamondbacks and Rays, but at age 29, should be capable of a bounce back season. Robbie Ray has the potential to produce high strikeout rates and would be a welcome addition to the starting rotation. Signing him for between $6 million and $7 million for a season is reasonable.

While signing Ray would address the pitching situation, signing Carlos Santana would potentially help the offense.  The Brewers are in need of players at the corner positions and had difficulty producing offense other than from Jedd Gyorko. Santana is a decent option. An off season in terms of batting average at a touch under .200, Santana still led the league in walks with 47 and was third on the Indians with eight home runs.

Santana’s age could be a concern for the Milwaukee Brewers, but at age 35 is just one year off of his best season of his career. Anything close to Santana’s 34 home run, 110 runs scored in 2019 would be well worth the approximate $6 million likely to sign Santana for a single season.