For years, third base has been the Brewers’ stubborn little problem. They’ve kept winning anyway, but the position has rarely felt settled, and the usual fix has been a deadline patch rather than a real answer.
This season looked headed in the same direction after the trade of Caleb Durbin just before spring training. The left side of the infield was shaping up as a clear area to attack once the deadline arrived, with David Hamilton, Luis Rengifo and Joey Ortiz all leaving plenty to be desired.
That picture has changed fast.
The Brewers moved Cooper Pratt, who was signed to a long-term extension shortly after the season began, into the shortstop role. He’s been up and down at the plate while getting comfortable, but at 21 years old he’s plainly the future there, which takes shortstop off the list of deadline concerns.
That shift sent Ortiz to third base, and Pat Murphy said the move felt “like a ton of bricks off his shoulders”.
Ortiz has looked like a different hitter since June 27. Over that stretch, he’s batting .307 with four homers and an .883 OPS, and he’s collected hits in 10 of his last 15 games.
The glove has been steady, too, which was expected. The bigger development is the bat finally giving the Brewers real life at the bottom of the order instead of another dead spot.
That doesn’t mean the question is gone. It just means it’s different now.
The Brewers still have to decide whether this is a true turnaround or just a hot streak that could cool off at the wrong time. If Ortiz keeps producing like this, Milwaukee can probably live with what it has. If he slips after the deadline and the front office doesn’t add anyone, that could leave the club exposed down the stretch.
There’s also the familiar Brewers factor: they tend to trust their own guys and hesitate to part with minor league talent for established big leaguers. That makes it easy to imagine them sticking with Ortiz at third and getting David Hamilton back soon to help cover the hot corner.
If they do go shopping, the options aren’t exactly overflowing. Matt Shaw would make sense on paper, both positionally and statistically, but he plays for the Cubs and that’s not a realistic match. Beyond that, the market for corner infield bats that would really move the needle looks thin.
So if Milwaukee wants an infield upgrade, it may have to get creative. Even then, the return might be modest.
For now, the simplest answer might be the best one: keep riding the hot hand and let Ortiz keep building confidence at third. Right now, that spot isn’t the Brewers’ biggest issue.
In Other News...
Brewers Fans Wont Love Why This Offseason Trade Is Back Today
The Brewers offseason deal with Boston has already become one of those trades that looks better for both sides the longer it sits. Caleb Durbin was part of the package Milwaukee sent to the Red Sox, and Boston has ridden the players it got in return into a much better place in the American League East, with a wild-card spot in hand as the calendar moved through July.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, has had enough from its side of the exchange to feel good about the move, even if the reminder stings a little when Boston keeps stacking wins. Durbins latest contribution came in a game that helped extend the Red Soxs surge, and with the trade pieces on both sides producing, it is the kind of transaction that keeps showing up in the background every time either club makes noise. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers May Be One Deadline Move From Troubling The Dodgers
The Brewers have spent enough time proving they can hang around the top of the National League, but the postseason conversation still circles back to the same question: do they have the kind of frontline starter who can tilt a short series? Milwaukees current rotation has kept the club in position, yet the gap between a good regular-season staff and one built to bother the Dodgers is still pretty clear, which is why the trade deadline looms so large for this group.
A single move could change the tone of the whole race, and the Brewers have at least kicked around a range of possibilities as they weigh how aggressive to be. There are the obvious high-end names, the steadier veteran types and the more complicated fits, but the basic idea is simple enough: if Milwaukee lands one starter who can anchor a playoff rotation, it can start thinking less about surviving October and more about making life uncomfortable for the teams sitting at the top. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Have A Real Chance To Raid Reds For Needed Pitching Help
With the Reds slipping behind in both the NL Central and the Wild Card chase, the trade deadline is starting to look more like a selling opportunity than a push for help. For the Brewers, that could open a familiar door with a division rival, especially if Cincinnati follows through on its plan to move short-term pieces rather than touch the young starters it sees as part of the future.
Milwaukee has been linked to the kind of pitching depth Cincinnati is expected to shop, which makes this a situation worth watching on both sides of the rivalry. The Brewers need arms, the Reds need to make sense of their deadline direction, and the fit could come down to how much value Milwaukee places on immediate help versus the cost of prying it loose. [Read more 🡒]