2 Changes The Brewers Must Make To Compete For A World Series

But even though that’s a step in the right direction, Milwaukee has more work to do when it comes to its lineup.

First base is one area of concern.

The Brewers do have some internal options for players who could man the position in 2022, but addressing the area with a player who’s already on the roster wouldn’t really make sense if the goal is to drastically add some production to the lineup.

If Milwaukee opts to explore the free-agent market for first basemen, there are some interesting options.

It remains to be seen what Kyle Schwarber‘s price tag is going to be, but if it’s within the Brewers’ budget, he’d be a fantastic addition.

Schwarber played some first base for the Red Sox in 2021.

He added plenty of value at the plate, maintaining a .928 OPS and 148 OPS+  over 113 total games in the 2021 campaign (including his time with the Washington Nationals).

Brad Miller is another intriguing option.

He’s a versatile infielder with plenty of experience at first base.

He played for the Brewers briefly in 2018.

The 32-year-old has an OPS of .812 and OPS+ of 115 since the beginning of the 2019 season, and over that span, he’s averaging 24 home runs per 162 games.

He might be worth rolling the dice on again.

1. Brewers Need To Get Christian Yelich Back To His MVP-Level Self

It’s no secret that Christian Yelich hasn’t looked like his best self in reason seasons.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, the two-time All-Star registered a bWAR of just 0.5 over 58 games, and in 2021, he posted a bWAR of just 1.2 over 117 games.

In total, that’s a lowly bWAR of 1.7 over his last 175 games.

Also, since the start of the 2020 season, he has an OPS of .752.

That’s pretty hard to comprehend when you consider the fact that he maintained an OPS of 1.046 over a two-year span from 2018 to 2019.

Yelich just turned 30 years old, so he should still have plenty of gas left in the tank.

The former MVP has to find a way to live up to his massive contract and provide the Brewers with the elite production they need.

It’ll be tough to call Milwaukee a World Series contender if Yelich can’t find a way to produce at a high level again.

2 Changes The Brewers Must Make To Compete For A World Series https://www.thecoldwire.com/changes-the-brewers-must-make-to-compete-for-a-world-series/Mon, 06 Dec 2021 05:05:34 +0000Milwaukee Brewers Rumors And News (Updated Daily)MLBMilwaukee Brewershttps://www.thecoldwire.com/?p=44403

  The Milwaukee Brewers are still looking for their first World Series title in franchise history. The club has made the playoffs in four straight seasons, but it’s struggling to get over the hump. In the 2021 campaign, Milwaukee won 95 games — its third-highest mark this century — but any hopes of a World […]