Third baseman Will Middlebrooks, who was non-tendered by the Padres earlier this month, has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Brewers.
It’s a good landing spot for Middlebrooks as he tries to get his career back on track after following up a strong rookie showing for the Red Sox with three straight poor years. He hit just .212 with nine homers and a .602 OPS in 83 games for the Padres in 2015 and is a career .231 hitter with a .673 OPS in 315 games through age 26.
Middlebrooks’ lack of plate discipline makes him a poor bet to live up to his old prospect hype, but he’s still relatively young and the rebuilding Brewers don’t have a clear-cut starting third baseman ahead of him on the depth chart.