Kolten Wong, Brewers have a 2-year deal

MILWAUKEE – Kolten Wong and the Brewers have agreed on a multi-year deal, a source told MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, a deal that, if completed, could have significant consequences for young second baseman Keston Hiura. The Brewers have not confirmed the agreement with Wong, which is still pending

MILWAUKEE – molten man and the Brewers have agreed to terms for a multi-year contract, a source told MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, a deal that, if completed, could have significant implications for the young second baseman Keston Hiura.

The Brewers have not confirmed the agreement with Wong, which would be pending a physical exam.

MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reported it was a two-year $ 18 million deal with a club option that could push the value up to $ 26 million over three years.

Wong, 30, is well known to Brewers fans after eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. He cut .261 / .333 / .384 in a Cardinals uniform, hit 108 weighted runs plus in 2017 and ’19, and was a Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner in each of the past two seasons.

One of Wong’s best works was against the Brewers. His .781 OPS against Milwaukee was top notch against a National League Central opponent, and Wong’s .855 OPS at American Family Field (formerly Miller Park) is his best figure at any Major League stadium where he has recorded at least 50 at bats.

Adding offense has been a priority for Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns since snapping last year’s extended post season with a 29-31 regular season record, despite setting dubious franchise records for lowest team batting average (.223) and highest whiff rate (26.6 percent) while ranking 27th out of 30 Major League-teams with 4.12 runs per game. But finding the right fit took time; Stearns is working on a tight budget in the aftermath of a season without fans in the stands.

Stearns found a solution with some creative thinking. Assuming Wong stays at second base (700 of his 710 Major League starts at that position; the other 10 were in the outfield), the Brewers Hiura, who is entering his third Major League-season, would go to in the first place can shift. Hiura is a promising offensive player who homered 19 times in 314 at-bats after a call-up for the Majors in 2019, but is an undersized defender.

Last year, when the Brewers struggled to find production at first base, they briefly considered giving Hiura some reps there. But it never materialized in games, in part because Jedd Gyorko and Daniel Vogelbach combined the position late in the season.

With Wong, the Brewers were able to tune an infield with Hiura and Vogelbach getting at-bats on first base, Wong on second base, Orlando Arcia or Luis Urías on short stop and a question mark still on third base. Urías could play there, although he did not hit for much strength. The Brewers also signed Daniel Robertson, a former top player who has not yet broken through to the Major League-level, but is only 26.