Kolten Wong, Brewers has a 2-year contract

MILWAUKEE – Kolten Wong and the Brewers agreed to the terms of a multi-year contract, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com, a deal that, if completed, could have significant implications for young second baseman Keston Hiura. The Brewers did not confirm the deal with Wong, which would be pending

MILWAUKEE – Kolten Wong and the Brewers agreed to the terms of a multi-year contract, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com, an agreement that, if concluded, could have significant implications for the young second baseman Keston Hiura.

The Brewers have not confirmed the deal with Wong, who would await a physical examination.

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

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

Some of Wong’s best work was against the Brewers. His .781 OPS against Milwaukee was the best against a National League Central opponent, and Wong’s .855 OPS at American Family Field (formerly Miller Park) is his best figure in any Major League stadium in which he recorded at least 50 plate appearances.

Raising the offensive has been a priority for Brewers’ baseball operations president David Stearns since they infiltrated last year’s expanded postseason with a 29-31 record in the regular season, despite setting franchise records doubtful for the lowest team batting average (0.223) and the highest strike 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 operating on a tight budget after a fanless season in the stands.

Stearns found a solution with some creative thinking. Assuming Wong remains in second base (700 of his 710 Major League matches came in that position; the other 10 were in the outer field), then the Brewers could move Hiura, who is entering his third season in the Major League, to the first . Hiura is a promising offensive player who has had 19 hits out of 314 after a call-up to the Majors in 2019, but is a below average defender.

Last year, when the Brewers were struggling to find production at first base, they briefly considered giving Hiura a few representatives there. But that never materialized in games, in part because Jedd Gyorko and Daniel Vogelbach agreed to take the position at the end of the season.

With Wong, the Brewers could line up an infield with Hiura and Vogelbach hitting the baton on first base, Wong on second, Orlando Arcia or Luis Urías on the shortstop and a question mark on the third. Urías can play there, although he didn’t hit very hard. The Brewers also signed Daniel Robertson, a former player who has not yet excelled in the Major League, but is only 26 years old.