Pitchers and catchers report to AmFam’s Phoenix Fields in Maryvale tomorrow, and the Milwaukee Brewers are apparently trying to reunite with some old friends before Spring Training officially begins. The club reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with leftist Brett Anderson earlier this evening, and now rumors suggest that Travis Shaw will be back soon with Milwaukee as well.
Sources: Travis Shaw in serious talks with the Milwaukee Brewers.
– Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 17, 2021
Shaw, of course, spent 2017-19 with the Cream City Nine after coming to Tyler Thornburg’s exchange with Boston, primarily as the club’s third daily base and cleaning hitter. He hit 63 home runs by posting 120 OPS + and 7.7 bWAR during his first two seasons with the club, but his production dropped unexpectedly in 2019. Problems with plate discipline and a swing change that didn’t work led to 0.157 / 0.281 /.270 slash line and several relegations to the minor leagues before it wasn’t played after the season. He clung to Toronto in 2020 and hit 0.239 / 0.306 / 0.411 with 6 home runs (95 OPS +) during the shortened pandemic campaign, but ended up without a bid in December.
Shaw’s time in Milwaukee did not end on the best of terms, but he has since indicated that there are no hard feelings between him and the organization. He has obviously been successful at Mill … er, American Family Field in the past, and as our own Jack Stern recently explored, there is reason to believe that Shaw could legitimately be on the road to recovery. The Brewers don’t exactly have the most compelling home options in the hot corner after losing Justin Turner, with two post-hype players in Luis Urias and Daniel Robertson currently scheduled to compete for time in the position. Many of the speculation surrounding Shaw suggests that he will land with Milwaukee in a secondary league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, which would be the lowest possible risk and a friendly deal for the owner.
UPDATE:
Shaw gets a deal for a secondary league with a $ 1.5 million base that can double with incentives. He gave up on March 15, but is looking forward to returning.
Travis Shaw’s secondary league deal with the Brewers will pay him $ 1.5 million with another $ 1.5 million in incentives if he forms the club, by source. He may cancel the deal on March 15, if he is not on the list.
– Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 17, 2021
More Travis Shaw: “I still feel like I have a lot of good baseball inside me and I’m excited to go out and prove it and win my way here.”
– Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) February 17, 2021
Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference