With Adames a free agent, what are Crew's options at shortstop?

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Brewers GM Matt Arnold knows it will be “really difficult” to replace Willy Adames’ team-high 32 home runs and 112 RBIs, but at least he has options. It’s the latest example of why Milwaukee puts such high emphasis on positional versatility.

Last season, the Brewers fielded a lineup with three shortstops. Adames, who reached free agency after a career year, started all but one of the team’s regular-season and postseason games at the position. Joey Ortiz, a top shortstop prospect acquired on the eve of Spring Training from the Orioles, ranked second in FanGraphs’ defense metric at third base and third in defensive runs saved. And Brice Turang, a former first-round Draft pick who moved through the Brewers’ farm system as a shortstop, was the NL’s overall leader with 22 defensive runs saved, and was honored last week with a Rawlings Gold Glove Award at second base.

As a result, Arnold can shop the entirety of the free-agent and trade markets for an infielder, knowing he has pieces that can be moved around.

The Brewers are already one of the clubs connected to Padres free-agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim, MLB.com has reported.

“If [Adames] decides to make a move somewhere else, we have to be ready to do what we can to backfill that kind of production,” Arnold said. “It’s really difficult, but we also had a lot of really good production this year from guys like Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang up the middle. As we explore alternatives, we feel like we have some depth there. We have a lot of different combinations.”

Ortiz was the NL’s rookie of the month for May, when he slashed .307/.391/.587, and he had an .801 OPS at the All-Star break before completely running out of steam in the second half (.211/.283/.362). Notably, it was his first full season in the Majors.

Likewise, Turang started hot with a .312/.375/.441 slash line in March and April, and a solid .771 OPS through the end of June. He, too, faded from there, with a .551 OPS from July 1 onward for a .665 OPS for the season.

Meanwhile, Arnold is shopping. The free-agent market is thin at third base after Alex Bregman, but there are options at second base and shortstop after Adames, including Kim in the shortstop group and former Yankee Gleyber Torres among the second basemen.

On the trade market, the retooling Cardinals have a fascinating option in all-world defender Nolan Arenado, but would they deal within the division? Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette and Mets third baseman Brett Baty have also appeared in trade rumors.

The Brewers could make any of those players fit.

“Having that flexibility is always super important for us,” Arnold said. “That’s been super important to us for a long time.”