Brewers 22-Year-Old Phenom Getting Buzz as Caleb Durbin's Successor

The Brewers could turn to Jett Williams as their long-term third baseman of the future...

Feb 23, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; New York Mets second baseman Jett Williams (90) throws to first base and retires Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (not pictured) during the third inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers opted to cut ties with Freddy Peralta in an offseason deal that sent him to the New York Mets in exchange for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. Soon after, they sent Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox in a separate deal.

As a result, the Brewers ended up with a massive hole at third base. They seemingly found a decent solution in free agency by signing Luis Rengifo. Pair that with the addition of David Hamilton from the Durbin deal and the Brewers have a few options. But none of them jump off the page as the best possible solution.

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Just Baseball's Joey Peterson recently suggested the Brewers could turn to Williams to replace Durbin at third base, which could give them the best long-term infield possible.

Jett Williams is the perfect long term solution for the Brewers

Feb 12, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets shortstop Jett Williams (90) plays his position during a Spring Training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"Alternatively, the Brewers could elect to keep Ortiz at shortstop and plug in Williams at third base. There’s clear risk in this approach, however, as Williams has never played third base at the professional level," Peterson wrote. "But it’s already confirmed that he’ll get reps at third base in spring training, and the Brewers have taken a similar approach with Ortiz and Durbin in previous seasons, both of whom had minimal professional experience at third base before being named the starter.

"Williams is undersized at 5-foot-7, and there’s questions as to whether he has enough defensive ability to stick at third. Still, if the Brewers preferred to keep Ortiz — who is the superior defender — at shortstop, then third base would be Williams’ best path to regular playing time."

Finding a path to playing time for Williams is going to be crucial, especially if he has a good spring.

Williams has never played third base, so there's room for some concern, but he's a good defender with a good arm. He's been able to man both middle infield spots, so there shouldn't be any pressing issues with him moving to third base.

The Brewers could also shuffle the infield around, moving Joey Ortiz to third base and slotting Williams in at second base or shortstop. Either way, the best-case scenario sees Williams replace Durbin in the lineup.

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