Brewers Could Sign Former No. 2 Overall Pick Bust: 'Last Year Was Brutal'

Milwaukee was one of three teams linked to the 29-year-old free agent

Jul 1, 2018; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of the on-field authentic Brewers hat in the dugout during the game of the Milwaukee Brewers against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have been attacked by the injury bug to begin 2025, but it’s mostly been their pitching staff that has suffered.

With Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, and Brice Turang off to productive starts at the plate, Milwaukee is hoping its lineup will look even more robust once Christian Yelich and William Contreras break out of early-season slumps.

If and when the Brewers see multiple position players head to the IL over the next few months, though, don’t expect Milwaukee’s general manager Matt Arnold to be bashful about bringing aboard some cheap plug-and-play options for reigning National League Manager of the Year Pat Murphy to squeeze some value out of.

If there’s any active manager who knows how to maximize talent or do more with less, it’s Murphy, which is why he could be the perfect manager to help a downtrodden former No. 2 overall pick find his mojo and finally fulfill his potential.

On Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller listed Murphy’s Brewers as one of three likely landing spots for free agent utility man Nick Senzel, who’s had a rough calendar year at the plate but could still provide value to a team in 2025 going through positional injuries.

“By no stretch of the imagination have things panned out the way everyone expected them to with Nick Senzel,” Miller wrote.

“The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft has amounted to a negative-3.1 bWAR through six seasons in the majors. He was at least playable for most of his time with the Cincinnati Reds, but last year was brutal. He got cut by the 91-loss Washington Nationals before signing with the 121-loss White Sox, who also released him after just 10 games with a .100 batting average.”

“Senzel signed with Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League in mid-March when it became apparent no one wanted to take another flyer on him. But how many times in the past few years have we seen a former top-10 pick finally break through after several rough seasons?”

“Senzel is almost 30 at this point, so maybe it's a bit much to compare him to the likes of Jo Adell, Brendan Rodgers and Mickey Moniak, who finally provided some real value in their age-25 campaigns. Still, it's wild that an uninjured former No. 2 pick is completely out of the majors before turning 30.”

“Perhaps if he mashes once the Mexican League season gets underway later this month, Senzel will get a call when teams are inevitably scrambling for injury replacements. His versatility in the field would be a big help on that front.”

“Candidates to Sign Him: Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, Detroit Tigers.”

Senzel’s stats alone aren’t going to excite Brewers fans about a potential union. He slashed .195/.283/.331 last season with seven home runs and 18 RBI.

On the other hand, if Senzel could reinvent his narrative in Milwaukee, he’d be wholly embraced by Brewers fans, and it could make for one of the best narratives of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

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