Brewers' Third Base Situation is Worse Than We Thought

The Brewers might have the worst third base situation in baseball after the Caleb Durbin trade...

Sep 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox second base David Hamilton (17) hits a home run against the Athletics in the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers had the best record in baseball last season and they didn't lose much coming into this offseason. All they had to do was get to the season with a similar roster than last season and they would have been the favorites in the National League Central and a potential top team in the entire NL.

But they traded Freddy Peralta, which wasn't a bad idea because his contract runs out at the end of the season. This deal lands the Brewers some value for the righty before losing him. But they opted to make a head scratching deal with the Boston Red Sox that sent Caleb Durbin and multiple other third basemen to Boston in exchange for Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton, and Shane Drohan.

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With early speculation suggesting Hamilton to start at third base, the Brewers are in a tough spot, but it might be worse than most think. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently suggested Hamilton was set to be the worst starting third baseman in baseball this year.

David Hamilton ranked as the worst third baseman in baseball

Sep 28, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox second base David Hamilton (17) hits a two run home run against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

"The Caleb Durbin trade has created a massive void at third base for the Brewers, and unless they opt to shift Joey Ortiz back to the hot corner to clear a path for Jett Williams, it looks like Hamilton could be the guy to start the year," Reuter wrote. "In 511 plate appearances over the last two seasons, he has 21 doubles, 14 home runs and 55 steals, albeit with a lackluster .229 average and 83 OPS+."

Hamilton has never provided an above average bat, even during his best year in the big leagues in 2024. Hamilton posted a 2.6 WAR that season because of solid defense and good baserunning. But his OPS was below .700 and his OPS+ was only 96.

As a result, there's not much to be excited about with Hamilton. At best, he should be used as a utility bench bat, but the Brewers can't afford to start him at third base for longer than a month or two. They need one of their top prospects to get to the big leagues sooner rather than later because the situation at the hot corner looks bleak.

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