The Milwaukee Brewers are losing Jake Bauers to the Boston Red Sox, but fans should not expect them to make a big splash to replace him.
Ty France had his best season since his 2022 All-Star campaign, and he is also on the open market. Production-wise, he would be a great replacement for Bauers. However, the Brewers' chances of pursuing him are slim, per The Athletic's Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal.
"The chances of the Brewers pursuing free agent Ty France, a right-handed hitter who like Bauers enjoyed a breakout season in 2026, would appear slim," wrote The Athletic. "France, 32, is a year older than Bauers and figures to command a strong multiyear deal of his own."
The reality is, France is going to be out of the Brewers' price range most likely, and they already have in-house options to replace Bauers. For one, they have Andrew Vaughn, who would have been the starting first baseman anyway if not for an injury that gave Bauers a shot to play regularly.
As far as a left-handed option at first base, the Brewers have Blake Burke and Andrew Fischer in the minor leagues, knocking on the door of the big leagues.
Fischer is only in Double-A, but he hit 48 home runs last season. The Brewers don't really need a platoon bat to pair with Vaughn either. He can handle lefties and righties. He crushed lefties last year, but in 198 plate appearances against righties, he slashed .285/.369/.395. He had a .764 OPS against right-handed pitching.