Brewers nab Middlebrooks on minor-league deal
Will Middlebrooks will get a fresh start with a new club in 2016.
The 27-year-old third baseman has signed a minor-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports Middlebrooks will receive $1.2 million if he plays in the majors, and if he isn't playing at the big-league level by July 1, he may ask for his release to seek out other opportunities.
Middlebrooks was non-tendered by the San Diego Padres on Dec. 2 after hitting .212/.241/.361 with nine home runs and 29 RBIs. He joined the West Coast team via trade from the Boston Red Sox prior to the 2015 season.
The once-promising fifth-round pick generated quite the buzz in his first two big-league seasons, hitting 32 home runs in just 169 games after taking the reins at the hot corner in Beantown from franchise cornerstone Kevin Youkilis.
Middlebrooks has battled injuries and inconsistent play across his career, never having played more than 100 games in four MLB seasons.
He owns a lifetime .231/.274/.399 slash line with 43 home runs and 151 RBIs.