Brewers' Broxton: 'I can't say I'm happy' about outfield additions

When the Milwaukee Brewers acquired outfielder Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins this offseason and then signed another outfielder, Lorenzo Cain, to a lucrative five-year deal, the team signaled its intention to compete immediately.

With that, Keon Broxton, who spent much of 2017 manning center field for the Brewers, may now be the odd man out. But while he isn't overly enthused by the additions on a personal level, he understands why the club made the moves.

"I can't say I'm happy about it but it's good for the team," Broxton told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Those are two solid players. Those guys have played better than me throughout my career. So, I really can't be mad."

Broxton played in a career-high 143 games in 2017, and while he hit 20 home runs and stole 21 bases, he slashed an uninspiring .220/.299/.420 while striking out in 37.8 percent of his plate appearances.

The Brewers' outfield was already somewhat crowded before the acquisitions. In addition to Broxton, the team has Domingo Santana, Ryan Braun, and Eric Thames in the fold. Thames was the team's primary first baseman last year, but he also played 29 games in the outfield.

Broxton may wind up on the bench for much of 2018, even if Thames is jettisoned entirely from the outfield. And that would be justified, according to Fangraphs' wins above replacement for 2017, which pegs Yelich and Cain as major upgrades:

The 27-year-old Broxton seems to be taking it in stride, recognizing that he needs to step up his game to be anything more than a role player.

"Every year, I want to get better and be as good as I can," he said. "If I play well, it will take care of itself."