According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Brewers agreed on Thursday to sign outfielder Akil Baddoo to a major-league deal.
The 27-year-old owns a career .224/.305/.369 line (87 wRC+) across parts of five seasons with the Detroit Tigers. His most successful big-league stint was his rookie campaign, in which he hit .259/.330/.436 (108 wRC+) after the Tigers selected him in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. Swing-and-miss issues and a lack of hard contact started catching up to him after that, though, and he has since bounced on and off Detroit’s roster.
Baddoo spent most of 2025 with Triple-A Toledo, pairing a .385 on-base percentage with 15 home runs for a 136 wRC+. That wasn’t enough to secure a more stable future in a talented Tigers’ outfield, so they outrighted him off their 40-man roster in June, and he elected minor-league free agency at the end of the season.
In Milwaukee, he’ll join an outfield with a plethora of left-handed outfield options, including Sal Frelick, Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, Tyler Black, and switch-hitters Isaac Collins, Blake Perkins, and Steward Berroa. There’s some uncertainty throughout that group, but Baddoo falls into the same boat. Barring injuries or underperformance, that could be a tough roster to make out of spring training.
While Baddoo’s deal is reportedly a big-league contract, he does have one option year remaining. At first glance, he looks like minor-league depth with some upside, should the Brewers need to change things up on the grass during the season.
Because the Brewers’ 40-man roster entered Thursday at 39 players, no corresponding move is necessary to add Baddoo. The roster is now full.