Brock Holt signs with the Brewers

The hits just keep on coming for the Red Sox, as on Monday we learned that another fan favorite has moved on to another organization. According to a report from Ken Rosenthal, Brock Holt has agreed to a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. The terms of the deal are not yet known, but presumably it will be a major-league deal.

Now, it is true that Holt’s loss is obviously not as big as the one of Betts or even Price. It is also true that, while many of us had hoped the Red Sox would bring the utility man back, the writing was on the wall for his return (or lack thereof) once they signed José Peraza. There’s little doubt Holt would improve Boston’s bench, but they already have two players in Peraza and Michael Chavis who they expect to get most of the time at second base.

Still, on the field the team’s infield depth is rough. Even if you think Peraza is set for a bounce-back year and Chavis is going to take a step forward, they are an injury or two away from someone like Tzu-Wei Lin, Jonathan Arauz, C.J. Chatham or Marco Hernández playing every day. That’s not a good place to be! Holt would have been able to ease that concern and also fill in as a backup outfielder, particularly while Alex Verdugo is on the shelf. Now, that role falls to Tzu-Wei Lin.

Of course, it’s the off-the-field stuff that Red Sox and its fans will miss perhaps even more than the on-the-field contributions. Holt was a huge presence at the Jimmy Fund, even more so than the typical Red Sox player. He, his wife Lakyn and his son Griff made that a big part of their lives and touched many kids’ lives over his career in Boston. Holt was also just an incredibly fun interview and clearly made a big difference in the Red Sox clubhouse.

So, the Brewers get all of that for a presumably cheap price as they try to fight for an NL Central title. He’s probably not going to have any sort of everyday role in Milwaukee barring injury, but as he did in Boston he can play all over the place.

Thanks for your time in Boston, Brock. There haven’t been as many players as easy to root for as you.