I finished my workout yesterday and my phone was on fire. I had a bunch of group chats and a lot of them surrounded the Brewers adding Travis Shaw to the team. My friends were not happy. Myself, I was a bit curious too. Going from Justin Turner to Travis Shaw seemed like a downgrade. Like going to a nice burger place and settling with McDonald’s instead. But when I found out later that night that this is a minor league deal and Shaw is a non-roster invitee, I didn’t see the point of the handwringing. It’s worth exploring if Shaw can find that the 2017 or 2018 power again.

Travis Shaw’s minor-league deal with the Brewers will pay him $1.5 million with another $1.5 million in incentives if he makes the club, per source. He can opt out of the deal on March 15 if he’s not on the roster.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 17, 2021

How this works is Shaw will be on the team playing for free essentially. MLB teams usually make their first round of roster cuts on March 15th. If the Brewers decide that Shaw has something here, they can add him, and then his 1.5 million will kick in. If they’re convinced he lost it, Shaw goes back to free agency and tries to find a team to latch on to that isn’t Milwaukee. This is a zero-risk move by the Milwaukee Brewers. They’re not trying to solve their third base problem, rather exploring an option of a guy they’re familiar with versus trying to get someone like Maikel Franco.

We’ll see if Shaw can add any juice again. One thing I do know is that this will be a popular move for the clubhouse. Shaw was very well-liked in Milwaukee by the players. That stuff matters to teams and hopefully, the Mayor of Ding Dong City can revive his career.