The Milwaukee Brewers are not usually big players in MLB free agency. Instead, Milwaukee prefers to develop their own star players or acquire controllable talent via trade. Of course, the Brewers sign free agents every offseason, but they are rarely big names and never are overly expensive.
Over the past few years, the Brewers have dedicated most of their free agent spending to the designated hitter. In 2022, they signed Andrew McCutchen for a season. In 2023, they tried out Jesse Winker after acquiring him in a trade for Kolten Wong. Last season, Gary Sanchez was signed to take over part of the DH-ing duties.
Sanchez, though, was not Milwaukee’s biggest free agent signing last year. Rhys Hoskins, who missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL, signed a two-year $34 million contract with the Brewers.
Rhys Hoskins Hit Below His Career Averages with the Milwaukee Brewers
Before missing the 2023 season with a torn ACL, Hoskins was a career .242/.353/.492 hitter and averaged 25 home runs and 68 RBI per season. It is worth noting, though, that one of those seasons was the COVID-shortened 2020 season and his 2017 rookie season in which he played 50 games.
In his first season with the Brewers, Hoskins hit 26 home runs and had 82 RBI, but hit just .214/.303/.419.
The contract Hoskins signed with Milwaukee last offseason was, as mentioned, a two-year deal. However, the second year was an $18 million player option, which the Brewers likely thought he would decline.
As it stands, though, Hoskins picked up the option after his down year, which means he will be back in 2025 unless he gets traded. The problem is that $18 million is a lot of money to pay for a hitter who hit just .214 and did not get on base at a high rate. Teams do not seem willing to engage in trade talks for Hoskins unless Milwaukee is willing to pay a portion of his 2025 salary.
The Milwaukee Brewers Missed Out on Paul Goldschmidt
Last month, it was reported that if Hoskins had declined his player option like the the Brewers assumed he would, Milwaukee was going to go “all in” on signing free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
Since Hoskins decided to return to the Brewers, and they could not find a trade partner for him, they were unable to go after the 2022 NL MVP, who just signed a one-year $12 million contract with the New York Yankees:
Yankees, 1B Paul Goldschmidt agree to one-year deal, per multiple reports including @MLBNetwork insider @JonHeyman. pic.twitter.com/lFekZRON71
— MLB (@MLB) December 21, 2024
Even though he won the MVP Award just two seasons ago, Goldschmidt seems to be on a steep decline. Last season, he hit just .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI. For his career, he is a .289/.381/.510 hitter.
It remains to be seen if Hoskins will really be back in 2025 or if the Brewers will be able to trade him, but if he does return, hopefully he will be more consistent at the plate.
There is good reason to believe he will be, too. One must remember that 2024 was his first season of baseball after having to sit out a year due to injury. A fully healthy offseason and Spring Training could really help.
More Milwaukee Brewers News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Milwaukee Brewers: Trading Tyler Black Could Be a Costly Mistake
- Milwaukee Brewers Trade Rhys Hoskins to Division Rival in Wild Proposal
- Former Milwaukee Brewers LHP Hoby Milner Signs with His Hometown Team
- Milwaukee Brewers Add Another LHP to the Organization
- Colin Rea Opens Up About Dismissal from the Milwaukee Brewers and Current Free Agent Interest
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