Don’t tell Brewers fans – like me – who waited 57 years for a World Series, but the Hot Stove has already started. Just days after the World Series concluded, fans of 29 other teams eagerly eyed what moves their team could make in the offseason to put them over the top.
The Brewers already exercised William Contreras‘ $14.5M team option to keep him around for the 2027 season. But chatter is ongoing about what they’ll do with him. That’s due to what the Brewers have done in the past with coveted players entering their final season of control.
Will they keep Contreras in Milwaukee all season and go for a repeat? Just to let him walk in free agency for a compensatory pick? Will they ink Contreras to a long-term extension? Or gasp, might they trade him off his World Series MVP run while his value is sky-high?
Going for the Repeat
After winning the World Series, many are saying, “You can’t trade William Contreras!” But the Brewers have done so with top talent in the past. They’ve dealt pitchers Josh Hader, Devin Williams, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta in that exact spot. It isn’t a given, though. There is an example of keeping a pivotal everyday player at a key position.
They let Willy Adames play out his final year, knowing he would leave in free agency after the 2024 season. The Brewers received a compensation pick for Adames, while the shortstop went to San Francisco on a massive 7-year, $177 million deal.
Adames was kept around for as long as possible for clubhouse reasons – being the pulse of the team and beloved by teammates. He also played a premium position with no real replacement in the farm system. Contreras hit .270 with 18 homers, 94 RBI, a .758 OPS, and a 108 OPS+. But he took his game up a notch in the playoffs and showed how imperative he is to the Brewers in their World Series run. He hit .373 with a 1.036 OPS and led all players with 19 base hits this postseason.
But his work behind the dish may have been the bigger display. He controlled the Rays’ run game in the World Series, throwing out four of nine base stealers. His handling of the pitching staff and his control of the opposition’s run game showed his ability to impact every facet of the game. He won World Series MVP honors.
Contreras’ passion and intensity were also infectious for the Brewers. The Brewers’ best chances for a repeat are to keep Contreras in tow and try to defend the team’s championship. Also, while the Brewers did trade for Bo Naylor, there isn’t an obvious in-house replacement. Jeferson Quero, the Brewers’ No. 11 prospect, has had injury issues in the past few years, including a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder in 2024.
Possible Extension?
Matt Axisa of CBSSports wrote a bold prediction piece and thinks Contreras will sign a 6-year, $144 million extension with the Brewers. That is highly unlikely. The Brewers do get some extra finances with their World Series win. But not sure how much that will factor in. It’s not impacting this decision. Catchers age faster than most positions, particularly when catching nearly every day, as Contreras does. He wouldn’t start an extension until his age 30 season.
The contract extension wouldn’t age well and wouldn’t be great baseball business, but it could be done for sentimental reasons and to help lift the Brewers’ World Series drought. The Brewers don’t often make bad business deals. Giving catchers an extension is risky business. Look at some recent history. J.T. Realmuto and Salvador Perez are a couple of examples.
But some team is likely to give him a large extension similar to that number – maybe more. Part of why the Brewers were in position to win a World Series was past trades not just focused on one year, but five years down the road – or longer.
The Brewers would probably do a 3-year extension, but Contreras would turn that down – as he should. If he takes it to free agency, he will be one of the most coveted players on the market. His value soared after he became the World Series MVP, and a team would likely pay the contract mentioned above; it’s just unlikely to be the Brewers.
Trade William Contreras!?
Contreras is one of the best catchers in the game, and his price on the open market will surely be more than what the Brewers typically pay. However, trading him after winning the World Series is a tough look, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan said the Brewers will not do that.
“And while William Contreras isn’t going anywhere even though he is nearing free agency, the World Series champion Brewers will at least listen on closer Trevor Megill,” Passan wrote.
I’ll disagree. This goes into the, ‘they just can’t do it’ crowd. But the Brewers proved their plan and operations have been part of the franchise’s recent success. The front office process by Matt Arnold and the Brewers has obviously worked.
Part of the reason the Brewers are where they are now is the trades they made, including deals involving players entering their final year of free agency. They acquired DL Hall, Joey Ortiz, Robert Gasser, Caleb Durbin, and Esteury Ruiz, among others in those deals. Durbin and others were traded for playoff star David Hamilton and pitchers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan. Also, Ruiz was traded for…William Contreras – an all-time Brewers heist.
The value of a catcher to a team, especially one like Contreras, is hard to quantify. His ability to affect every facet of the game was crucial to the Brewers’ title run. That’s a great reason to keep him, but it’s also a reason to listen to offers.
A team could give a haul in return for a player likely to walk after the year. It would possibly be the biggest haul they’ve received for a player going into his last year. The Brewers have a loaded farm system but could also use some prospects to fill vital positions – like starting pitching, which isn’t as stocked.
What Will Happen?
This likely has two outcomes. The Brewers likely either trade or let Contreras walk after the year for a compensatory pick. Before the title run, the Brewers likely planned on keeping Contreras in an Adames-like fashion. But Contreras’ playoff performance skyrocketed his value and made him a coveted trade target for a big market team. One thing hanging over the entire situation is whether the impending lockout affects the Brewers’ decision here. That’s to be determined.
If an extension was going to be reached with the Brewers, it likely would have been by now. Catchers also age faster than most positions in baseball. While sentimental reasons have Brewers fans clamoring for an extension, it likely wouldn’t age well.
Could the Brewers trade Contreras after winning a World Series? Actually, yes. The World Series affirmed that what the Brewers have been doing is working. Trading popular players heading into their last year of control for prospects with longer team control has worked. The Brewers’ scouting department has done a masterful job of identifying prospects in the deals.
There are several reasons for the Brewers’ franchise’s consistent success in recent years, but why do something out of character when what has worked is working? There is great appreciation for William Contreras being a big part of bringing home the Brewers’ first World Series. However, a big money extension is highly unlikely. Why change that process now?
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