The Milwaukee Brewers are typically not major players in MLB free agency. They prefer to focus on developing their own talent or acquiring controllable players through trades. While the Brewers do sign free agents each offseason, these players are usually not big names and tend to be relatively inexpensive.
In recent years, the Brewers have allocated most of their free agent spending towards the designated hitter position. In 2022, they brought in Andrew McCutchen for a season, and in 2023, they acquired Jesse Winker in a trade for Kolten Wong. Last season, they signed Gary Sanchez to take on part of the DH role.
However, Sanchez wasn’t the Brewers’ biggest free agent acquisition last year. That distinction went to Rhys Hoskins, who missed the entire 2023 season due to a torn ACL. Hoskins signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Brewers.
Before his injury, Hoskins was a career .242/.353/.492 hitter, averaging 25 home runs and 68 RBIs per season. It’s important to note that some of those seasons include the COVID-shortened 2020 season and his rookie year in 2017 when he played just 50 games.
In his first season with Milwaukee, Hoskins hit 26 home runs and drove in 82 RBIs, but his batting line was just .214/.303/.419.
Hoskins’ contract includes an $18 million player option for the second year, which the Brewers likely expected him to decline. However, Hoskins exercised the option after his disappointing performance, meaning he will return in 2025 unless traded. The issue is that $18 million is a significant amount for a hitter who posted a .214 average and struggled to get on base. Teams are reportedly not interested in trade talks for Hoskins unless the Brewers are willing to cover part of his 2025 salary.
The Brewers also missed out on Paul Goldschmidt.
Last month, it was reported that if Rhys Hoskins had declined his player option, as the Brewers expected, Milwaukee was planning to go “all in” on signing free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
However, since Hoskins chose to return to the Brewers and they couldn’t find a trade partner for him, they missed out on the chance to pursue Goldschmidt, who recently signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the New York Yankees.
Despite winning the 2022 NL MVP, Goldschmidt appears to be in decline. Last season, he posted a .245/.302/.414 line with 22 home runs and 65 RBIs, which is a significant drop from his career .289/.381/.510 performance.
It’s still unclear whether Hoskins will actually be back in 2025 or if the Brewers can trade him, but if he does return, there’s hope that he will be more consistent at the plate. There’s reason for optimism, too, as 2024 will be his first full season back after missing an entire year due to injury. A healthy offseason and Spring Training could help him regain his form.
