The last time the Brewers won 97 games in a regular season was - never. Milwaukee had an historic season shattered with a 4-0 sweep by the Dodgers in the NLCS, but it must still be considered a largely successful (somewhat shocking) 2025 campaign. Furthermore, most of the leading contributors from the year are cost-controlled for multiple years to come.

A Bright Spot
2B Brice Turang continued his fast early career rise, posting career highs across the board, including an OPS near .800 and a 5.4 WAR. The 25-year-old is team controlled through 2029.

A Big Concern
Can Milwaukee continue their recent success in selling high on starting pitching and replacing with drafted & developed talent? Freddy Peralta (5.63 WAR) is entering a contract year, carrying an extremely friendly $8M club option in 2026. He’ll be seeking a new contract, but there will be plenty of interest on the trade market if Milwaukee entertains it.

Related Links
2026 Brewers Financials
MLB Offseason Guides

Pending Free Agents

A pretty minimal list for a team that just won an MLB-high 97 games and reached the NLCS. 

PLAYER MARKET VALUE
Erick Fedde (SP, 32) $9M
Jordan Montgomery (SP, 32) $2.5M
Shelby Miller (RP, 35) $1.2M

Option Decisions

Peralta’s option should be attractive to inquiring teams (or the Brewers). Contreras has arbitration eligibility remaining through 2027 so the Brewers could decline this option and go through that process, but the $12M price tag is pretty close to his calculated value right now. All of the mutual options are likely to be declined.

PLAYER OPTION SALARY
Freddy Peralta (SP, 29) $8M club option
Brandon Woodruff (SP, 32) $20M mutual option ($10M buyout)
William Contreras (C, 27) $12M club option ($100k buyout)
Danny Jansen (C, 30) $12M mutual option ($500k buyout)
Rhys Hoskins (1B/DH, 32) $18M mutual option ($4M buyout)
Jose Quintana (SP, 36) $15M mutual option ($2M buyout)

Arbitration-Eligibility

Vaughn (acquired from Chicago at the deadline) might be one of the weaker links in this Brewers lineup. His final run through arbitration won’t break the bank, but it still might be a question mark for Milwaukee.

PLAYER OPTION SALARY
Andrew Vaughn (1B, 28) $7.5M
Trevor Megill (RP, 32) $6.5M
Brice Turang (2B, 26) $2.7M
Garrett Mitchell (OF, 27) $2M
Jake Bauers (1B, 30) $1.75M
Nick Mears (RP, 29) $1.5M
Blake Perkins (OF, 29) $820k

Guaranteed Salary

Chourio has posted almost identical back-to-back first two full seasons in Milwaukee, who will be looking for an even bigger breakout campaign in 2026. The 22-year-old is signed for another 8 years, $122M through 2033.

PLAYER CBT SALARY
Christian Yelich (OF, 34) $23.3M
Jackson Chourio (OF, 22) $10.25M
Aaron Ashby (RP, 28) $4.1M

Team Tax Projections

The Brewers carried a $145M CBT payroll in 2025 according to our data, 20th in MLB. Their current 36-man roster for 2026 projects toward a $93M figure, $151M under the threshold, 24th in the league.

Spotrac's 2026 MLB Offseason Previews