The Improbable Place Where Brewers Might Find an Eager Taker for Rhys Hoskins's Contract

[Matthew Trueblood]

After the departure of one key right-handed slugger this fall, the Brewers probably aren't actively looking to get rid of another. If they need to move his money to free themselves up, though, they might find their opportunity in a highly unexpected place.

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

In a notes column Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic mentioned the possibility that the Brewers would trade Rhys Hoskins this winter, to open up some room in their otherwise (seemingly) tight budget. It was the first reported indication that such a move is actually on the radar, much though our esteemed Tim Muma has begged for it. Hoskins is under contract for a total of $22 million more, with $18 million paid this year and a $4-million buyout on a mutual option for 2026. In 2024, Hoskins struggled, as he tried to bounce back from a knee injury that took the entire 2023 season from him but ran into hamstring issues and was rarely himself. The very fact that he opted into this deal (when he had the right to take a $4-million buyout and try to make more than $18 million more on the open market) tells us that he has negative trade value at that salary.

On the other hand, Hoskins did still hit 26 home runs, and he remains a patient hitter with plus power. He's also a beloved clubhouse presence and leader. He probably won't ever be a superstar slugger again, but there's something left in the bat. If the Brewers believe they're capable of upgrading by signing a slugger like Christian Walker or (if we really dream a bit, and imagine his market failing to materialize the way he's hoped) Alex Bregman, and they do decide to trade Hoskins so as to afford that kind of pursuit, it would be more a matter of finding the right suitor than of simply dumping his salary.

Maybe the destination to which Hoskins could most readily go is the last place you'd expect: West Sacramento, where the Athletics are under something just this side of a legal obligation to spend. The team has announced their intention to scale their payroll up substantially, but importantly, that's not out of some honest altruistic or competitive motive. Rather, it's because if they don't, they're likely to face a losing battle against a grievance from the MLB Players Association, who have secured guarantees of certain levels of spending across spans of fixed numbers of seasons in exchange for the A's remaining a revenue-sharing recipient. They A's have to add payroll, at a time when most other teams face a dictate to cut it, and they will have a hard time recruiting many true free agents to their minor-league park and substandard facilities. It's why they had to pay a premium somewhere north of $10 million to ink Luis Severino, for instance.

For the A's, Hoskins's salary would be value added, rather than a drag against whatever value he brings on the field. Thus, they're a perfect fit. The Brewers could trade Hoskins there and get something in return, rather than having to attach more talent to jettison him elsewhere. If they did attach someone with higher traditional trade value in addition to Hoskins, they might even be able to get Sacramento talking about Brent Rooker—who would be the upgrade they'd need in order to truly justify trading Hoskins, anyway.

It's not likely that the Brewers actually trade Hoskins. He wasn't as bad as many fans felt he was in 2024. He has intangible value. And that contract leaves them without a great chance to extract value in the process of dealing him. It's just hard to figure out how they would spend the money they owe him substantially better than they will do by paying him. If it does come to that, though, the A's might just be the place where it makes the most sense for Hoskins to land.

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[eddiemathews]

Good idea, but it's be mean.

[eddiemathews]

10 minutes ago, eddiemathews said:

Good idea, but it's be mean.

But I'd love Walker at first, so I could get over the meanness.

[MJD17]

1 hour ago, eddiemathews said:

Good idea, but it's be mean.

Is it? Hoskins was born and raised in Sacramento and I bet he never thought in a million years he'd have an opportunity to play MLB games in front of his hometown crowd. 

[Brian]

I think Hoskins will have a much better season this year because he was not 100% last year just coming off an ACL surgery that you could tell was not 100% yet last season. 

[sveumrules]

39 minutes ago, MJD17 said:

Is it? Hoskins was born and raised in Sacramento and I bet he never thought in a million years he'd have an opportunity to play MLB games in front of his hometown crowd. 

Welcome to the board!

The Hoskins being from Sacto angle definitely makes the idea a little more plausible, but the A's already having Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom for DH/1B probably means its still a pretty big longshot.

[Brock Beauchamp]

59 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Welcome to the board!

The Hoskins being from Sacto angle definitely makes the idea a little more plausible, but the A's already having Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom for DH/1B probably means its still a pretty big longshot.

Yeah, the A's already having no-position hitters on the roster might be the biggest roadblock in such a deal.

Though if they're eager to trade Rooker, this is a good way to accomplish that.