Brewers Free Agent Profile: Jake Bauers

[Ray Stuedemann]

As the Brewers begin the process of defending their freshly earned title, one of the main questions facing the organization is whether Jake Bauers will return to Milwaukee for the 2027 season and beyond. The first baseman and outfielder was sensational in 2026, but with Milwaukee needing to weigh its roster needs against its limited payroll, Bauers’s future with the club is not guaranteed. Should the Brewers bring back the 2026 NLCS MVP, or would they be better off allocating their resources elsewhere?

Jake Bauers’s 2026 Season At A Glance

Bauers’s path to stardom was not straight, as he bounced around the majors from 2018-2023, where he made stops with the Rays, Guardians, Mariners, and Yankees, before finally being acquired by the Brewers after the 2023 season. Bauers’s first season in Milwaukee saw him post a below-average OPS+ (84), but 2025 was the first above-average offensive season in his career, as he slashed .235/.353/.399 with seven homers in only 218 plate appearances.

Those numbers only partially revealed his potential, though. This season, Bauers truly made his mark in Milwaukee and in the majors. The 31-year-old had the highest OPS on the World Series-winning Brewers, putting together a .266/.389/.484 line with a career-high 26 home runs in 578 plate appearances. Bauers brought a much-needed power threat to a Brewers lineup that has craved extra-base production, ranking in the 83rd percentile in expected slugging percentage and the 91st percentile in average exit velocity while maintaining the plate discipline he has displayed since joining Milwaukee, highlighted by a chase rate in the 93rd percentile and a walk rate in the 98th percentile. Bauers was the engine for the Brewers offense, and the NLCS was the Jake The Rake Show.

The playoffs weren’t especially strong for Bauers overall, as he posted a .622 OPS due to a brutal Fall Classic at the plate. First, though, the Dodgers felt his wrath: Bauers went deep on the 11^th pitch of his at-bat against Blake Snell in Game 3 of the NLCS, plating the eventual winning run and cementing that battle as one of the great moments in Brewers postseason history. 

Bauers has put himself in a strong position to earn a hefty contract from a team this offseason, despite only having two above-average offensive seasons to his name. He's a good player, and in what is regarded as a weak free-agent class, he will get a large offer, from the Brewers or elsewhere. 

Why the Brewers Should Re-sign Jake Bauers

Bauers is a Brewer, through and through. He embodies what the Brewers do: take chances and develop players into the best version of themselves. Bauers always had potential, but he never could quite tap into it until he got to Milwaukee.

A team like the Brewers can survive losing their best offensive piece, but should they? Bauers has become an integral part of the organization, a versatile piece to play with Andrew Vaughn at first base or patrol the outfield corners. Fans love him, the organization loves him, and he loves them both back. Bringing Bauers back would allow continuity in the batting order, especially in the power department, as he had almost 17% of the clubs’ homeruns this season. If the Brewers want to continue building on this World Series title, resigning Bauers should be priority number one.

Why the Brewers Should Not Re-sign Jake Bauers

Bauers would not be resigned because, as good as the Brewers are at development and getting the best out of what they have, Milwaukee is as good at being self-aware. Moving on from players before the price tag becomes too large has been a key for the Brewers teams of late, with players like Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes, and Willy Adames being traded or let go because of increasing salaries that the Brewers can not pay. Bauers would fit into that category; he will be in demand this offseason. DiamondCentric’s own rankings list Bauers as the 16^th best available player and 8^th best available hitter this offseason. The 31-year-old will likely get a large contract from a team with a hole at first base, but if that isn’t the Brewers, where does that leave them? Milwaukee still has Andrew Vaughn under contract for 2027, while prospects Andrew Fischer, Blake Burke, and Luke Adams could all see time at first base in the near future as well if Bauers isn’t resigned. 

Ultimately, letting Bauers walk would be difficult, but one that still aligns with the Brewers’ philosophy of being competitive without overcommitting financially. Milwaukee may be better off allowing another team to pay for Bauers’ breakout season while investing into the next wave of talent coming through the farm system.

The Bottom Line

While Bauers was one of the most valuable pieces of the World Series winning Milwaukee Brewers, the reality is the club may be better off letting him walk this offseason. A video between Pat Murphy and Bauers went viral during the team’s celebration in Tampa following Game 5, in which Murphy told Bauers to remember how the Brewers played when he gets his big payday this offseason. The direct quote uses a little more profanity (and takes a shot at the Yankees, which I am all for), but the point is that it appears the organization has likely accepted that Bauers is already gone. While that hurts, Bauers will be cemented in Brewers’ history as a key piece of the 2026 World Series champions and as one of the great developmental stories for Pat Murphy and his staff.

Prediction: Bauers signs a two- or three-year deal with the New York Mets 

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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[long ball]

If the Brewers don’t deviate too far from their standard team building strategy, I think the only way Bauers in a Brewer in 2027 is if he accepts the QO and that’s probably the right decision. 
 

I understand the logic on both sides when it comes to predicting if he will accept the QO. Selfishly, I hope he does accept the QO. I think he should be seeking a multi year deal though. Luckily for the Brewers, he has to make a decision quickly. If he declines, we as fans can probably move on to other ideas at first base for 2027. 

[izzi]

Regarding Murph's comment about the Yankees, it sounded like he was talking in the past tense, about when Jake used to play for the Yankees. Could be wrong.

[Team Canada]

1 hour ago, izzi said:

Regarding Murph's comment about the Yankees, it sounded like he was talking in the past tense, about when Jake used to play for the Yankees. Could be wrong.

Yes, it was past tense, but talking about when he gets his money.