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  • Milwaukee Brewers Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Milwaukee Brewers free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Steve Drumwright
    After a tremendous 2025 regular season in which they had MLB's best record, the Milwaukee Brewers won't have a lot to work with regarding a 2026 draft bonus pool.
    But when has that ever mattered to the Crew?
    The Brewers were informed that they will have $8,042,900 in their pool this year, which ranks 25th among the 30 MLB teams. They also have the No. 25 pick in the draft, which moved up due to four teams being penalized for eclipsing the second competitive balance tax threshold.
    The slot value for the Crew's top pick is $3,696,000. Last year, when the Brewers picked 20th and selected corner infielder Andrew Fischer, their pick had a value of $4,268,100.
    The top bonus pool belongs to the Pittsburgh Pirates at $19,130,700, while the smallest pool goes to the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of those four teams who had their top pick moved back 10 spots as a CBT penalty.
    The Chicago White Sox hold the No. 1 pick, which has a slot value of $11,350,600. They also have the No. 3 bonus pool of $17,592,100. Each slot value went up 2.5% based on increased MLB revenue.
    2026 MLB Draft bonus pools
    Pittsburgh Pirates: $19,130,700 Tampa Bay Rays: $19,009,300 Chicago White Sox: $17,592,100 Minnesota Twins: $16,929,600 St. Louis Cardinals: $16,612,300 Kansas City Royals: $15,954,000 Atlanta: $15,870,800 Colorado Rockies: $15,557,600 San Francisco Giants: $14,080,400 Athletics: $13,840,300 Houston Astros: $13,712,700 Arizona Diamondbacks: $13,603,100 Baltimore Orioles: $13,114,000 Cleveland Guardians: $12,573,900 Washington Nationals: $12,278,300 Miami Marlins: $11,960,100 Los Angeles Angels: $11,755,400 Cincinnati Reds: $10,758,500 Texas Rangers: $10,219,200 Chicago Cubs: $9,644,100 San Diego Padres: $9,479,000 Detroit Tigers: $9,165,100 Boston Red Sox: $8,219,200 Seattle Mariners: $8,218,200 Milwaukee Brewers: $8,042,900 Philadelphia Phillies: $7,773,000 New York Yankees: $7,342,800 New York Mets: $6,730,900 Toronto Blue Jays: $5,543,100 Los Angeles Dodgers: $3,951,900
    Steve Drumwright
    Not that the Milwaukee Brewers are hurting for outfield bodies, but that position just got a little deeper.
    The Brewers on Monday picked up outfielder Luis Matos from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for cash. Matos had been designated for assignment on Wednesday after not getting a spot on the Giants' Opening Day roster. To make room on the Brewers' 40-man roster, minor-league left-handed reliever Sammy Peralta was designated for assignment. Peralta will now hit the waiver wire and will either be claimed, traded, or outrighted to Triple-A Nashville.
    Matos is out of minor-league options, so a corresponding move to put him on the 26-man roster is needed. He is expected to join the Brewers on Tuesday. So, unless there is another injury, that could mean center fielder Blake Perkins returns to Nashville. Perkins was called up on Opening Day when star outfielder Jackson Chourio went on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left hand. Another option would be sending catcher Jeferson Quero back down after three days up for his MLB debut.
     
    The 24-year-old Matos, a native of Venezuela like Chourio, catcher William Contreras, and left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa, has played in 178 games with the Giants over the last three seasons and put up a .231/.281/.369 slash line with 15 homers, 61 RBIs, and seven steals.
    A right-handed hitter, Matos started 2025 on the Giants' Opening Day roster, but was on the plane to Triple-A three times and had an MLB slash line of .221/.266/.424 in 59 games, hitting eight homers, driving in 22 runs, and stealing four bases. In 36 games at Triple-A Sacramento last year, Matos slashed .293/.327/.510 with seven homers, 29 RBIs, and six stolen bases.
    Before the 2022 season, Matos was a consensus top-75 prospect.
     
    Telemachus Rafaelidys
    Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Jeferson Quero will be called up to the Brewers today. To make room for Jeferson Quero, Andrew Vaughn will be placed on the IL with a hand Injury sustained on Opening Day.
    Quero has been touted as a top 100 prospect in baseball the last three winters, but an unfortunate shoulder injury during the first game of the 2024 season waylaid his ascent to the majors. Quero has not had the same success at or behind the plate since his injury, but the Brewers will bring him to Milwaukee for his first big league opportunity. Quero is already on the 40-man roster and has an option allowing the Brewers to return him to the minor leagues if and when the team wants to make that move. For now, it appears Pat Murphy will have three catchers on the team with Quero joining All-Star starter William Contreras and veteran backup Gary Sanchez.
    The Brewers will be without Vaughn for an indeterminate amount of time. He left the first game of the season in the sixth inning for a pinch-runner, and the Brewers have not announced the nature or seriousness of the injury. With Vaughn out, Jake Bauers looks to be the starter at first base against all right-handed pitching. Bauers started the season with a home run in the opening game, a good first step toward validating last season's improvements and his league-leading seven home runs in spring training. Despite his breakout, Bauers is still unlikely to face left-handed pitchers, and with the Brewers facing a left-handed starter on Sunday, it's possible Quero or Sanchez could get the start at first base.
    Steve Drumwright
    In case you were having a severe case of FOMO regarding Opening Day for the Milwaukee Brewers, the team just threw you a lifeline.
    The Brewers announced they are putting about 1,000 tickets for the March 26 game against the Chicago White Sox at American Family Field on sale. In addition, more tickets for the second and third games of the season, March 28 and March 29, have been made available for purchase.
    You can buy them by visiting brewers.com/tickets.
    The tickets became available from what the team had previously reserved for expected or potential attendees.
    Steve Drumwright
    While the decision isn't much of a surprise, we now know more about the injury sidelining Milwaukee Brewers right-handed starter Quinn Priester.
    The 25-year-old will begin the season on the injured list due to right wrist discomfort, manager Pat Murphy said Thursday. Murphy gave more detail on the ailment, saying it is "in that (thoracic outlet syndrome) family."
    Priester has not pitched in a game this spring, and beginning the season on the IL had been assumed before Murphy confirmed that move Thursday. Priester first reported discomfort in his right wrist in August. 
    The Brewers are hoping Priester can avoid surgery, with the symptoms being addressed by treatment.
    Priester threw lightly off a mound Thursday, with a more rigorous session slated for March 21, which is just before the March 26 season opener.
    "Often, thoracic outlet requires surgery," Murphy said. "But in this case, we’re not there. We’re feeling like there’s a chance that he’s going to come through this.”
    Priester went 13-3 with a 4.01 FIP (3.32 ERA) in 2025 after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox in April. That included a stretch in which the Brewers won 19 straight appearances by Priester, 16 of those starts. He set a club record with a 12-game winning streak.
    Steve Drumwright
    Fans always hope that key prospects will play their way onto the major-league roster, even if in reality they might not be ready for that move.
    That is one way to summarize the moves the Milwaukee Brewers executed Monday. The Crew reassigned top prospect Jesus Made, an 18-year-old shortstop who is a consensus top-four prospect in all of baseball, to minor-league camp and optioned catcher Jeferson Quero, their catcher of the future, to Triple-A Nashville.
    Left-hander Sammy Peralta was also optioned to Nashville, while corner infielder Luke Adams, outfielder-infielder Greg Jones, infielder Eddys Leonard, and catchers Darrien Miller, Ramon Rodriguez, and Matt Wood were also reassigned to minor-league camp. All of the players reassigned were non-roster invitees to major-league camp.
    Made, who has rocketed through the Brewers' system since being part of the international signing class in January 2024, has posted a .320/.370/.400 slash line (8-for-25) this spring in 10 Cactus League games. After making his pro debut in 2024 in the Dominican Summer League with a .331/.458/.554 slash line with six homers, 28 RBIs, and 28 steals in 51 games. He then began 2025 at Low A Carolina and moved up to High A Wisconsin before finishing with five games at Double-A Biloxi, putting together a .285/.379/.413 with six homers, 61 RBIs, and 47 steals in 115 games. That should line him up to start 2026 at Biloxi.
    Quero, meanwhile, has battled injuries the last two seasons, which have sapped his status in prospect rankings. Once a top-100 prospect, the 23-year-old sustained a right labrum injury in the first game of 2024 and missed the rest of the season. In 2025, he had a hamstring and a mild left shoulder sprain. Those two injuries limited him to 69 games, but he still produced a .285/.379/.413 slash line with 11 homers and 57 RBIs. Many analysts cited that his arm strength hadn't totally recovered from his 2024 labrum injury, but the rest of his defensive skills are still elite. This is Quero's last option year, unless there is an appeal due to him missing virtually all of 2024 to get him a fourth option.
    Steve Drumwright
    Sunday's move to daylight saving time not only sprang the clock ahead an hour, but also took the Milwaukee Brewers a step closer to Opening Day.
    And with that, another round of players being removed from major-league camp. The most notable move announced Sunday was optioning right-hander Coleman Crow to Triple-A Nashville. Two left-handers in camp as non-roster invitees, Tate Kuehner and Drew Rom, were reassigned to minor-league camp. There are 52 players left in camp.
    Crow, in his first big-league camp since 2023, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels, pitched six innings in three appearances, including one start this spring. He posted a 4.50 ERA with no walks and three strikeouts. The 25-year-old, acquired in December 2023 in a trade for right-hander Adrian Houser and center fielder Tyrone Taylor after having Tommy John surgery, was a long shot to make the Brewers' starting rotation this spring, but is likely to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026.
    Crow made 10 of his 12 starts in 2025 at Double-A Biloxi, with the other two at Triple-A Nashville. At Biloxi, he had a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings, walking eight and striking out 52. He had a 7.71 ERA in his two starts with the Sounds.
    Kuehner turned a few heads in his two spring appearances, striking out four over three scoreless innings. He had a 2.51 ERA in 21 starts at Biloxi in 2025, and a 5.59 ERA in two Nashville starts. Rom struck out six and walked four in 3⅓ innings over three appearances for a 2,70 ERA.
    Steve Drumwright
    Two down, three to go. Or four?
    Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy made official what has seemed obvious: right-handers Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick will be in the Opening Day rotation. It will be the first Opening Day for Misiorowski, while it will be the second straight for Patrick. Both made their MLB debuts last season.
    Misiorowski, an All-Star after less than three weeks in the majors in 2025, is also the leading candidate to start Opening Day. That is because right-hander Brandon Woodruff, the likely Opening Day starter entering camp, is being brought along slowly this spring following a strained lat that ended his season early. The other top candidate is right-hander Quinn Priester, who has been dealing with inflammation in his right wrist and slowed his progress toward Opening Day. It is likely that Priester begins the season on the 15-day injured list.
    Woodruff is hoping to avoid the same fate, but could be limited if he is available on Opening Day. That could lead to a tandem starter situation or a six-man rotation. The Brewers have plenty of candidates for the other three spots regardless of the setup, with Kyle Harrison, Logan Henderson, Brandon Sproat, Robert Gasser, and Shane Drohan. Harrison, Gasser, and Drohan are left-handers, while Henderson and Sproat are righties. Left-handers Aaron Ashby and DL Hall can also provide multiple innings out of the bullpen.
    Steve Drumwright
    Right-hander Brandon Woodruff, already a two-time Opening Day starter for the Milwaukee Brewers, was the logical choice to do the same for the 2026 season as the most accomplished pitcher on the staff.
    But he and the Crew's medical staff are taking it cautiously with Big Woo following a strained right lat that sidelined him for most of the final two weeks of the regular season and all of the postseason. Woodruff threw a 33-pitch simulated game Monday, his first time facing live hitters since his final start of 2025 on Sept. 17.
    That puts the 33-year-old, who accepted the $22.025 million qualifying offer to return to the Brewers, behind the other rotation candidates in camp and also makes his starting Opening Day on March 26 vs. the Chicago White Sox at American Family Field questionable.
    “It’s up in the air right now,” Woodruff told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “I know that term’s used a lot. There’s one goal I have this year, and that’s to be healthy. I want to be available at the end of the year when it matters most. What that looks like early on, it could look a little bit different. Nothing’s set in concrete, though."
    Woodruff returned from October 2023 shoulder surgery and a couple of minor setbacks while rehabbing to make his 2025 debut on July 6. All he did in 12 starts was rekindle the thoughts of Woodruff pre-shoulder surgery as he turned in a 3.17 FIP and 130 ERA+. His control, previously terrific, was the best of his career, walking just 5.4% of hitters. He also struck out 32.3% of batters, also the best of his eight-year career.
    If Woodruff is unable to go, that would leave right-hander Quinn Priester and Jacob Misiorowski as the leading contenders to start Opening Day. Neither was in the majors last season on Opening Day.
    Steve Drumwright
    With the full squad having reported to Phoenix for spring training, it was time for manager Pat Murphy to set the tone for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2026. He did so in a speech to his players, some of which was provided via the team's social media channels.
    It was Murph at his finest. Leaning into what made the Crew so good in a 2025 that saw the team post the best record in MLB at 97-65, win their third straight NL Central title and advance to the NL Championship Series, where they were swept by the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
    Among Murphy's nuggets:
    "We found out what matters is who's in this room."
    "We're about people, we're about team."
    "We don't worry about what anybody thinks. (If) we stick to our standard, then you'll have another incredible season. ... And don't be shocked."
    But enough writing, listen to how Murphy delivered his words:
    Steve Drumwright
    While other teams have reduced their spring training television schedule with the demise of FanDuel Sports Network, the Milwaukee Brewers are status quo for 2026.
    The Crew announced Wednesday that eight of their Cactus League games will be carried on Brewers.tv, the new home for televised games this season. That is one more game than was carried by FanDuel Sports Wisconsin in 2025. The Brewers said those eight games will be available for free to anyone with an MLB.com account in the MLB app.
    All 31 spring training games will be broadcast in some variety.
    An additional eight games will be streamed at Brewers.com. There are likely to be other games televised on MLB Network.
    Also, there will be 20 radio broadcasts on the Brewers Radio Network, including six on WTMJ (620 AM) and 14 on WKTI (94.5 FM, ESPN Milwaukee).
    The Brewers' Spring Breakout games, March 20 vs. the Seattle Mariners and March 22 at the A's, will be on Brewers.TV.
    The Brewers open exhibition play Saturday vs. the Cleveland Guardians at American Family Fields of Phoenix. That is a radio-only game.
    The following games will be on Brewers.TV:
    Sunday at Chicago White Sox* Monday at San Diego Padres* Feb. 28 vs. Cincinnati Reds March 4 vs. Chicago Cubs March 9 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers March 21 vs. San Diego Padres March 22 at Chicago Cubs* * opponent telecast
    Steve Drumwright
    Outfielder Jordyn Adams, who has 38 games of MLB experience over the last three seasons, has signed a minor-league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The deal likely includes an invite to spring training, which begins next week.
    Adams, who plays center and right field, was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of a North Carolina high school. At the same time, Adams had committed to play football at North Carolina as he was a four-star wide receiver recruit. He chose a pro baseball career over football, receiving a $3,472,900 signing bonus from the Angels.
    While not possessing terrific power, having topped out at 15 homers in the minors in 2023, he does have speed, swiping 44 bags also in 2023, all at Triple-A. That was the same year he made his MLB debut, coming up Aug. 1. In two MLB stints, he played in 17 games, putting up a .128/.125/.128 slash line in 40 plate appearances. He had another cup of coffee with the Angels in 2024, but again struggled offensively with a slash line of .229/.289/.314 in 38 plate appearances over 11 games.
    He was designated for assignment that offseason, but was quickly picked up by the Baltimore Orioles for the 2025 season. He again got a small amount of MLB action, going hitless in five plate appearances over 10 games.
    In seven minor-league seasons, Adams has a .247/.328/.377 slash line with 52 homers, 288 RBIs, and 158 steals in 195 chances. One major drawback is that he does strike out quite a bit, with 758 in 2,738 plate appearances in the minors, a whopping 27.7% of the time.
    It would be hard-pressed for Adams to crack the Brewers' Opening Day lineup, but he would be a solid depth piece at Triple-A Nashville. He is the latest player to join the non-roster invitees to spring training.
    Steve Drumwright
    Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Frank Cairone posted an Instagram story of him throwing a ball just a month after being involved in a serious vehicle collision that left him hospitalized.
    The 18-year-old left-hander, who was a second-round draft choice by the Crew last summer, was involved in a two-vehicle collision Jan. 3 late at night in Franklin, N.J., and flown to an Atlantic City, N.J., hospital. According to police, Cairone was the driver of a vehicle that was hit by another vehicle that blew through a stop sign. 
    In the Instagram update, Cairone is in sweats and a baseball cap and slowly throws a yellow ball against a wall. While that is certainly a terrific sign for Cairone, it is unknown whether he will report to spring training, let alone pitch this season, as he continues to recover from the serious injuries he sustained. A passenger in Cairone's vehicle was also hospitalized with leg injuries.
    Cairone, a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder, was the 68th overall pick in the 2025 draft out of Delsea Regional High School and turned down a commitment from Coastal Carolina to sign with the Brewers for a $1.1 million signing bonus. He did not pitch for any Brewers affiliate, instead working out in Arizona in anticipation of making his professional debut in 2026.
    Jason Wang
    With a little over a month left before the start of the tournament, the rosters for each participating nation are all but finalized. Some countries have a few spots to fill, and Joey Ortiz was recently announced as part of the newest crop of baseball talent to join the Mexican National Team. He was added alongside Jonathan Aranda, Alek Thomas, and Taijuan Walker. 
    Ortiz has Mexican heritage through his parents and should be a big upgrade over Alan Trejo, who served as the team's starting shortstop in 2023. His offensive regression for the Brewers last season was a point of concern, but his defensive production allowed him to stay slightly above replacement, giving him 1.4 fWAR. 
    He'll be joined in the infield by Ramón and Luis Urías, the latter of whom is a former Brewer. Mexico's roster is now stacked with big-leaguers, including many returning faces from 2023 like Randy Arozarena and Jarren Duran.
    The schedule of the tournament will directly conflict with Spring Training, a crucial time for young talent like Ortiz to prepare for the upcoming season. These refusals are often due to injury risk ,but front offices have occasionally been strict with the way that their younger players are managed. Despite his regression in 2025, it's an encouraging vote of confidence by the franchise that he'll be allowed to forego spring training for the WBC.
    Ortiz will join fellow Brewers Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, and Tyler Black in Miami for the competition.
    Telemachus Rafaelidys
    Prospect gurus Keith Law of The Athletic and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN both released their team farm system rankings on Wednesday, and both like the Brewers best! McDaniel posited that, in recent history, the Dodgers and Rays have been viewed as the model organizations, but that opinion has now shifted to the Brewers. Law agrees, though not in so many words, crediting the team with an advanced, integrated process for identifying and developing talent. The two writers laud the Brewers for acquiring amateur talent through all available pipelines, including international signings, the MLB draft, and trade acquisitions, and see the Brewers as having both upper-echelon talent and excellent depth.
    Six Brewers were featured in Law’s top 100 list, including the newly acquired Brandon Sproat (75) and Jett Williams (45). Interestingly, Law writes that the Brewers were his number one overall system even prior to the Freddy Peralta trade, while McDaniel posted on social media that the trade moved the Brewers’ system from sixth to first and moved the Mets’ from first to sixth. Overall, McDaniel has 8 Brewers in his top 100; Logan Henderson (64) and Bishop Letson (91) were included on the ESPN list but not The Athletic’s. Both experts list Jesús Made third overall behind only the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers. Luis Pena, Cooper Pratt, and Jeferson Quero were the other three prospects on both lists.
    Steve Drumwright
    Outfielder Jackson Chourio will get ready for his third season in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform by playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. The Brewers made what had seemed a likely decision official via social media Thursday.
    This will be Chourio's first WBC. Rosters for all WBC teams are due February 3, which is Tuesday.
    Venezuela will be one of the teams to watch in this year's tournament. In 2023, Venezuela went 4-0 in pool play before being knocked off by the U.S. 9-7 in the quarterfinals. The U.S. went on to lose to Japan 3-2 in the championship game.
    Chourio was announced to Venezuela's roster along with Ronald Acuna Jr., Maikel Garcia, and Wilyer Abreu. The team captain is Salvador Perez. Whether Brewers catcher William Contreras will be named to the roster is unknown, especially since Perez is a catcher, too, as well as the team captain.
    No other Brewers are known to have made a WBC roster at this point. Sal Frelick is a strong candidate to play again for Italy.
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