Telemachus Rafaelidys

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images The Royals extended Maikel García on Friday, signing him to a five-year contract worth a guaranteed $57.5 million. The agreement will buy out four years of club-controlled arbitration and one year of free agency, and contains a club option for an additional year. If the option is triggered, the value of the deal will climb to nearly $75 million over six years, and escalators could increase his salaries for 2030 and 2031, nudging the number toward $80 million. García had an outstanding 2025 season, winning the American League Gold Glove Award at third base and breaking out with a 121 wRC+ at the plate. The timing of his extension comes at an interesting time for the Milwaukee Brewers and their own Gold Glove-winning second baseman, Brice Turang. Like García, Turang is a superb defensive infielder who also had a breakout season at the plate. Like García, Turang is a Super Two qualifier and will be eligible for arbitration for the first of four times this winter. He's projected by Cot’s Contracts to earn $4.75 million in 2026, while García had been projected to earn $4.85 million. García and Turang have tracked closely at the plate over their major-league careers. Both players put up below-average batting lines in each of their first two seasons, with 11 total home runs for García and 13 for Turang. This season, however, both made major improvements in bat speed, Barrel rate and walk rate. García bumped from 70.8 MPH to 71.9 on his swings, while Turang had a massive jump from 66.2 all the way to 70.7, leading to both eclipsing their career home run totals in a single season, hitting 16 and 18, respectively. Their career WAR totals are more of a mixed bag, with FanGraphs favoring García and Baseball Reference favoring Turang. Coincidentally, both Garcia and Turang finished 14th in the 2025 MVP voting for their respective leagues. Player Age Service Time 2025 wRC+ 2025 WAR Career WAR Brice Turang 26.1 2.165 124 4.4f / 5.6br 6.8f / 11.8br Maikel García 25.8 2.68 121 5.6f / 5.8br 9.1f / 8br García’s contract is similar to the extension Matt Trueblood suggested for Turang when he wrote on the subject in October, which guaranteed Turang $55 million over the first five years, but had two additional guaranteed years and a mutual option for an eighth year. There is value in the shorter commitment in García’s new deal. With Turang’s stellar up-the-middle defense and emerging power, the team would likely gain a lot of surplus value by having Turang through the 2031 season, which should include the entire prime of his career. If Turang (or García, for that matter) is still performing at a high level when the contract ends, the team could then extend him the qualifying offer to either retain him for an additional year or gain draft pick compensation, without the upfront risk of guaranteeing the sixth and seventh years. Turang may have less incentive to sign an extension than García did, though. Turang was the Brewers' 2018 first-round draft pick and received a $3.41-million bonus, whereas García signed for less than $100,000 as an international amateur in 2016. They both received top-13 payouts from MLB’s Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool this year, with Turang receiving $1.16 million and García getting $774,000. (It’s interesting that MLB valued Turang’s season more highly, given that both WAR metrics gave García the edge.) If Turang and his agents are interested in an extension similar to García’s, the Brewers should jump at the chance to keep him through his age-31 season and secure one extra year of control with an option for a second. That said, Turang should probably ask for a higher average annual value than Garcia received, or be patient, because he will likely do better overall by betting on himself and going year-to-year in arbitration and becoming a free agent in four years, just as he turns 30. If the Brewers and Turang get together this offseason to discuss a longer-term commitment, García’s extension gives both sides a meaningful reference point to work from—and maybe it helps them get an extension done this winter. View full article

Well said. Collins deserves a ton of credit for a fantastic season and he absolutely helped the Brewers win the division! Wish him all the best in KC. Feels like either a big bet on Mitchell or another move in the outfield is coming!

Thanks for the comment. I agree we have a difference of opinion, but it's not from a lack of "homework" - merely drawing different conclusions from our respective research. For example, there are many different prospect lists, not solely the one you are sighting and many of these lists will be updated this winter. I believe that Burke and Fischer will rise on those lists and I also think Burke improved defensively this season and that he is a good enough athlete to continue to make strides on the dirt at first base. Fischer moved to first from third because he transferred to Tennessee where Burke had just left to be drafted by the Brewers and Tennessee already had a third baseman. If Fischer can play third base, that would be the best outcome - and that's what I'm suggesting here. I've written a separate piece with my current thoughts on Pratt, he is an excellent defender and I'm excited to see what he'll do in Triple A this year. This article isn't a roster projection for the next decade, it's looking ahead one year to 2027. I think it very unlikely that Pena will be MLB ready in 2027 - but it would be awesome if he is. Homework note - Molitor and Yount came up to the majors in the 70s - I was in a backpack at the World Series in 1982 and grew up as a big Molitor fan!

Correct. Megill has been mentioned in rumors this winter - if he stays in Milwaukee for 2026, he would almost certainly be traded next winter (Hader, Burnes, Williams)...

The power is definitely real for those two. The concern would is contact ability and Burke might be the better defensive first baseman also. Having four quality CIs at the AA/AAA level is a great “problem” to have. The Brewers will have options and decisions to make about promotions and potential trades.

Agreed that Pratt is a standout defender. Made looks like a star and the clear SS of the future. And if Fischer proves he can handle 3B his bat will put him in the lineup. Pratt will still only be 22 in 2027 and could remain in AAA or be traded. Alternatively, if Pratt has a breakout at the plate this year - he could certainly have a spot on the left side of the infield in 2027.

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Brewers will open next season as the reigning three-time Central Division Champions; however, in some ways, the 2026 season feels like a placeholder until the next wave of premier prospects arrives in 2027. Four Brewers received Rookie of the Year votes this past season, but only Jacob Misiorowski was a top 100 prospect, and he only received one fourth-place vote. The 2027 Brewers could have four or five rookies receive votes, with multiple top 100 prospects among them. The Brewers are often described as “threading the needle” between competing for a championship and accumulating young talent to remain competitive on a budget – this winter, that needle hole feels finer than usual. Recent rumors suggest that the Brewers will possbily trade away ace Freddy Peralta, closer Trevor Megill, and setup man Nick Mears, and while recent trades of star pitchers have brought back plug-in contributors such as William Contreras (after a second masterstroke trade), Joey Ortiz, DL Hall, Nestor Cortes, and Caleb Durbin, the bar for the quality of the returning player to become an instant contributor has been substantially raised. This Brewers team just had the final pick in the Rule 5 Draft, where it didn’t select a player, and will have the last official pick in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft - the Brewers are good. Yes, the Brewers could be served well with more home run power in their lineup, and they might trade away their ace before the year ends, but the front office has built this organization to sustain itself at a high level. Here’s what that could look like after next season. Catchers (2) William Contreras Jeferson Quero William Contreras would enter the 2027 season in his last year of team control. While the Brewers traded Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams and may be trading Freddy Peralta, they kept Willy Adames. They might be smart to keep Contreras as well. He is a very good-hitting catcher, a team leader, and works closely with the team’s deep and talented pitching staff. Quero would have a second year working as a backup and learning from Contreras, while the uber athletic and powerful hitting Marco Dinges would get a third full season in the minor leagues to work on his conversion to catcher and look to compete with Quero to be the starter in 2028. Infielders (6) Blake Burke (1B) Brice Turang (2B) Andrew Fischer (3B) Jesus Made (SS) Joey Ortiz (INF) Caleb Durbin (INF-OF) This is an exciting group! It may seem aggressive to have Burke, Fischer, and Made all on the 2027 Opening Day roster, but all three should move fast in the coming year. Made looks set to start 2026 as a still-18-year-old in Double-A, and reaching the major leagues in 2027 would put him on the same timeline as Jackson Chourio. The two former University of Tennessee corner infielders look ready to move as well. Burke took off after being promoted to Double-A Biloxi and could begin the 2026 season there. Fischer, who many thought was the most advanced college bat in the 2025 MLB Draft, had a strong start to his professional career at High-A Wisconsin and will likely also begin 2026 in Biloxi. Any one of these three could reach Milwaukee by the end of next season to help clinch a fourth straight Central Division title. Surrounding Team USA’s Brice Turang with the three young infielders could be risky, but the upside could be massive. Ortiz would make an excellent backup and defensive replacement anywhere on the infield, and as a right-handed batter, he could take the lineup spot for any of the three left-handed hitters on the dirt. Durbin would also fit as a right-handed option, both on the infield at second and third and in the outfield. Outfield (5) Jackson Chourio (LF) Luis Lara (CF) Sal Frelick (RF) Christian Yelich (DH) Blake Perkins (OF) The changes in the outfield between now and April 2027 are less obvious than in the infield. The Brewers may look to make an upgrade in the outfield this winter, and that player could have multiple years of control. But as it stands, this would be an excellent defensive outfield with potential at the plate. Lara is an elite center fielder and had a very good year at Double-A this past year. He won’t help the Brewers hit more home runs, but he should get on base at a strong clip, and has the speed to impact the game from there - he fits in well with the brand of baseball the 2025 Brewers played. The Brewers will hope Chourio has taken a big step forward and become an All-Star caliber player, and that Frelick is still playing elite defense while getting on base and turning the lineup over. This lineup will have great flexibility - with Made and Lara switch-hitting, Pat Murphy would have only two right-handed batters among his starting nine, but against a left-hander, he could utilize a lineup featuring only two left-handed batters. Starting Pitchers (5) Jacob Misiorowski Quinn Priester Chad Patrick Logan Henderson Robert Gasser Starting pitching is where the 2026 team potentially outshines this 2027 projection, especially if Peralta remains on the roster. However, this group has a lot of talent and should gain a lot of experience this coming year. The Miz has the stuff to be a true staff ace if he can limit the walks he allows and consistently pitch into the sixth and seventh innings. All four of Priester, Patrick, Henderson, and Gasser have had success at the major league level. Staying healthy and consistent will be the key to unlocking their potential and making this a very strong starting rotation. In addition to the outfield, starting pitching may be the position most likely to see a trade acquisition that could challenge for a roster spot between now and 2027. If Peralta and Megill do indeed get traded, it would be reasonable to expect that a highly rated pitching prospect will be a part of at least one of those trade returns, and one or more of those players could supplant a member of this group of incumbents. Bullpen (8) Abner Uribe Aaron Ashby Jared Koenig Brett Wichrowski Craig Yoho Coleman Crow DL Hall Tobias Myers The Brewers have an embarrassment of pitching riches - they really have impressive depth - there are another dozen or so pitchers in their minor league system that could potentially be ready to contribute to either the rotation or bullpen in 2027. In this projection, Uribe would remain the closer, with Ashby, Koenig, and Wichrowski as the high-leverage arms, and Yoho serving as a righty killer. Crow and Hall would offer longer middle relief from either side, and Myers would be the long man, capable of picking up a starter who has a bad day. A lot will happen between now and Opening Day 2027 - but the 2026 Brewers will be constructed with an eye towards the following year’s cadre of talented prospects that will reshape the lineup and keep this team in the hunt for many more division titles. View full article

Thanks for weighing in! Because the Brewers have such a strong farm system - it makes this type of question worth asking!

Strongly agree!

I think a lot of prospect lists will be updated over the winter and that there will be more shuffling. I think Fischer will be given a real shot at third base and that the best version of a 2027 infield looks like Burke/Turang/Fischer/Made

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images In 2023, the Brewers made a significant change in how they approached the MLB Draft. They selected a large number of high-school players and were able to sign many of them to overslot bonuses, stocking the lower levels of their minor leagues with raw talent and potential. They've cleaved to that strategy ever since, and the results look very promising. One of the biggest wins thus far was selecting Cooper Pratt in the sixth round of that 2023 draft, paying him second-round money and watching him jump onto industry-wide top-100 prospect lists after his first full season. Pratt is a standout defensive shortstop with a strong and accurate arm. He won the Minor League Gold Glove Award at shortstop in 2024 and remained stout there in 2025. At 6-foot-3, Pratt moves well. He has the range to make all the necessary plays and the arm to be a regular shortstop at the highest level. Pratt is also savvy on the basepaths, stealing 31 bases this season with an 86% success rate. At the plate, Pratt makes contact at an above-average rate, but he hasn’t consistently hit the ball with authority and has struggled against premium velocity. As a 20-year-old promoted to Double A, Pratt saw his numbers slip from .277/.362/.406 to .238/.343/.348. Last winter, as an ascending up-the-middle prospect, Pratt might have been a major piece in a trade for Kyle Tucker or Garret Crochet. Keith Law, for example, ranked Pratt 44th last offseason, while he ranked Kyle Teel 37th and Braden Montgomery 38th. They became the two main prospects the White Sox received for Crochet. Cam Smith ranked 43rd and was the prospect headliner in the Tucker trade. Could the Brewers have sold high on Pratt last offseason and added a key contributor to what ended up being a 97-win team? It's not that simple—Crochet, clearly, would have cost at least two of Pratt, while the Tucker deal also involved a valuable big-leaguer going from Chicago to Houston. Still, that's the caliber of prospect he was heading into his second full season as a professional. This winter, Pratt’s stock will likely be down, FanGraphs published their Brewers 2026 prospect list, with Pratt moving from third in the organization (with a 50 overall grade) to eighth (with a 45 grade). Pratt is still very young and has plenty of time to grow into more power and make adjustments, but if this lower assessment is the industry consensus, then in the short term, he is likely to drop from top-100 lists and may have lost some trade value. Long-term, the question appears to be whether becoming a solid everyday shortstop is now Pratt’s ceiling, instead of something more like his floor. It's worth noting, though, that while FanGraphs has soured on him, both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus ranked him third in the Brewers system again this fall, and each has the same grade (55, with a High risk grade) on him that they had last year. The tools haven't collapsed or anything, and he held his own at age 20 in the upper minors. There's cause for some concern, but not yet any call for panic. Jesús Made has unequivocally overtaken Pratt as the Brewers' shortstop of the future, and should begin 2026 at Double-A Biloxi. The team can continue to develop Pratt at Triple-A Nashville, where he will be one of the youngest regulars—or they can trade him now, hedging their bet that he becomes a star and taking the buyout on their winning draft wager. What do you think? Should the Brewers cash in on Pratt this winter, or will he grow into his 2024 promise and become an upper-tier big-league shortstop? View full article

Your comment seems to be the consensus. Maybe there is a three team deal where the Brewers send Frelick or Collins or Mitchell to maybe the Royals or Mets for example with that team sending assets to the Red Sox to add to the Brewers offer?

Image courtesy of © Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images The 2025 Brewers ended the season with the majority of their roster locked down for 2026, and coming off a season with the most wins in baseball, that is a good thing. However, it does make it harder to identify obvious positions to upgrade. With William Contreras locked in at catcher; the Andrew Vaughn/Jake Bauers combo at first base; Brice Turang ascending to new heights at second base; Caleb Durbin finishing third in the NL Rookie of the Year race at third base; and Joey Ortiz running hot and cold at the plate while providing premier defense at shortstop, the infield looks locked and loaded for 2026. While Alex Bregman would look great playing third for the Brewers in 2026, that’s the type of upgrade that rarely comes via free agency in Milwaukee. Is there room then in the outfield to add value? The 2025 Brewers outfield was very good; the Crew were joined by the Yankees, Cubs, Padres, and Red Sox as the only teams having all three primary outfielders rank in the top 35 in outfielder fWAR for the season (Sal Frelick 3.6, Jackson Chourio 2.9, Isaac Collins 2.6). All three are good baseball players, and there is reason to believe all three can continue to improve as Chourio grows into his tools, Frelick nears his prime age, and Collins continues to gain experience in the outfield as part of his late breakout. Collectively, this trio hit 42 home runs, with Chourio accounting for exactly half of those. Because they're both small by big-league standards, it’s fair to wonder how much more power Collins and Frelick have. Much like Bregman at third, Kyle Tucker would fit just fine in Milwaukee’s outfield, but Brewers fans won’t find the former Cub under their Christmas tree. Given the Brewers' payroll expectations and their recent history of not sacrificing defense for offense, there are very few players who would qualify as a potentially obtainable upgrade in Milwaukee’s outfield. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have arguably the best defensive player in baseball (Ceddanne Rafaela) patrolling center field. On either side, they have Gold Glove right fielder Wilyer Abreu and last year’s consensus top prospect and budding superstar, Roman Anthony, in left. They also have Jarren Duran, who produced the 7th-highest fWAR among all position players in 2024 with 6.8 and another 3.9 fWAR this season. The Red Sox have been rumored to be shopping Duran since last winter, and are doing so again right now. Would Duran be an upgrade for the Brewers, and how would he fit in? Duran clearly has more power than either Collins or Frelick. He hit 16 home runs as part of 70 extra-base hits in 2025 and had 21 and 83 of those, respectively, in 2024. Those surface-level stats dwarf the Brewers’ trio. Duran is an exceptional baserunner, finishing in the top 10 in FanGraphs BsR value three seasons in a row. He took a step back at the plate this season, but any regression back toward his 2024 level would be an upgrade for the Brewers. HR Total xBH SLG wRC+ Duran 2024 21 83 .492 131 Duran 2025 16 70 .442 111 Chourio 21 55 .463 111 Frelick 12 35 .405 114 Collins 9 34 .411 122 On defense, Duran profiles best as a center fielder. Statcast rated him highly in center for 2024, with a strong throwing arm, before the Sox moved him to left this season so Rafaela could take over. Interestingly, Statcast also rates Chourio as a better center fielder than corner outfielder, and even Frelick did not rate positively in left. Only Collins receives positive defensive ratings in left field. Either of these outfield alignments could work: Chourio RF, Duran CF, Collins LF Frelick RF, Duran CF, Chourio LF The team could, therefore, effectively platoon Frelick (who batted .301 but only had six extra-base hits (all doubles) against left-handed pitchers in 174 plate appearances in 2025) with Collins (who had 13 extra-base hits in 143 plate appearances against southpaws) around Duran and Chourio, with Blake Perkins or Garrett Mitchell slotting in as a fifth outfielder instead of a fourth. The Red Sox, like most teams, would like to add pitching. Their bullpen, in particular, needs help. Aaron Ashby was excellent down the stretch for the Brewers, until they wore him out in the playoffs, and he looks like a potential late-inning reliever whom a manager could count on to lock down an opposing lineup across multiple innings. Ashby’s contract for 2026 matches almost exactly with what Duran is expected to earn in arbitration this winter, which should work well for both teams, as the Red Sox are reportedly looking to save a large portion of their budget for a corner infielder like Bregman or Pete Alonso. Trading Ashby would sting, but his contract is a little elevated for a non-closer Brewers reliever. FanGraphs recently rated Robert Gasser as the 10th-best prospect in the Brewers system, and he’s already demonstrated success at the MLB level. He could be a solid back-end rotation option or swingman for Boston. With Boston looking to compete in 2026, maybe a package of Gasser, Ashby, and Nick Mears—three arms that would all immediately join the Red Sox pitching staff—would entice Boston to send Duran to Milwaukee. The Brewers have the depth to replace Ashby and Mears in their bullpen, and Gasser is one of a handful of starters who currently don’t have a rotation spot. Acquiring Duran should open up plenty of options for the Brewers to deal from their outfield depth, and they could eventually explore trading two of Frelick, Collins, and Mitchell. Duran, with three years of team control remaining, would be a good candidate to be traded again by the Brewers during either of the next two offseasons. Matt Arnold and company have stocked their roster and minor-league system with many good players. Still, they may need to find a way to make marginal upgrades at positions already considered strengths to reach that next level of success and win their first pennant since 1982, or their first World Series ever. Duran is one of a limited set of realistic ways they could do so. View full article

Third base

Fecund 👍

Definitely a surprise! But with everything he does working right now…Murph’s feeling it!

Wrong numbers posted for O’Hearn. He’s down to a 133 wRC+ - has been much less impactful since June. He’s likely still an upgrade, but less so than he appeared this spring. O’Hearn and Willi Castro replacing Monestario and Seigler would round the roster out nicely.

Jesus MadeJacob MisiorowskiLuis PenaCooper PrattLogan HendersonJeferson QueroBraylon PayneMarco DingesRobert GasserBishop LetsonJosh AdamczewskiEric BitontiBryce MeccageColeman CrowBlake BurkeLuke AdamsLuis LaraTyson HardinCraig YohoMike Boeve