The Milwaukee Brewers haven’t been the most active team in the league this offseason, but they’ve surely kept the fans and the baseball world on their toes.
There were trade rumors surrounding the team’s ace, Freddy Peralta, for months before the Brewers opted to trade him to the New York Mets for a pair of very talented prospects. This deal made plenty of sense because Peralta’s contract ends at the end of the season and the Brewers likely would have lost him in free agency.
But then the Brewers made the bold decision to trade Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a player package centered around Kyle Harrison. This completely depleted their depth chart at third base and it’s hard to see what their plan is at the position.
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But in better news, the Brewers recently avoided arbitration with one of their better players.
Brewers avoid arbitration with star catcher William Contreras
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) warms up before their National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday, October 13, 2025 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
On Thursday, per a team announcement, the Brewers signed catcher William Contreras to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration. While this might not seem like a huge deal, it’s always a win for the team when they can avoid arbitration.
Arbitration cases can get a bit sensitive. Teams are forced to argue that a player isn’t worth as much as they think they are. They could use the players bad outings, bad attitude, injury history, and more to throw back in the player’s face to save a little bit of money. Sometimes, these situations can leave a bad taste in the player’s mouth, especially when the team wins the case.
But that’s not a worry for Contreras and the Brewers.
Contreras, 28, is the prime candidate for a contract extension at this point. He’s a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and World Series champion. The veteran catcher has posted three consecutive seasons with the Brewers in which he was worth at least 3.7 WAR. He’s consistently healthy and consistently one of their best players.
While it seems like a long shot to land him on an extension, that should be the team’s next priority.
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