The Milwaukee Brewers were one of the best teams in baseball this season. They finished the regular season with the best record in baseball, but the Los Angeles Dodgers smashed them in the postseason.
Milwaukee has a few huge decisions to make in the offseason in order to get the team back to the top of the league. Freddy Peralta is headed into the final year of his contract, which makes him a clear trade candidate for the Brewers. Brandon Woodruff and Jose Quintana are also headed to free agency. The Brewers are going to need to add to their pitching staff in the coming months or else the team isn’t going to be able to get back to the National League Championship Series.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller recently predicted the Brewers would add to their pitching staff by reuniting with free agent pitcher Nestor Cortes on a one-year, $2 million deal with a $10 million club option for 2027.
Nestor Cortes could be headed back to the Brewers in free agency
Mar 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Nestor Cortes against the San Francisco Giants during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
| Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
“Cortes only made eight starts in 2025, most of which were not great. But he did twice go six scoreless innings with just one hit allowed, including a gem against the Dodgers in late August that temporarily pushed the Padres into first place in the NL West,” Miller wrote. “After undergoing surgery to repair a tendon tear in his throwing arm, though, he’s probably going to miss most of 2026 and may have to settle for something like the “$1M with a $6M club option for a second season” contract that John Means signed with Cleveland in February.”
Signing Cortes could make a little bit of sense for the Brewers, but given the fact that he’s set to miss most of next year, it wouldn’t make much sense. The lefty pitched for the Brewers for part of last season and he wasn’t impressive at all. The Brewers cut ties with him for a reason.
If he was going to be healthy for next season, this idea could make sense, but given his recent surgery, the idea doesn’t make the Brewers any better going forward.
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