MILWAUKEE — The Brewers signed backup catcher Eric Haase to a one-year contract on Friday and released left-hander Hoby Milner while pushing through the arbitration process with all other eligible players, including All-Stars William Contreras and Devin Williams.
Teams had until 7 p.m. ET Friday to offer contracts to unsigned players under the club’s control, including arbitration-eligible players. Clubs have three options in this situation: they can offer the player a contract, which means the parties commit to entering an arbitration process to determine next season’s salary, agree the terms of a fresh contract with the player to avoid the arbitration process altogether, or ” “not make an offer” to the player and make him a free agent.
Even after previously cutting ties with three such players – right-handers Colin Rea and Brys Wilson and first baseman Jake Bauers – the Brewers made it to Friday’s deadline with eight players still eligible for arbitration:
By the end of the day, the fate of these players was clear. Haase was under contract through 2025, making him the favorite to become the No. 2 catcher. Civale, Contreras, Mears, Megill, Payamps and Williams moved up under the Brewers, and Milner was a free agent after making 220 appearances for Milwaukee over the last four seasons agent.
Contreras, Mears and Megill were all arbitration-eligible for the first time. On the other hand, Civale and Williams were arbitration-eligible one last time before reaching free agency, which would allow their representatives to tap into a wider pool of comparable players to negotiate next season’s salary. Milner was in the same category, posting an ERA of 4.73 in an extremely inconsistent year.
“It’s worth noting Hoby, what a complete professional he has been and what a great teammate he has been since we brought him into the organization on a Minor League contract,” said Brewers assistant GM Matt Kleine. “It is also important to emphasize that this does not close the door on Hoby remaining with the Milwaukee Brewers. We went through this last year with [Brandon Woodruff]for which there was no tender and then we managed to reach an agreement to bring him back.”
Asked about talks with players who have been offered contracts, especially Contreras and Williams, Kleine said: “We are in great shape. Typically with players of this caliber, teams don’t even bother calling these players at this point because there is no risk of the tender being rejected. Today we focus more on the players, which is a bit less certain.”
Contreras, the Brewers’ MVP in each of the last two seasons, finished fifth in the NL MVP Award voting, which was announced Thursday night. Kleine said he may be a candidate for a contract extension, but those discussions will be more appropriate at a later date when the parties begin to negotiate a deal for next season.
Williams, meanwhile, is a somewhat unique case in that he is arbitration-eligible, as the Brewers earlier this month declined his $10.5 million club option for 2025. It was purely a business decision, Kleine explained, stemming from Williams being sidelined for the first four months in 2024 due to a back injury. Kleine said the relationship between the Brewers and the two-time NL Reliever of the Year remains “strong” — even as Williams’ name comes up as a potential trade candidate entering the contract year.
“Look, the administrative processes that we have to go through behind the scenes, and this one in particular, have been relatively simple,” Kleine said. “It wasn’t completely adversarial. The club option value was valued at a level commensurate with season-long performance, and with Devin missing most of the season, his arbitration value will fall well below the option value.
“I stayed in touch with his agent early in the offseason and it was no surprise to either Devin or his agent.”
Arbitration-eligible players who were offered contracts on Friday can continue negotiations with teams until Jan. 9, when those who do not sign will exchange formal salary offers with the team. A hearing is then scheduled at the beginning of spring training, during which each side presents its case and a three-judge panel chooses one or the other.
Haase made a splash for the Brewers last spring, hitting .395 with five home runs in 38 Cactus League games. He didn’t make the Opening Day roster, but he stayed with the organization and eventually found a niche with the Major League club as a third-string catcher and right-handed pinch hitter with pop, delivering an .819 OPS in a diminutive sample of 69 plate appearances down the stretch. With Gary Sánchez a free agent, Haase is currently the primary backup to starting catcher Contreras, and Jeferson Quero, MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect, is returning from shoulder surgery that cost him all of 2024.
