What Will It Take for the Brewers To Run It Back in 2027?
The Brewers have finally reached the mountaintop. Now, it's about making the right moves to keep them there.
Fresh off the first World Series title in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers are in an ideal spot heading into the 2026-27 offseason.
With the exception of a couple of positions, which we’ll dive into momentarily, the Brewers are in a prime position to run it back in 2027. Much of the team that dominated its way to a title will return next season. Not only did they manage to win a championship without having to mortgage the future for a star at the trade deadline, but they also have an elite farm system filled with players who could contribute in 2027, just like what transpired this past season with Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara.
For those who are still caught up in the celebration of Milwaukee’s World Series title, let me catch you up on the flurry of roster moves that have happened since the World Series.
Noteworthy moves include catcher Gary Sanchez, relievers Antonio Senzatela and JoJo Romero, starters Dustin May and Brandon Woodruff, and first baseman Jake Bauers all hitting the open market.
However, Bauers, one of the premier bats on the free-agent market this offseason, was extended a one-year qualifying offer and has until November 17 to decide whether he wants to return to Milwaukee in 2027 for $23.15 million or test the market in search of a longer-term contract.
While each of those players played an instrumental role in getting the Brewers to the promised land, the core of the roster remains intact heading into 2027. So, how do the Brewers best position themselves to run it back next season? Let’s break down what their ideal offseason would look like.
Figure Out First Base
The elephant in the room is Milwaukee’s largest pending free agent. While this is a decision that is out of Milwaukee’s hands for the time being, it’s going to be the most impactful one for the Brewers nonetheless.
In my opinion, there is a greater likelihood that Bauers accepts the one-year QO than declines it.
Sure, Bauers could test free agency and sign a multi-year contract. Just Baseball has his predicted contract length at 1-3 years, with an AAV between $15-25 million. If a team is willing to give Bauers a three-year contract, which in and of itself remains a question given his breakout campaign at age 30 in his seventh MLB season, he’s likely looking at a deal in the $45 million guaranteed range.
The first question is whether or not a team is willing to give him a third year. The second is whether or not those extra years of security are worth turning down $23 million in 2027.
There’s a very strong chance that 2026 was the best version of Bauers we will ever see. But if he is able to split the difference between his 2025 and 2026 seasons, call it a 130 wRC+ and 2.0 fWAR, then his potential contract next offseason wouldn’t look all that different from the one he could sign this offseason.
For Bauers, he has the chance to run it back with an organization he has clearly grown fond of and appreciates, one that gave him a second life in Major League Baseball, all while earning a healthy salary. Should things fall into place and he puts up another strong season, he banks $23 million in 2027 and could earn the payday he deserves next offseason.
Bauers bet on himself before when he decided to return to Major League Baseball instead of hanging up the cleats, and look where it got him. The Brewers clearly value him enough to extend the QO, which would make him the second-highest-paid player on the team behind Christian Yelich in 2027. Bauers has also expressed his desire to stay in Milwaukee on multiple occasions.
It feels like he is more valuable to Milwaukee than any other organization in MLB, and for that, I predict he accepts the QO and runs it back. But it all comes down to what his market looks like in free agency.
In the event that he doesn’t take the QO and tests the open market, the Brewers will head into 2027 with Andrew Vaughn at first base, which is still a solid backup plan. Vaughn is entering his final year of arbitration, and it was evident by his lack of playing time in the postseason that Milwaukee would like another option at first to pair with him.
Among the top bats available, Ty France is really the only other name behind Bauers who would move the needle. However, having both France, a right-handed hitter, and Vaughn on the roster would be repetitive.
If Bauers leaves, the most likely outcome is that Vaughn takes over as the primary first baseman for the ball club, and the Brewers turn to the minor leagues for a backup at the position.
Tyler Black would be an option, but he’s long failed to earn a runway at the major-league level.
Blake Burke, who launched a whopping 34 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last season, and Luke Adams, who posted a 149 wRC+ with the Nashville Sounds, are potential options in Triple-A who could get the call.
Although it’s worth pointing out that Adams is a right-handed bat, while Burke is a lefty. That certainly plays into Burke’s favor.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out. If Bauers does decline the QO and test the market, there’s still a chance he returns to Milwaukee on a multi-year deal. Time will tell, and we’ll know soon enough how the first base position plays out in Milwaukee.
Keep the Expiring Contracts
I’ll get this out of the way now: The Brewers will not be trading William Contreras this offseason. At least, I’d be utterly shocked if they did.
I know history says otherwise, given how this franchise has handled expiring contracts in the past, but the Brewers have never been in a situation where they’re fresh off a title with their World Series MVP entering the final year of his contract. This is different and cannot be compared to past situations.
Whether or not the ball club elects to extend Contreras is an entirely different story. He’s provided more value to this organization than words can describe, especially with what he did in the postseason, but extending a soon-to-be 30-year-old catcher goes against every single philosophy the Brewers follow. Would it surprise me if they broke the rules for Contreras and locked him up? Absolutely not. I’m just not sure how far the Brewers are willing to go in extension talks.
Back to the main point, though: Contreras will be donning a Brewers jersey in 2027. If the team wants even a chance to run it back, Contreras needs to be part of the plans.
Trevor Megill, on the other hand, is a much more interesting conversation. The Brewers closer is entering his final year of team control and will be 33 years old next season. Dating back to the beginning of the 2024 season, Megill has a 2.61 ERA over 155 innings for Milwaukee to go with 81 saves, the second-most in the NL over that stretch.
The Brewers are reportedly willing to listen on Megill, as they should be. With how volatile relievers are from year to year, if there’s a chance to turn an aging reliever in the final year of his contract into a prospect package, it would be malpractice for Milwaukee not to entertain offers.
However, the Brewers aren’t going to dump Megill just to dump him. The package needs to be worth the trade-off of losing the closer who just helped them win a title, and I’m just not sure if another team will be willing to meet that asking price.
Megill was instrumental in the Brewers winning a championship, bar none. It’s not lost on the front office how difficult it would be to replace him at the end of games. Sure, Uribe and Ashby are arms capable of doing so, but part of what made Milwaukee’s bullpen so historic was the way all of its high-leverage arms complemented one another in the late innings.
The Brewers would need to receive a package that makes it hard for them to say no, and I just don’t see many contending ball clubs lining up with such an offer for a closer who will be 33 next season. I have no doubt the Brewers are listening, but unless they get a package that will help them repeat in 2027, I think Megill remains in Milwaukee for the final year of his team control.
Anthony Castrovince asked Brewers GM Matt Arnold about trading Trevor Megill. His response?
“He got the last 6 outs of the World Series, and I just went to a Metallica concert with him. So I like him.”
While not a “no,” it certainly wasn’t the typical GM-speak we usually get from Arnold. At the end of the day, this team did the unthinkable by winning a championship without sacrificing the future. Capitalize on the opportunity to go back-to-back with largely the same squad and retain the expiring contracts.
Fill In the Cracks
Should the Brewers bring back Bauers, the 2027 lineup will look nearly identical to the one that just won a World Series. Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick will hold down the outfield from left to right. Cooper Pratt entrenched himself at shortstop, Brice Turang has ascended to become arguably the best second baseman in Major League Baseball heading into next season, and third base will likely be handled by a platoon of David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz.
There really aren’t many holes to address. The team was nearly flawless in the postseason, so why mess with a good thing?
Now, Gary Sanchez returned value on his $1.75 million contract in 2026, but the backup catcher role is likely to be passed to Jeferson Quero in 2027. With Luis Lara holding down the fourth outfield spot, not much will change next season.
The rotation is where things get interesting.
Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson will be the frontline arms heading into next season. Robert Gasser earned a spot in the rotation, and a healthy Quinn Priester will get a chance to earn his spot back as well.
Kyle Harrison, who was one of the best pitchers in the sport during the first half of the season but failed to return to form in the second half after coming back from injury, should get another chance to prove himself next season. Though he was completely phased out of the pitching plans heading into October, it’s fair to chalk that up to injury and hope he can bounce back in 2027.
In a perfect world, Harrison and Priester bounce back from their injuries and return to their previous forms. But when is baseball ever that predictable and fortunate?
Injuries happen all the time. Regression strikes when you’re least expecting it. Whatever it may be, teams can never have too much pitching, and for a Brewers team that ran out 13 different starting pitchers last year, they will most likely be in the market to add a starter.
They won’t be in the top-of-the-market conversation for guys like Freddy Peralta, Michael King, etc., but the Brewers typically make an under-the-radar starting pitcher addition every offseason. I would expect more of the same this offseason.
Coleman Crow, who got some spot starts in 2026, and Brandon Sproat, who greatly disappointed in his first year with Milwaukee, will be in the mix for starts as well. But expect this team to bring in a veteran starter to round out the back of the rotation.
Whether that’s bringing back Brandon Woodruff, who I’d expect to remain within the organization one way or another next season, or pursuing an alternative option, adding starting pitching depth is near the top of the list of needs for this ball club this offseason.
Final Thoughts
Brewers fans have to be giddy about what the future might hold for their ball club. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Jesús Made, the top prospect in all of baseball, is very likely to make his MLB debut next season. Who’s to say Andrew Fischer, who hit 48 home runs in 2026, and other top prospects like Jett Williams and Josh Adamczewski couldn’t contribute, too?
For once, it’s not, “What moves do the Brewers need to make to finally get over the hump?” The Brewers got over the hump and reached the mountaintop. Now, it’s about what moves can help them stay there.
And when looking at their roster, it shouldn’t take many to put them in a great position to defend their title.
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Written by
Joey Peterson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an editor for Just Baseball. He covers the Milwaukee Brewers, along with general MLB topics…