MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers sent first baseman Rhys Hoskins and Jose Quintana into free agency on Tuesday when they declined mutual contract options on both veterans, but they will hang onto All-Star catcher William Contreras despite declining his club option as well.
It’s a business move for the Brewers, who surely valued Contreras’ toughness and durability during a year in which the 27-year-old caught 128 games with a painful fracture in the middle finger of his glove hand. Both sides knew this scenario was possible when they agreed in January to avoid arbitration with a one-year, $6.1 million contract that called for a $6 million salary for Contreras in 2025 and a $12 million club option for ‘26 with a $100,000 buyout.
Had they picked up the option, the Brewers and Contreras would have avoided arbitration, the process used to determine salaries for established players who don’t yet have the six years of Major League service time needed to qualify for free agency. But by declining, the Brewers are essentially betting that Contreras will cost less than $12 million next season after he batted .260/.355/.399 with 17 home runs and 76 RBIs, earning a start behind home plate in the All-Star Game but finishing with numbers that fell from the previous year while managing pain in his finger.
The Brewers are hopeful that Contreras will have a healthier 2026 after he underwent a procedure last week to address the fracture. GM Matt Arnold characterized it as “minor,” and he said Contreras would be sidelined from baseball activities for 5-6 weeks but is expected to be healthy in plenty of time for Spring Training.
Milwaukee faced a similar contractual decision last year at this time with then-closer Devin Williams, declining his $10.5 million club option before trading him to the Yankees. With New York, Williams negotiated a one-year, $8.6 million contract to avoid arbitration.
But there were notable differences between Williams then and Contreras now. One, Williams was coming off a partial season in 2024 after missing the first three months with a back injury. Two, he was going into his final year of control before free agency. Contreras, who turns 28 on Christmas Eve, still has two years of club control remaining.
Tuesday’s other decisions were much more straightforward.
Hoskins’ contract called for an $18 million mutual option for 2026 with a $4 million buyout. He played in 221 games for the Brewers over the past two seasons and hit 38 home runs, trailing only Jackson Chourio (42), Contreras (40) and Christian Yelich (40) in that span, but he missed most of the second half in 2025 with a left thumb injury and was left off the roster for both rounds of the postseason.
Quintana’s one-year contract had a $15 million mutual option with a $2 million buyout, and like with Hoskins, the Brewers chose the latter. Quintana was 11-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 131 2/3 innings during the regular season, trailing only Freddy Peralta (176 2/3 frames) and Quinn Priester (157 1/3) on the team despite being sidelined for the final two weeks of the regular season by a left calf injury.
With Tuesday’s decisions, all six of the Brewers’ option decisions have been resolved. Hoskins, Quintana, Brandon Woodruff and Danny Jansen joined the free-agent pool. Contreras and Peralta, whose $8 million club option was picked for 2026, remain with Milwaukee.