Brewers: What would an extension for Keston Hiura look like?

Keston Hiura has only about half a season in the Majors, but it’s clear that he’s going to play an important role in the future. What kind of contract extension would make sense for Hiura and the Milwaukee Brewers?

In addition to Spring Training, February and March are often the months when teams and players look to work out contract extensions. The Milwaukee Brewers and Christian Yelich have already come to a deal that will keep the Yelich in Milwaukee for the majority of his career.

The team also has a potential franchise cornerstone in second baseman Keston Hiura. If the team were to buy out his years of team control and arbitration, what would it look like?

How many years before Hiura hits free agency?

Hiura is under team control for the next five season. He won’t become a free agent until after the 2025 season.

How much is Hiura making for the next few years?

Based on his ability and performance, Hiura is going to be vastly underpaid. He’s signed for $583,000 this year, and will get incremental raises before reaching arbitration eligibility in 2023. In short, he won’t cost the Brewers much for the next three seasons.

Are there any comparable extensions signed recently?

Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox is the closest comparison for Hiura, and Hiura is likely a better all around player than Anderson. Before the 2017 season, Anderson signed a six-year deal worth $25 million that comes with a pair of option years for 2023 and 2024 that are worth a combined $26.5 million.

The Brewers would likely have to do better than what Anderson got to sign Hiura through his years of team control and arbitration eligible years.

What can Hiura reasonably expect

Well, it really depends on the years.

The Milwaukee Brewers already have Hiura under contract for the 2020 season, so they only have five years to buy out. If they go that route, a five-year deal in the $25 million to $30 million range isn’t out of the question. That’s only an average annual value of $5 million to $6 million per year.

If the Brewers try to buy out a year of free agency and offer a six-year deal, that deal could go into the $40 million to $45 million range. That’s still a great deal for both sides, but it would bump the average annual value into the $6.5 million to $7.5 million range.

Keep in mind that these are just basic deals that don’t even get into team options, player options or mutual options. Barring a trade, Hiura is going to be with the Brewers through at least 2025, but the team could work out an extension to make Hiura a true franchise cornerstone moving forward.