5 Brewers who almost certainly won't be back in 2026 after disheartening playoff exit

After being swept in four games by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 NLCS, the Milwaukee Brewers' offseason has begun earlier than they hoped it would once again. While the Brew Crew did overcome a hurdle that has plagued them for the last seven years, winning a postseason series for the first time since they defeated the Colorado Rockies in the 2018 NLDS, they couldn't overcome the superteam in Los Angeles and achieve their ultimate goal.

The attention now turns to the offseason, during which the Brewers will have several questions to answer. Luckily for Milwaukee, they have one of the youngest rosters in MLB, and most of the players who led them to a franchise-record number of regular season wins in 2025 remain under contract for the 2026 season. As such, there shouldn't be a ton of roster turnover before the 2026 season begins next April, but there are some notable names who will more than likely not return to Milwaukee next season.

5 Brewers who likely won't be back with the team for the 2026 season

1. C Danny Jansen

Wisconsin-native Danny Jansen's Brewers tenure is expected to be a brief one. After joining the Brew Crew at the 2025 trade deadline, Jansen served as Milwaukee's backup catcher for the second half of the regular season and the postseason. That said, Jansen didn't make an appearance in the playoffs for Milwaukee, as team leader William Contreras caught every pitch for the Brewers in October.

Jansen holds a $12 million mutual option for the 2026 season in the contract that he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays last offseason. The Brewers will certainly opt for the $500,000 buyout instead, making Jansen a free agent for the second consecutive offseason. With top prospect Jeferson Quero seemingly ready for the big leagues, the Brewers will most likely opt for a less notable backup catcher as a placeholder until Quero's debut, which could come very early in the 2026 season.

2. 1B/OF Jake Bauers

Jake Bauers was non-tendered by the Brewers last November, before returning to the team on a minor league deal in early January. Milwaukee faces a similar decision with their backup first baseman this offseason. According to MLB Trade Rumors, whose arbitration salary projections have been spot on in recent years, Bauers is projected to garner a salary of $2 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility next year. Given the fact that the Brewers elected not to bring Bauers back a season ago, when his projected arb salary was $2.3 million, it's unlikely they will bring back the 30-year-old slugger this offseason.

With Andrew Vaughn likely to return as the team's primary first baseman next season, and cheaper left-handed first base options with similar profiles to Bauers' available, it's more than possible that Bauers has played his final game in a Brewers' uniform. That said, if he's willing to return to Milwaukee on a minor league deal just as he did last offseason, the Brewers could use his services as a left-handed first base option to pair with Vaughn.

3. 1B/DH Rhys Hoskins

The latest example of the Brewers making a splash on a free agent bat, Rhys Hoskins' time in Milwaukee did not live up to the expectations that fans held when Matt Arnold and company signed him to a two-year, $34 million contract back in January of 2024. While the longtime Philadelphia Phillie showed signs of the feared hitter that he was before a torn ACL caused him to miss the entire 2023 season, his Brewers tenure ultimately came to an uninspiring end when Hoskins was left off the 2025 postseason roster.

With an $18 million mutual option, something Hoskins would likely agree to, and a $4 million buyout, it's almost a certainty that the Brewers elect for the latter, effectively making their second-most expensive player on the 2025 roster a free agent. Hoskins, who turns 33 in March, will likely search for a short-term "prove it" deal for the 2026 season, in hopes of securing a multi-year deal in the following offseason.

4. LHP José Quintana

Throughout the regular season, José Quintana gave the Brewers exactly what they needed: stability at the back-end of their starting rotation. While that stability didn't translate to success in Game 4 of the NLCS last night, Quintana's one-year, $4.25 million deal proved to be a good one for the Brewers. During a time when the price of effective starting pitching is through the roof, finding a starter who maintained a sub-4.00 ERA through 24 starts for less than $5 million was another savvy move from Arnold and the Brewers' front office.

Quintana seemed to enjoy his time in Milwaukee, his game aligning closely with the philosophy of the Brewers' pitching department, but it's likely, especially given the amount of young talent returning to Milwaukee's starting rotation, that he doesn't factor into the team's 2026 plans. Whether Quintana is able to find a longer-term or more expensive deal elsewhere, there's a strong possibility that he doesn't return to Milwaukee next season. Perhaps he will sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates and complete the NL Central sweep, after playing for each of the other four teams in the last six seasons.

5. RHP Brandon Woodruff

This one won't be easy, Brewers fans. It's no certainty, but more than likely, Brandon Woodruff will not be wearing a Brewers uniform next season. While a $20 million mutual option could keep Woody in Milwaukee for another season, it's far more likely that Woodruff turns down the option and searches for a multi-year deal on the open market. The combination of Woodruff proving that he can still be an effective pitcher even after his shoulder reconstruction and the fact that his current lat injury is unrelated to said reconstruction means that the longtime Brewer should garner plenty of interest in a free agent market in which Woody will be one of the best options.

Surely, Woody's fond memories in Milwaukee and the confidence that the Brewers' organization showed him by giving him a two-year deal knowing he would miss at least one full season recovering from his 2023 surgery will play a role in his final decision. However, given the aforementioned price of an effective, experienced starting pitcher, it's more than possible that the cash-strapped Brewers don't bring back the fan favorite Woodruff for the 2026 season.