7 former Brewers still without a job heading into the 2025 season

Now that 2025 is officially upon us, we're officially closing in on baseball season. The vast majority of the best-available free agents are already off the board, but there are still a handful of star-caliber players out on the open market including several former Milwaukee Brewers players.

Specifically looking at the departing players from the 2024 Brewers, nearly every one of their free agents have found new homes. Joe Ross (Phillies), Hoby Milner (Rangers), Willy Adames (Giants), Gary Sanchez (Orioles), Bryse Wilson (White Sox), Enoli Paredes (Braves), and Frankie Montas (Mets) stand out above the rest.

From the past two seasons, there are still quite a few players with Brewers ties that remain available, though. You won't find an extensive list of players that are still in their prime, but there is certainly still some value to be had from the remaining free agents.

Let's check out which former Brewers (from the past few years) are still jobless entering the new year.

7 former Brewers who are still free agents entering 2025

Brian Anderson

Anderson didn't quite reach the 100-game marker for the 2023 Brewers, but he was the club's primary third baseman for quite some time and also logged 39 games out in right field. Never an All-Star, Anderson's best days were clearly behind him by the time he came over to the Crew.

In 96 games, he hit nine home runs with 40 RBI, a .226 batting average and an 85 OPS+ that puts his total offensive output 15 percent below league-average. His 2024 season consisted of three games and five hitless at-bats for the Braves, so it's not exactly a surprise that he's still unemployed.

Jake Bauers

A more recent Brewer, Bauers nearly matched his career-high 117 games in 2024, falling just one short. Like Anderson, he was an oft-used player on the club but he was far from the most productive.

Across those 116 appearances, the five-year veteran recorded 12 home runs and 43 RBI but he did very little else. He hit just .199 with a .662 OPS and 83 OPS+ and it's not like he hit well against right-handed pitching over lefties. No, Bauers hit just .193 against righties and .242 against lefties in a 33 at-bat sample size.

The ability to cover first base and the outfield corners, alongside a bit of home run pop that he's shown over the course of his career, should ultimately land Bauers at least a minor league deal for the 2025 campaign. He certainly didn't show enough to warrant a guaranteed spot on the big league roster, but the potential is at least there to fill out a bench spot.

Mark Canha

Canha's Brewers tenure was just a 50-game stint in the second-half of the 2023 campaign, but he swung the bat well during his time. After coming over via trade with the Mets, the long-time Oakland A's outfielder hit .287 with an .800 OPS on the Brewers. He was traded to the Tigers during the 2023-24 offseason.

In Detroit, his offensive output slipped a bit before rebuilding some value on the Giants after yet another trade. Canha has some defensive versatility and 10-15 home run potential, with the vast majority of his damage coming against left-handed pitching. He shouldn't have a problem finding a new home before the 2025 regular season gets underway.

Wade Miley

Rumor has it that Miley, who just recently turned 38, is not ready to hang it up just yet. However, he's only willing to come back for another season if it's with the Brewers. Despite the fact that injuries have limited him severely over the past handful of seasons, the southpaw has remained a solid hurler on the mound.

His 2024 season was limited to just a pair of starts this past season, but his 2023 season consisted of 23 starts and a 3.14 ERA across 120.1 innings of work. He's still got it, but any new contract from the Brewers may have to be of the minor league variety so they can confirm he'll be good to go once he's healthy.

Colin Rea

Rea has been a member of the Brewers on what feels like six different occasions, but he's seen the majority of his playing time over the past two seasons. The right-hander has functioned in a swingman role for the Crew and done an admirable job, even if none of his numbers jump off the page.

In 2024, Rea made 27 starts (and five relief appearances) to the tune of a 12-6 record with a 4.29 ERA, 4.75 FIP and 98 ERA+. He's much more of a groundball pitcher than he is a strikeout artist, but he made it work with the Brewers.

After having his 2025 club option declined by the Brewers, Rea hit the open market. As of a few weeks ago, it sounds like no serious interest has come about (as relayed by Rea himself) but he's a serviceable arm who can fill multiple roles on a pitching staff. We haven't seen the last of him yet.

Rowdy Tellez

True Brewers fans will never forget when their favorite team rostered both Rowdy Tellez and Daniel Vogelbach, who are the exact same player, at the same time. Those were the glory days. Tellez spent parts of three seasons in Milwaukee and was a decent contributor through the first two, so the majority of the memories he made in the city are good ones.

However, he fell off hard in 2023 and had troubles bouncing back in 2024 as a member of the division rival Pirates. Tellez still has some light-tower power in that bat, but his average and OPS have both dipped and he's looking more like a bench bat on a non-contender more than anything else.

Jesse Winker

In no time at all, Winker went from a disliked and washed-up veteran on the Brewers to a slightly more productive and even more disliked veteran on the Mets. He hit just .199 in a 61-game showing for the 2023 Brewers before finding his stride on the Nationals this past season.

Stuff really hit the fan when the Brewers and Mets faced off in the postseason this year. Winker and Willy Adames had quite a bit of beef that resulted in Winker becoming one of the most disliked players (especially former Brewers players) in the city.

He went out the door telling the New York Post's Mark W. Sanchez that he'll "hate the city of Milwaukee forever", so there's that too.

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