Brewers 2024-25 offseason primer: Free agents, arbitration, key dates and deadlines

Brewers arbitration eligibles (8)

• Jake Bauers
• Aaron Civale
• William Contreras
• Nick Mears
• Trevor Megill
• Hoby Milner
• Joel Payamps
• Bryse Wilson

The Brewers have three players hitting arbitration for the first time, led by star catcher William Contreras. Contreras had another stellar season in 2024 and cemented himself as one of, if not the best catcher in baseball. As such, he'll earn a substantial raise in arbitration, and projections have him at $7.6 million for 2025. A large chunk of the money saved with Adames' $12.25 million off the books will have to go directly to Contreras.

Also hitting arbitration for the first time this winter are Nick Mears and Trevor Megill. Megill stepped in admirably as the closer in Devin Williams' absence. Should Williams get traded this winter, and that appears a very real possibility, Megill would be first in line to get saves. He's projected $2 million for a 2025 salary. Nick Mears came over from Colorado at the Trade Deadline and the Brewers like the stuff he has and he's likely to return.

The best of the rest is Aaron Civale, who is entering his final year of team control. The Brewers acquired Civale in July from the Rays and he improved down the stretch. It's likely the Brewers will look to bring him back to pair with Freddy Peralta atop Milwaukee's rotation. He is projected to carry a $8MM salary in arbitration, which is the same salary as Peralta, interestingly enough.

Joel Payamps and Hoby Milner are two bullpen arms that had rough first halves of the season. Milner also ended up with a rough second half while Payamps rebounded and looked strong after the All Star break. Payamps is projected $2.8 million while Milner is projected $2.7 million. Milner's struggles though make him a non-tender candidate. Payamps, meanwhile, is likely to return.

Jake Bauers had a couple of big moments in 2024, including a go ahead homer in Game 3 of the Wild Card, but he still struggled to a .199 batting average and 34% strikeout rate. He's projected to earn $2.3 million as a backup first baseman next year. Bryse Wilson had another solid season being the jack-of-all-trades for the Brewers pitching staff. He spent a lot of early time in the rotation, where he did okay, but was much better when moved back to the bullpen. His versatility makes his $1.5 million projected salary more than reasonable.

Non-tender candidates: Milner, Bauers