Brewers' 2025 backup catcher lands minor league contract with NL West squad

The Milwaukee Brewers are expected to add another catcher to their organization prior to the end of the 2025-26 offseason, but what type of contract that catcher signs remains to be determined.

There are essentially two avenues that the Brewers could go in regard to catching depth this offseason. With All-Star William Contreras and top prospect Jeferson Quero already on the 40-man roster, the Brewers don't necessarily need to add another catcher to their 40-man, so long as they are comfortable with Quero, who has yet to make his MLB debut and has limited experience in Triple-A, serving as their primary backup in 2026. If they do believe that Quero is ready for the big leagues on Opening Day, expect the Brewers to sign a catcher to a minor league deal with an invite to big league spring training, who will likely end up serving as the everyday catcher in Triple-A to start the season.

On the flip side, if Milwaukee believes that Quero would benefit from more development time in the minor leagues and the everyday at-bats he would receive in Triple-A, the Brewers are likely to opt for a better third catcher who would command a major league contract. Such a situation is complicated by the fact that signing another catcher to a major league deal would require the Brewers to free up a 40-man roster spot, and with few DFA candidates on their roster, the corresponding move would be difficult.

The situation is further complicated by the lack of viable catching options on the free agent market this winter. If the Brewers opt to sign a catcher to a big league deal, a reunion with Victor Caratini or Gary Sánchez could make some sense, and if it's a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, it may end up being another old friend in Luke Maile or perhaps a name like Jacob Stallings.

Interestingly enough, there's a fourth former member of the Brewers' organization, in addition to Caratini, Sánchez, and Maile, who would have made some sense for Milwaukee to bring back this offseason to shore up their catching depth. However, earlier today he reportedly signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants, as reported by MLB insider Jon Morosi on the social media platform X.

San Francisco Giants sign Eric Haase to minor league deal with invite to spring training

Given the nature of the contract that former Brewers backup catcher Eric Haase ended up signing with the San Francisco Giants, a reunion in Milwaukee could have certainly made sense. Essentially, Haase will have the spring to prove that he belongs on San Francisco's Opening Day roster, and if that doesn't end up happening, he has the option to opt out and sign with a new team. It's the type of contract that would have allowed the Brewers to monitor Quero's performance and health throughout the spring and make a decision about his MLB-readiness in late March while having a viable fallback option in Haase.

Despite a somewhat rocky tenure in Milwaukee that included a difficult designation for assignment just before Opening Day 2024 (after which Haase cleared waivers and remained with the team) and Haase being replaced by Danny Jansen at the 2025 trade deadline, the now-33-year-old backstop had a productive time in a Brewers uniform. Between the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, Haase appeared in just 60 games -- an effect of Contreras' iron-man mentality -- but he posted a solid slash line of .250/.297/.434 in those limited opportunities. With seven homers during that span and a 101 OPS+ that suggested he was slightly better than the league-average hitter, Haase was a productive back-up catcher for the Brewers, and that's without mentioning his strong defense and excellent game-calling skills behind the dish.

However, after the Brewers essentially passed on him twice throughout his tenure in Milwaukee, opting instead for Sánchez and Jansen in those instances, a return to the Brewers' roster seemed unlikely for Haase this offseason, especially given the fact that his spot on the roster was no guarantee with the presence of Quero.

Therefore, the Brewers search for catching depth continues, and now with one less option on the market. With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training roughly one month from today, it's likely a move comes in the near future.