Brewers add former first-round pick to bolster 2026 catching depth

The Milwaukee Brewers have become known as the team who turns formerly cast-off players who have hit a roadblock in their careers into productive big leaguers. While former first-round picks Quinn Priester and Andrew Vaughn, both of whom the Brewers acquired during the 2025 campaign, are the best examples of this recent trend, Milwaukee's roster is filled with these types of players.

Trevor Megill was designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins before the Brewers acquired him for cash considerations. The Brewers signed Blake Perkins to a major league deal after seven years in the minor leagues without cracking a big-league roster. And Milwaukee has continued to give opportunities to Jake Bauers after the New York Yankees essentially gave up on him two years ago.

This strategy, in large part thanks to the "Midas touch" of the Brewers' coaching staff, has led to a great deal of success in Milwaukee. The Brewers know they can't compete for the league's top free agents, but signing former top prospects or former first-round picks whose stocks have fallen, in hopes that they will regain their previous form, is well within the capabilities of the Brewers' limited payroll.

Just moments ago, in addressing their need for more catching depth, the Brewers added another former first-round pick to their roster, who had hit a crossroads in his professional career. As initially reported by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the social media platform Bluesky, the Brewers have agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with former Chicago Cubs backup catcher Reese McGuire.

Brewers sign former first-round pick Reese McGuire to a minor league contract with an invite to big-league spring training

The Brewers’ interest in McGuire was reported over the weekend by Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, and at the time, I wrote a story (linked below) detailing how this was a really smart move for the Brewers if they could land him on a minor league deal and a less appealing move if it required a major league contract to land the former Cub.

Brewers rumors: Milwaukee reportedly interested in Cubs' former backup catcher

As I noted in the story above, there are some things to like about McGuire's profile and some things to be concerned about. He's never logged more than 89 games or 274 plate appearances in a single season throughout his career, so drawing conclusions from strong seasons that McGuire has put together on paper, such as his first two MLB campaigns, which came with the Toronto Blue Jays, is a difficult task. There's certainly power in his offensive profile; he crushed nine homers in 44 games last year for the Cubs when he was pulling the ball in the air at a ridiculous 26.6% clip, but McGuire's career .293 on-base percentage has held him back throughout his eight-year MLB career.

Defensively, McGuire is solid. According to FanGraphs’ defensive WAR model, he's never posted a below-average season behind the dish, and his glove was his best trait when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 14th overall pick in the 2013 draft.

Speaking of his draft profile, interestingly enough, McGuire's hit tool (50) was much better than his power tool (35) at the time of his selection, but that has shifted somewhat in his professional career. McGuire has been inconsistent throughout his time in the minor leagues, but as was the case with Priester and Vaughn, the Brewers are hoping he can tap into his true potential that made the Pirates select him in the first round 13 years ago.

The move seems to indicate that the Brewers have a great deal of confidence in Jeferson Quero, who remains the only other catcher outside of William Contreras on the Brewers' 40-man roster. Signing McGuire to a minor league deal gives the Brewers the spring to decide whether or not Quero is ready to be a big-league back-up, while leaving the door open for a spot on the Opening Day roster if they deem he is. It's not out of the question that the Brewers add another catcher before spring training, but today's move seems to suggest Milwaukee is happy rolling with Contreras and Quero, with McGuire as a solid insurance plan, heading into the 2026 campaign.