Brewers' William Contreras contract exhale comes with a future side benefit

The ink is dry, and all is resolved between William Contreras and the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee locked up their All-Star backstop for the 2026 season for $9.4 million, with a $14.5 million club option for the 2027 campaign. It's very similar to the deal the two sides struck last year to avoid an arbitration hearing, but the values of the salary and club option have increased from $6.1 million and $12 million, respectively.

Arbitration hearings can occasionally get ugly. As was the case with the Brewers' 2023 arbitration hearing with Corbin Burnes that ultimately led to the relationship between Milwaukee and their Cy Young ace being harmed. Hearings can also backfire on the organization, as evidenced by Tarik Skubal winning his arbitration case earlier this year against the Detroit Tigers, netting him a salary $13 million higher than the one the club proposed.

Small market clubs like the Brewers often rely on the MLB's current CBA contract structure to get the most value of budding stars, without having to put themselves in a dire financial state. Such a strategy, however, also requires the Brewers to be smart about how they handle the arbitration process. Whatever salaries they dish out in arbitration become the new precedent for future contracts, and if Milwaukee isn't careful about how they handle these situations, it could come back to hurt them down the road.

In Contreras' case, the Brewers' wisely structured the deal so that it can't be used as a reference point for future salaries, which, theoretically, could save the organization from having to pay a sizable salary to a catcher in the future.

Brewers' deal with Contreras can't be cited in future arbitration cases

In a perfect world, the Brewers would absolutely lock up Contreras to a long-term deal, establishing him as a key piece of the franchise in this current "World Series window." Not only does his offense speak for itself, but his relationship with the Brewers pitching staff has been instrumental for the team's success over his tenure.

However while a long-term extension feels unlikely, there is a far less consequential benefit to the "multi-year" deal that Contreras agreed to with the Brewers last week. As initially pointed out by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, Contreras' contract, because of the club option included for the 2027 season, is treated as a "multi-year" contract in the world of arbitration. As a result, the salary that Contreras will earn in 2026 can't be cited as a reference point in future arbitration cases.

It's unlikely that the Brewers have a catcher with as strong of a resume as Contreras in his second year of arbitration, anytime in the near future, but it's not entirely out of the question. Additionally, just because a future catcher isn't directly compared to Contreras, the precedent that he would have set could have still impacted future catchers' salaries in arbitration.

The situation feels especially relevant given the approaching debut of top prospect Jeferson Quero. Though Quero's stock has slipped slightly due to a shoulder surgery that nerfed his previously elite arm strength, hope remains high that the 23-year-old will be able to fill Contreras' shoes in the near future. Obviously, a reality in which Quero is as productive as Contreras through his first four seasons in MLB is both unlikely and the best-case scenario for the Brewers, but not having Contreras' 2026 salary as a reference point certainly helps Milwaukee regardless.

If it's not Quero, maybe 2025 breakout prospect Marco Dinges will be Milwaukee's catcher of the future. Dinges started the 2025 campaign with the Carolina Mudcats, before being called up to High-A Wisconsin. In 51 games for the Timber Rattlers, Dinges slashed .273/.371/.409 and popped 10 home runs.

In the end, not only did the Brewers avoid the arbitration hearing ugliness with their current catcher, but they also don't have to worry about this case impacting potential future cases with Quero or Dinges. Even if neither catcher rises to Contreras' level, not having a new precedent for catchers in their second year of arbitration inevitably helps the Brewers down the road.

It's certainly possible that Contreras' deal ends up being a one-year contract anyways; it feels more likely that the Brewers decline the club option (like they did this year) rather than pick it up. However, because of the way they structured the deal, the Brewers potentially saved themselves money in the future regardless of what ends up happening with the club option. It's yet another brilliant move from Milwaukee's front office.