Brewers Officially Announce Full Contract Details for Rhys Hoskins Signing

The Milwaukee Brewers have officially announced the signing of former Phillies first-baseman Rhys Hoskins. The official contract is a two-year contract worth $34MM that includes a player opt-out after the 2024 season and a mutual option for the 2026 season. This is essentially a one-year contract that works out for both sides for right now and also going forward due to the mutual option being included.

Hoskins will get a $12MM salary this season and an $18MM salary for the 2025 season if he opts in. If Hoskins and the Brewers decide to not part ways for the 2026 season, Hoskins will have an $18MM salary. Any opt-out would lead to Hoskins receiving a $4MM buyout on February 1st, 2026.

Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL that he suffered in spring training. This is the main reason why his name wasn't brought up so much alongside other upcoming free agents this offseason.

A short-term contract like this one allows him to gain value and possibly hit the free agent market in 2025 and land a bigger contract with security. If Hoskins gets hurt or regresses compared to his previous years in Philadelphia, he has the choice to stay another year with the Brew Crew and would be considered a free agent for the 2026 season.

The Brewers filled a huge "if" coming into this offseason with not having an everyday first baseman in the lineup and another bat they could rely on. In his 2022 season with the Phillies, he slashed .246/.332/.462 along with 30 home runs, 79 RBI, 81 runs, and 72 walks in 589 at-bats. Additionally, he had a 122 wRC+ and 2.3 WAR while being a huge part of the Phillies run to the World Series.

With the 2024 season slowly approaching, FanGraphs projects Rhys Hoskins to slash .240/.332/.467
with 30 HR, 90 RBI, 82 runs scored, a 115 wRC+, and 1.8 fWAR. That's much better than the Brewers were originally expected to produce at first base and makes a contract like his easily worth it.