Colin Rea's contract option is the easiest decision the Brewers will make this winter

When the Brewers signed Colin Rea to a one year contract with a club option at the beginning of free agency last offseason, they likely didn't envision this level of success.

Colin Rea has been arguably the Crew's best starter this season, and he showed it once again with a phenomonal performance against Cleveland. He threw seven shutout innings, carrying a no-hitter into the 6th.

Rea's ERA on the season is now down to 3.52. He's second on the team in innings pitched, right behind Freddy Peralta. He's been as reliable as it gets in a year where the Brewers rotation has seen so much turmoil. While it's still early to look ahead to the offseason, there's one upcoming decision that will be very easy for the Brewers to make.

Picking up Colin Rea's club option is an easy decision for the Brewers to make

Rea is making just $3.5MM this year, a nice pay raise from his performance last year, yet still a considerable discount considering how he's performed this year. Teams expecting a mid-3.00 ERA from a guy that's taken the ball every fifth day would and have paid considerably more in salary. If Rea were to hit the open market again following this season, he'd earn himself a very substantial raise and perhaps a longer-term deal.

Instead, the Brewers have a club option for 2025 on Rea that carries a $5.5MM salary. Given the rising cost of starting pitching and his performance this year, exercising that option will be one of the easiest decisions the Brewers front office will make this offseason.

The Brewers starting rotation has dealt with a number of injuries this year and the group is still going to be in flux heading into 2025. Brandon Woodruff will return from shoulder surgery, but it's impossible to know if Woodruff will instantly be back to his old self or if he'll struggle in his return. Wade Miley is likely to be out of the picture as a free agent, Robert Gasser will return mid-season from Tommy John surgery.

There's also Freddy Peralta returning, Aaron Civale has another year of team control, and then there's the kids. Tobias Myers, Aaron Ashby, Carlos F. Rodriguez, Jacob Misiorowski, and Logan Henderson all figure to compete for spots in that rotation.

However, even with all those possible options, few are guarantees. Peralta and Civale will be there, but outside of that, it's a lot of unknown quantities. Having another known quantity in Colin Rea will be crucial to the stability of the rotation next year.

There's a $1MM buyout on Rea's option, should the Brewers choose to decline it, but there's little to no chance of that with his performance this year. The Brewers love his leadership in the clubhouse and his very team-friendly price tag for next season all but assures he'll be back in a Milwaukee uniform in 2025.