Ranking The Still Available Free Agent First Basemen For The 2024 Brewers

The biggest need on the Brewers roster right now is at first base. Rowdy Tellez is gone, Mark Canha was traded to Detroit, and Carlos Santana is a free agent. The Brewers currently have Jake Bauers and Owen Miller as options on the 40 man roster.

Clearly, the Brewers need to add someone else to the position before the season begins. But who will that be? There are several options that remain on the free agent market that have experience at first base and can serve as primary options. There's also the trade market that always has unknown possibilities.

Let's break down the available names at first base into different tiers for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The "Ideal, But Likely Won't Happen" Tier

Rhys Hoskins

Really, this situation couldn't line up any better for the Brewers. Rhys Hoskins would be the best first baseman the Brewers have had since Prince Fielder by a longshot. Typically, he wouldn't be anywhere near affordable for the budget-minded Brewers, but the circumstances of his free agency make him a more realistic option.

Hoskins is coming off an ACL tear in spring training that wiped out his entire 2023 season. While injuries like that are always a concern for interested teams, that injury has led Hoskins to be on the lookout for a one year contract so he can re-set his value and hit the open market coming off a productive season. No one will give him the long-term contract he wants coming off an injury. That sets up a perfect opportunity for Milwaukee to swoop in with a one year deal and sign a player that typically would not sign with them.

There's no such thing as a bad one year contract. The Brewers have done a deal like this before, signing Yasmani Grandal to a one year deal with a higher salary, and they should do so again with Hoskins. Hoskins can rake in Milwaukee as the young corner infielders continue to develop in the minors and the Brewers would instantly improve their lineup.

So far, not a single rumor has connected the Brewers to Hoskins' market and they don't appear to be interested. He'd be the ideal 2024 first baseman for Milwaukee, but a deal appears unlikely.