Potential Sal Frelick contract extension aided by Athletics' recent team-friendly deal

With the Milwaukee Brewers currently reaping the benefits of their forward-thinking approach to roster construction, and as a result, not needing to make many external additions to their roster this offseason, some of the attention has turned to who the front office could sign to a long-term contract extension. Budding superstar Jackson Chourio and his reasonable eight-year, $82 million deal that he signed before his rookie season in 2024, showed Brewers fans just how beneficial it can be to get ahead of a player's breakout season with a contract extension the offseason prior. Chourio, who has already collected 6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in his first two seasons in the big leagues, is making his average annual salary of $10.25 million look like a steal for the Brewers.

In searching for other extension candidates on the Brewers' roster, several names immediately come to mind. Jacob Misiorowski, who broke out with an All-Star rookie campaign in 2025, is certainly a possibility, but Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported earlier this offseason that the Brewers and Misiorowski's camp have not yet made any progress on extension talks. Brice Turang and William Contreras each fit the "contract extension" mold, but both have likely already priced themselves out of the Brewers' budget with their performance over the last few seasons. Here at Reviewing the Brew, we have often mentioned the possibility of an Abner Uribe extension occuring this winter, noting that his price will rise rapidly once he hits arbitration, assuming he takes over as Milwaukee's closer in the near future.

One name that hasn't received much attention in the contract extension coverage this offseason is outfielder Sal Frelick, who has steadily improved throughout his two and a half-year MLB career, and posted a solid 3.0 WAR last season. However, after the Athletics agreed to a team-friendly contract extension with their young outfielder, Tyler Soderstrom, on Christmas Day, the Brewers might be smart to enter extension talks with their own pre-arbitration outfielder, seeing as the cost of locking up Soderstrom for the next seven seasons was not as high as most baseball fans expected.

Athletics sign outfielder Tyler Soderstrom to seven-year, $86 million contract extension, paving the way for a potential Sal Frelick extension

In the midst of the Christmas Day festivities, the 24-year-old Soderstrom was gifted a seven-year contract extension after his breakout season with the Athletics in 2025. Soderstrom, who had one season remaining before he became eligible for arbitration, is set to earn an average annual salary of $12.285 million over the next seven seasons, but a club option in 2033 and incentives throughout the course of the deal could raise the total value of the contract to $131 million, according to Jared Greenspan and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

It's no insignificant deal; that much is made clear by the fact that it's the most guaranteed money the Athletics have ever given one player, but if Soderstrom's 2025 season is any indication, the contract will end up being incredibly team-friendly. The young outfielder posted 4.3 WAR in 2025 after slugging 25 homers and finishing as a finalist for a Gold Glove in left field. Bringing the price down is the fact that Soderstrom would have made far less money in his final year holding the "pre-arbitration" status in 2026 and at least his first two years in the arbitration process. In other words, the pay bump he gets over the next three years is his reward for likely earning less than he otherwise would in free agency during the final four years of the deal, assuming no major injuries or performance dips occur.

Frelick is in a similar position. He has one more year of earning the league minimum before he becomes eligible for arbitration next offseason. His offensive profile couldn't be much more different than Soderstrom's -- Frelick offers value by avoiding strikeouts, getting on base, and wreaking havoc on the basepaths, whereas Soderstrom essentially slugged his way to a contract extension. That said, with Frelick posting 3.0 WAR in 2025, when all is said and done, the two players offer comparable value to their respective teams. As a result, the Brewers could look to the Athletics' team-friendly framework from the Soderstrom deal, which rewards strong play with significant incentives and a sizable club option at the end, when discussing a potential contract extension with the 25-year-old Frelick.

That's not to say the Brewers should be handing Frelick $86 million this offseason; even a metric like WAR, which favors Frelick's well-rounded profile, doesn't suggest that the Brewers outfielder holds the same value as Soderstrom. However, Milwaukee should absolutely reference Soderstrom's contract when discussing a long-term deal with Frelick, which would likely result in the Brewers paying their talented outfielder roughly $8-9 million a year rather than the more than $12 million Soderstrom is bringing in annually.

$8-9 million a year for Sal Frelick over the next seven seasons? Seems reasonable enough in a day and age where the value of 1.0 WAR has been inflated to more than $10 million on the free agent market. Frelick's high floor -- a result of the significant value he adds on the bases and in the field -- almost ensures that such a contract would never end up looking too bad for the Brewers. Even still, it's a lot of money to give up for the Brewers, who might feel that Frelick's profile is easier to replace than someone like Soderstrom's, whose ceiling is raised by his unique power at the plate.

Regardless of whether or not Milwaukee does end up inking Frelick to a contract extension this offseason, deals like the one Soderstrom agreed to on Christmas Day are good for the Brewers. It provides a team-friendly reference point for Matt Arnold and the front office should they look to extend one of their emerging stars.