The arbitration-eligible player Brewers should instead sign to a multi-year extension

The cleanest reason an Andrew Vaughn extension makes sense is the one the Milwaukee Brewers always care about: cost certainty. Vaughn is arbitration-eligible for 2026, and if he plays well, that price only climbs. A multi-year deal lets Milwaukee lock in a number they can live with now, and — just as importantly — build a payroll plan around it without having to revisit the same first-base question every winter. 

The Brewers are not likely to sign players simply because they're "good" enough. Instead, they'll sign them based on the numbers and timing of that player's career — and with that criterion in mind, Vaughn appears to fit perfectly. He has sufficient time left for growth (young), but he has been around long enough that he may begin to earn too much as the years pile on towards free agency.

Andrew Vaughn’s breakout gives the Brewers an extension dilemma worth having

What is also intriguing about Vaughn is how the Brewers might construct an extension to him. The Brewers will win nothing if the terms of this extension ultimately become a negative on the team's payroll. They only need to make this contract work for the sake of their current budget. In other words, the best way to look at a smart extension would be as a financial tool that allows them to manage their 2026 budget by spreading money out over additional seasons, then sprinkle in team-friendly protections like options, incentives, or escalators.

It’s the same small-market playbook they’ve run before — trade a little long-term commitment for short-term flexibility, without sacrificing the chance to keep a productive bat around if the breakout sticks.

The hinge point is the front office trusting the breakout. Vaughn is exactly the type of hitter Milwaukee can talk themselves into because the quality-of-contact signals are tempting, even when the surface-level numbers feel a little messy. If the Brewers believe their implemented swing decisions, coaching, and usage can get him living in the version of himself that drives the ball consistently, then you’re not extending a “project.” You’re extending a player whose underlying ingredients suggest he should be better than his reputation.

But the caution flag is there, too, and it’s why the structure of an extension matters. Yes, Vaughn’s 2025 ended up looking pretty solid on paper — a .254 average with 14 homers, 65 RBIs, and a .718 OPS across 112 games — and the Brewers saw the best version of him down the stretch after he arrived mid-season. But it still wasn’t a straight line.

He started poorly enough to become a “reset” candidate, the kind of buy-low swing Milwaukee could justify after the White Sox chapter stalled out. If you’re extending him, you’re acknowledging there’s a real chance you’re paying for that strong finish more than the full-body résumé, and that it might not hold over a full season in 2026. The Brewers can live with that risk only if they bake in an exit ramp: shorter guarantees, club options, and incentives tied to playing time or production.

That would be the sweet spot. If Milwaukee believes Vaughn is closer to a stable solution than a temporary patch, extending him isn’t a splashy declaration — it’s a calculated Brewers move: control the cost, stabilize the position, and keep the ceiling in the building without letting the floor collapse your budget.