Brewers agree to terms with former Phillies first baseman
With three weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Milwaukee Brewers have reportedly made a significant move to address their vacancy at first base.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the team has agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract with Rhys Hoskins. The deal, Passan said, includes an opt-out after 2024.
The Brewers had not announced the deal as of midday Wednesday.
Hoskins, who turns 31 on March 17, has been one of the more consistent run producers among first basemen in the National League since becoming a full-time player in 2018.
He missed all of 2023 after tearing the ACL in his left knee last March 23, however, so it’s unlikely any deal will become official until Hoskins is checked out thoroughly by Milwaukee’s medical staff.
The right-handed-hitting Hoskins put up some of the best numbers of his career in 2022, hitting .246 with 30 home runs and 79 runs batted in while compiling an OPS of .794.
In 667 career games with the Philadelphia Phillies, the 2014 fifth-round pick is a .242 hitter with 148 homers, 405 RBI and an OPS of .846.
Assuming he’s healthy, Hoskins should slot right into the middle of the Brewers lineup while also giving new manager Pat Murphy another potential option at designated hitter.
Defensively, Hoskins doesn’t fit the profile of the current Milwaukee roster; he accounted for minus-nine outs above average in 2022 – much lower than even former Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez.
However, the team’s need for offense at the corners is such that it’s willing to deal with that potential shortcoming in order to add Hoskins’s bat while at the same time keeping him away from the NL Central-rival Chicago Cubs, who had reportedly been interested in signing him.
Milwaukee first basemen combined for a .231 average, 23 homers, 79 RBI and an OPS of .681, collectively one of the first performances at the position in the majors in 2023.
Before Hoskins entered the fray, Milwaukee had only recently acquired Jake Bauers and utility man Owen Miller in the mix at first base.
There had also been some interest in bringing back Carlos Santana, who currently remains unsigned.
Milwaukee’s 40-man roster would be full once the signing of Hoskins is announced.