The Brewers have already been forced into one big offseason adjustment, and it comes with a familiar name leaving town. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Boston is signing Jake Bauers to a four-year, $58 million contract, a move that strips Milwaukee of its NLCS MVP and opens up a real hole in the lineup.
So where do the Brewers turn now? They have options, and the answer doesn’t have to come from one single path.
Milwaukee could shop in free agency, lean on its own depth, or get aggressive on the trade market. Three names stand out.
Ty France sits at the top of the free-agent list as the cleanest fit. The 32-year-old left-handed slugger is coming off a 4.5 bWAR season, the best mark among free-agent first basemen, Bauers included. He won’t come cheap, but he profiles as the closest thing to a straight-up Bauers replacement without forcing the Brewers into a major trade splash.
The other route is to keep the solution in-house. Bauers leaving creates a lot of available at-bats, and Milwaukee could choose not to chase an outside bat at all.
Andrew Vaughn could share first base with top-five prospect Andrew Fischer, who put up a 1.067 OPS in 126 games last season between High-A and Double-A. The Brewers could also look for a breakthrough from Luke Adams, Tyler Black, Blake Burke, or Brock Wilken.
With that kind of internal depth, Milwaukee doesn’t necessarily have to spend big to patch the spot.
If the Brewers want to get creative, a trade could bring the most intrigue. Vinnie Pasquantino of the Royals is the kind of name that would make sense on paper.
The left-handed first baseman had a down year by his standards, but he still finished with 17 home runs, a .249 average, a .760 OPS and 2.5 bWAR in 114 games. He’s under club control through 2029, which makes him appealing, even if Kansas City would ask for a meaningful return.
He may be the least likely of the three paths, but he’s also the one with the most upside if Milwaukee decides to swing for something different.
In Other News...
Bobby Witt Jr. Just Raised The Stakes For Kansas Citys Future
Bobby Witt Jr. spent the season doing exactly what the Royals have been hoping for since he arrived: playing like a franchise centerpiece and making it look sustainable. Even with injuries limiting him to 143 games, he still finished third in American League MVP voting with 188 points, added another All-MLB First Team nod for the third straight year and picked up the MLBPAA Heart & Hustle Award for the third time, a strong reminder that his production and approach keep stacking up.
For Kansas City, the bigger takeaway is where this leaves the organization going forward. Manager Matt Quatraro and general manager J.J. Picollo both pointed to Witts growth and preparation as signs of what he means to the club beyond one standout season, and the Royals challenge now is clear: keep building a roster that matches his trajectory. After a year like this, the stakes around supporting him only get higher. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Loftin Created A Royals Roster Debate That Isnt Going Away
Nick Loftin spent the 2026 season doing exactly what players on the roster bubble are supposed to do: make the decision harder. He put together a career-best batting line, logged 118 games, and kept showing up wherever the Royals needed him, handling multiple infield spots while turning in enough value to finish with a 1.3 WAR. His work at third base even earned a Gold Glove nomination, a sign that his defensive reputation has started to catch up to the versatility he has offered all year.
The problem for Loftin is that progress does not always equal a clear lane the next season. Kansas City has competition at several infield positions, and while Loftin has made himself more useful, the outfield is still not an obvious answer for him because of the defensive questions there. So the Royals are left weighing a player who helped them in a lot of different ways against a roster picture that may still push him back into the same utility role, even after his best season yet. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Fans Still Feel The Sting Of One Pitcher Who Got Away
The Royals front office made one of its most scrutinized moves on March 27, 1987, when Kansas City sent pitcher David Cone and outfielder Chris Jelic to the Mets for Rick Anderson, Mauro Gozzo and catcher Ed Hearn. At the time, it was the kind of swap teams make hoping to balance present needs with future upside, but history has not been kind to the return Kansas City received.
Cone went on to build a successful career and eventually came back to Kansas City, where he later delivered a Cy Young Award-winning season in 1992. The players the Royals got in the original deal had limited impact, which is why the trade has long stood as one of the more lopsided in franchise history and still lingers as a sore spot for fans who remember what might have been. [Read more 🡒]