Jake Bauers has turned a one-year burst with the Milwaukee Brewers into what looks like a very busy winter.
The 30-year-old slugger entered the season as a familiar kind of big league piece: useful, but rarely a lineup fixture. He had never played more than 116 games in a season before 2026, reached 100 games only three times since 2018, and his career highs had been modest - 12 homers, 48 RBIs and a .235 batting average, which he set last year.
That has all changed in a hurry. Given a full-time role, Bauers has taken off.
He has already set a new personal best with 126 games played and is hitting .268/.389/.487 with an .875 OPS. He also has 23 homers, 76 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 19 doubles and 78 runs scored, with about a month left before the playoffs even begin.
That production has pushed him right into the free-agent conversation. On Friday, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden included Bauers among the top 15 position players available this winter and said there will be "plenty of interest" in him.
"This season, he’s moved into a full-time role with the Brewers and has thrived, already establishing career-highs in games played, home runs, RBIs and walks," Bowden wrote. "His .876 OPS is by far the best of his career.
He will turn 31 in October. Bauers is limited to first base and the corner outfield defensively and isn’t particularly strong at any of those positions, but the power and patience combination at the plate should garner plenty of interest this offseason."
Milwaukee would obviously love to keep him around. Bauers leads the club in home runs with 23, ranks second in RBIs with 76 and is fourth in hits with 113. He’s also a leader in the clubhouse, which only adds to the case for bringing him back.
Still, even if the Brewers can’t keep him, Bauers has already put himself in position for a strong payday somewhere. A player who spent much of his career as a role player has become one of the more dangerous bats in the league this season, and Bowden’s Sep. 4 note that there will be "plenty of interest" suggests the market could be strong.
If Bauers stays hot over the final weeks and delivers in the playoffs, the money waiting for him this winter could get even bigger.
In Other News...
Brewers Bullpen Turnover Takes Another Interesting Late-Season Turn
The Brewers bullpen shuffle picked up another wrinkle this week when right-hander Joel Kuhnel was claimed off waivers by the Giants. Kuhnel had worked for both the Athletics and Milwaukee this season, logging 35 appearances overall and giving the Brewers a veteran arm who could be deployed in a variety of relief spots as the season wore on.
San Francisco is bringing him in with a clear immediate role in low-leverage situations, but the move also gives Kuhnel a chance to stick beyond the final stretch if he handles it well. For Milwaukee, it is another reminder of how quickly late-season relief depth can turn over, especially when clubs are constantly trying to find usable innings without losing flexibility elsewhere on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Fans Have Real Reason To Worry About Jacob Misiorowski
Jacob Misiorowskis last few outings have given Brewers fans something to monitor closely, and not just because hitters have started to make more contact. The hard-throwing right-hander has seen his fastball velocity dip while leaning more on his secondary pitches, a notable shift for a pitcher whose power arm has long been the calling card. Even after the rough outing at Wrigley Field, where he was hit hard, Misiorowski pointed to the weather and the difficulty of getting a good grip and footing on the mound as part of the problem.
The broader concern is that this might be less about one bad day and more about the grind of his first full major league season beginning to show. Pitchers often need time to adjust to the workload, and for a young arm like Misiorowskis, that adjustment can come with some visible wear. Milwaukee does not need to panic, but it does need to keep an eye on whether the velocity trend and heavier reliance on off-speed stuff are signs of fatigue or just a temporary dip in form. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Took A Quiet Bullpen Hit After The Cubs Series
The Brewers bullpen depth took a small hit after their series with the Cubs, with right-hander Joel Kuhnel being claimed off waivers by the Giants. Kuhnel had been working his way back through a minor league rehab assignment before Milwaukee designated him for assignment, and the move opens another spot in a relief group that has already had to stay flexible as the season wears on.
San Francisco is bringing Kuhnel in for the rest of the year as an extra arm, and the Brewers now have to sort through the ripple effect of losing a pitcher who was at least in the mix. He had a 4.84 ERA with 22 strikeouts this season, but for Milwaukee the bigger issue is less the numbers than the fact that another depth option is gone at a time when every bullpen inning matters. [Read more 🡒]