William Contreras remains at the center of everything the Brewers are trying to do in October, but he’s also already talking about a future that isn’t settled yet.
While Milwaukee continues its NLDS run against the San Diego Padres, Contreras has been one of the club’s most important pieces. He has caught all three games in the series and has hit in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in the lineup. He’s also already delivered two of the biggest swings of the postseason: a go-ahead solo homer in Game 1 that held up in a 3-2 win, and another home run in Game 3 that got Milwaukee on the board in the fourth inning.
The Brewers head back to San Diego on Wednesday for Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead, needing one more win to move on. Contreras is expected to catch a bullpen game.
Even with the postseason still rolling, Contreras has been candid about what comes next. During an interview on Master Flip toward the end of the regular season and into the start of October, he talked about his contract situation and what his future in Milwaukee might look like. He’s under team control through 2027 unless he signs an extension before then.
“I have one year of arbitration left. We’re close.
We’ll see. With Milwaukee, I don’t know.
You never know. We have Quero, a catcher prospect.
This is a business, you never know where you’re going to land. …”
Contreras said he wasn’t sure what the future holds with the Brewers and pointed to Jeferson Quero as a catcher prospect in the organization. Quero is soon to be 24.
The 28-year-old has been in Milwaukee since late 2022, when he arrived as part of the blockbuster Sean Murphy trade. Since then, he’s been a steady presence behind the plate, playing at least 140 games in each season with the Brewers.
His offense has still been strong this year, even if it has dipped a bit. In 147 games, Contreras hit .270/.341/.417 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs.
For a catcher, that’s still major production. And in the interview, he mentioned that if he eventually reaches the market, teams such as the New York Yankees could be among those interested.
That choice is still a long way off. For now, Contreras is doing what Milwaukee needs most: catching every pitch, driving in runs and trying to help push the Brewers deeper into October.
In Other News...
Brewers Padres Series Just Got A Petty New Edge
The Brewers have found a little October edge of their own at home, turning to elevator music during opponents batting practice as part of the postseason chess match that tends to show up once the calendar flips. It is the kind of harmless but pointed gamesmanship that feels right for this time of year, when every club is looking for some small way to unsettle the other side before the games start counting in earnest.
San Diego answered in kind at Petco Park, piping elevator music over the speakers while Milwaukee was on the field for an off-day workout. It was a playful jab rather than anything heavy-handed, but it adds a petty little wrinkle to the series and underscores how thin the margins can get when two teams are looking for any edge, even one that sounds more like a department store than a ballpark. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Got A Game 3 Opening Padres Fans Hate
The Padres will have to reshuffle their lineup for Game 3 of the NLDS against Milwaukee after Gavin Sheets was scratched from the starting nine with a stiff neck. He is still available off the bench, but Samad Taylor will take his place in the batting order as San Diego tries to stay alive in a must-win matchup on the road.
Nick Pivetta is set to start on the mound for the Padres, giving San Diego a familiar arm as it tries to extend its season. It will be his second postseason start since returning from injury, and the Padres are banking on him to help steady a lineup that has already lost one key bat before the first pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Had A Strange Game 1 Warning That Suddenly Looks Huge
Rainy conditions forced the Brewers to close the roof at American Family Field for Game 1 against the Padres, and what looked like a routine weather decision turned into one of the defining moments of the night. A ball hit the roof and stayed in play long enough for Jackson Chourio to make the catch, turning the strange carom into an out that helped Milwaukee hang on for a 3-2 win.
Chourio then showed up again in Game 2, this time delivering the walk-off single that sent the Brewers home with another victory and a 2-0 lead in the NLDS. In a series where the smallest details have already mattered, the roof call from the opener suddenly looks like more than a footnote for Milwaukee. [Read more 🡒]