Brewers, Hoskins agree to 2-year deal reportedly worth $34M
The Milwaukee Brewers are bringing in a much-needed power bat.
Milwaukee signed first baseman Rhys Hoskins to a two-year deal with a player opt-out after 2024 and a mutual option for 2026, the team announced Friday.
The pact is for $34 million, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Hoskins missed all of the 2023 campaign recovering from a torn ACL suffered during spring training. He's expected to be fully healthy heading into this season.
With Bryce Harper making a full-time transition to first base, the Philadelphia Phillies opted not to re-sign Hoskins and didn't extend him a qualifying offer.
The 30-year-old established himself as one of the better offensive first basemen in the majors during his six seasons with the Phillies. He hit .246/.332/.462 with 30 home runs, 33 doubles and 79 RBIs across 156 games in 2022. Hoskins has cranked at least 25 home runs in four of his five full seasons (excluding the shortened Covid campaign).
In Milwaukee, Hoskins will likely split time between first base and designated hitter. The Brewers started Carlos Santana, Rowdy Tellez, and Jon Singleton at first base last season, and the three combined for 24 homers. None of those players remain with the team.
The Brewers entered the offseason with several question marks despite winning the NL Central in 2023. They lost manager Craig Counsell to the Chicago Cubs and reportedly considered trading star players Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames. Instead, the team signed top prospect Jackson Chourio to an eight-year, $82-million contract and made several other minor additions.