Brewers, William Contreras At Odds Over Surprising Amount Of Money

Will the two sides come to terms on a deal soon?

Oct 1, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) reacts after striking out against the New York Mets during the seventh inning in game one of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

It was a busy day across Major League Baseball on Thursday.

The deadline passed for teams and arbitration-eligible players to file salaries for the 2025 season. Both sides file a number, and then the two sides can negotiate and come to terms on a deal. If the two sides don't agree, then it eventually can move to an arbitration hearing in which the two sides essentially oppose each other to a panel of arbitrators and make the case why the number they filed is accurate.

Then, the neutral third party ends up deciding what the ultimate contract is. Teams can still come to terms on deals ahead of the hearing, but it is an interesting time. It's tough for both sides because if there is a disagreement, that typically means that the team has a lower value than what the player wants. So, if they reach a hearing then they need to get in front of the player and say why they don't think the player is worth what they filed.

The Milwaukee Brewers are a team that's going to be interesting to watch. Milwaukee and All-Star catcher William Contreras failed to come to terms on a deal before the deadline. Milwaukee reportedly filed at $5.6 million and Contreras filed at $6.5 million, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

"Arbitration exchange update: William Contreras filed at $6.5 million; the Brewers filed at $5.6 million." Feinsand said.

This is a $900,000 difference. Contreras was projected to be at $7.6 million by MLB Trade Rumors so his filing at $6.5 million already is somewhat surprising. The Brewers being $2 million below the projection is surprising and could be a sign that something was off in the projection in the first place.

All in all, Contreras arguably is the best catcher in baseball and is a huge part of the franchise. Why should they fight over what shouldn't be a huge amount of money for the club?

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