Brewers Want World Series Hero in Milwaukee for the Long Haul

The Milwaukee Brewers star is going to cash in at some point. Will it be in Milwaukee?

Oct 15, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) celebrates in the dugout after scoring against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning in game four of the NLCS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Milwaukee Brewers All-Star backstop William Contreras is going to cash in at some point and be a very rich man.

Contreras will make over $15 million in 2027 in his final season under team control with the Brewers. Then, it's anyone's guess where he will be playing. The only guarantee is that he is going to get a very large contract. In a perfect world, that deal will be with Milwaukee. The Athletic's Jim Bowden weighed in and gave the fanbase some serious hope for that matter.

"One of the big things they're going to try to do this offseason is see if they can extend the contract of William Contreras," Bowden said. "Contreras is going to be a free agent at the end of the 2027 season. ... I think they're kind of viewing William Contreras as they did Christian Yelich a few years back as 'This is one of the key players we do spend the money on.' Watch for them to try to do that this winter."

The Brewers Should Keep William Contreras For The Long Haul

Oct 28, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) throws to first base in an attempt to get out Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson (not pictured) during the seventh inning in game five of the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field. Contreras received a throwing error on the play. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The timing of the reports is very interesting right now. USA Today's Bob Nightengale also reported that the Brewers would "love" to give Contreras a long-term extension this offseason.

The Brewers are riding the wave after winning the 2026 World Series and now there's growing buzz out there from insiders across the league about the idea of Milwaukee retaining the World Series MVP for the long run. That would be the best-case scenario for the organization. But it would be expensive. Spotrac currently has Contreras' market value projected to be just over $86 million over six seasons. So, if the Brewers do actually want to keep Contreras in the long run, they're going to have to open up the checkbook to do so.

With the season winding down, speculation and rumors grew about the idea of Contreras being on the trade block. With the Brewers' history of trading stars away a year from free agency, it wasn't shocking to see rumors out there. But Milwaukee has completely shut the buzz down so far. That's for the best and is a different pattern than what we saw with Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams.

The Brewers did keep Willy Adames in his final season before free agency, but at the time there wasn't much said about the idea of an extension. For Contreras, the trade rumors have been completely shut down, and extension talk is out there. Until a deal is signed, nothing is guaranteed. But eyebrows should be raised and the fanbase should have hope.