Brewers Hit Jackpot With 2025's Trade for 'X-Factor' Slugger

The Brewers made an under-the-radar move last season and it's paid off in a huge way...

Feb 23, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn (28) takes a lead off third base in the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have a lot of players with the weight of the world on their shoulders this season following a trio of trades that sent Freddy Peralta, Caleb Durbin, and Isaac Collins to new teams.

Last season, the Brewers offense received a huge boost after they traded for slugger Andrew Vaughn from the Chicago White Sox. Vaughn had a huge year with Milwaukee and he's gearing up for another one after the departure of Rhys Hoskins.

Just Baseball's Joey Peterson recently listed Vaughn as one of the team's top offensive X-factors going into the 2026 season.

"One could argue the biggest reason the Brewers’ offense was as good as it was last season was because of Andrew Vaughn," Peterson wrote. "From Opening Day through July 6, Milwaukee had the 15th-best wRC+ in baseball (98) while ranking 16th in batting average (.247) and wOBA (.309) and 19th in OPS (.703). From July 7, the day Vaughn was called up, through the end of the regular season, the Brewers had the second-best wRC+ in MLB (118) while ranking second in batting average (.272), third in wOBA (.338), and fifth in OPS (.775).

Brewers need a big season from infielder Andrew Vaughn

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn runs the bases during spring training workouts Monday, February 16, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"While there were a lot things factoring into Milwaukee’s offensive surge, Vaughn’s .308/.375/.493 slash line, 142 wRC+, and .869 OPS certainly helped. Let’s not forget that Vaughn’s bat was a large reason why the Brewers got past the Cubs in the NLDS, too, slashing .286/.412/.714 for a 205 wRC+ in that series. With Rhys Hoskins no longer in the picture and the primary backup option being Jake Bauers, there will be a lot of pressure on Vaughn’s bat in 2026."

With Hoskins heading to the Cleveland Guardians in free agency, the pressure has been turned up on Vaughn to succeed at first base in Milwaukee.

Last season, Vaughn slashed .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs and 14 doubles across 64 games with the Brewers. Now he's going to be an everyday player, though he'll likely play around 120 games if he stays healthy.

Milwaukee is going to need him to continue with an OPS+ well over 100 if it wants to succeed this season. Considering Vaughn struggled mightily with the Chicago White Sox early in the year last season, all eyes are going to be on him this season. The Brewers can't afford to see him struggle like he did with the White Sox.