Rhys Hoskins and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a $34 million, two-year contract that will fill the team’s starting position at first base.
A person familiar with the move confirmed this to The Associated Press on Tuesday night on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending materialization.
Milwaukee won the NL Central with a 92–70 record last year before being swept by Arizona in the Wild Card Series.
The addition of Hoskins gives the Brewers another power bat for the middle of their lineup. They had Rowdy Tellez and Carlos Santana at first base in 2023, but they let Tellez go after the season and he signed with Pittsburgh in December. Santana remains a free agent.
Jake Bauers could also play for the first time with Milwaukee after being acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees in November.
Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. The 30-year-old first baseman was able to swing before the end of the season, but he did not play for Philadelphia even as the Phillies extended their season by reaching the NL Championship Series.
He had a $12 million, one-year contract last season and was the second-longest-tenured Phillies player behind Aaron Nola, who recently agreed to a $172 million, seven-year contract to stay in Philadelphia. Were.
Hoskins hit .246 with 30 home runs and 79 RBI in 2022.
The right-handed slugger burst onto the scene in August 2017, hitting 11 homers in his first 18 big league games. He finished that season with 18 home runs and finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting despite only playing 50 games.
In his first full season, Hoskins hit 34 homers, and he then led the National League with 116 walks in 2019. Although Hoskins batted just .159 during the 2022 postseason, he hit a big homer when the Phillies won the NL pennant. Win over Atlanta in Game 3 of the NL Division Series. The moment culminated in a mural on a corridor inside Citizens Bank Park between the clubhouse and dugouts.
He was injured while fielding a grounder in a spring training game before last season.
With Hoskins out, Bryce Harper started 36 games at first base for the Phillies in 2023. Alec Bohm, who has played far more at third base, made 59 starts at first base.
