The Milwaukee Brewers have picked up a big bat in free agency. The Brewers and former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins have agreed to a two-year contract worth $34 million, CBS Sports’ MLB insider Jim Bowden reports. The team has not yet confirmed the signing, but ESPN’s Jeff Passan notes that an opt-out may occur after the first season.
Hoskins, 31, missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his ACL in spring training in March. His rehab work is going well, so well that he was a candidate to make the World Series roster if the Phillies had advanced that far in the postseason. Hoskins has not played an MLB game since Game 6 of the 2022 World Series.
From 2018–22, Hoskins was one of the top power bats in the game, averaging 34 home runs per 162 games with a .241/.350/.483 slash line. That includes a .246/.332/.462 line with 30 home runs in 2022. Hoskins has been a steady source of power, moves and good clubhouse vibes since breaking into the big leagues in August 2017.
Despite the injury, Our RJ Anderson ranks Hoskins as the No. 13 free agent available this offseason, Here is his writing:
Hoskins missed the season after tearing his ACL in March. Unfortunately, he was facing a tough free agent market even before the injury. As good as Hoskins is, and he has earned a 120 OPS+ or better in five of his six seasons, he is a passable first baseman on the stormy side of 30. Teams need to look no further than Jose Abreu to see how quickly he can make a dent in the profile. (To be fair, Abreu is/was significantly bigger than Hoskins.) Between injuries and the sluggishness of the market for this type, Hoskins would seem like a reasonable candidate to accept a qualifying offer.
The Phillies declined to extend a qualifying offer to Hoskins earlier this offseason, so he is not tied to draft pick compensation.
Earlier this winter, the Brewers opted not to tender Rowdy Tellez. Prior to the addition of Hoskins, their projected first baseman was Jake Bauers, who was acquired from the New York Yankees earlier this offseason.
