Milwaukee Brewers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Milwaukee Brewers are finalizing a two-year, $34 million deal with free-agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Tuesday. The Brewers have not confirmed the deal, and another source told MLB.com that the sides were still working on final details. If completed, the Brewers would fill their gap of a power bat at first while providing the 30-year-old a chance to redeem himself, as he missed all of the 2023 season with the Phillies after tearing his left ACL in spring training. Hoskins owns a .242/.353/.492 career slash line and hit 30 home runs in 2022 with the Phillies, so he would fit nicely with the Brewers from a fantasy perspective. The key will be seeing if Hoskins can rebound from his injury and still provide high-end power.

Rather than re-signing first baseman Carlos Santana, who turns 38 years old on April 8, the Milwaukee Brewers might be inclined to make an upside play for free-agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who has a career OPS 25 percent above league average and likely wants to re-establish himself on a short-term "pillow" contract after missing all of the 2023 season due to a torn ACL he suffered in spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Brew Crew are deep enough in outfielders that they might not need a designated hitter, but their group is also extremely inexperienced, so signing someone like Hoskins might be a good idea. The 30-year-old would fit nicely in Milwaukee from a fantasy perspective, but everything will depend on how well he can bounce back from a full year off. In 667 career MLB games, Hoskins has been very productive with 148 home runs.

The San Diego Padres have considered re-signing catcher Gary Sanchez, but there is a big gap in contract talks. Sanchez kept the Padres' offense afloat in the middle of last season and was one of their biggest offensive contributors despite not even starting the year with the club. Despite the strong season for the Friars, the Padres were fully expected to move on from Sanchez heading into 2024, especially after they acquired Kyle Higashioka from the New York Yankees in the blockbuster deal involving outfielder Juan Soto. If he can stay healthy, Luis Campusano has a clear path to regular catching duties this season. Sanchez hit 19 home runs and had a .780 OPS in just 75 games in 2023 but finished the season on the injured list due to a fractured wrist. He'll most likely be looking at a part-time role in 2024 with whichever team signs him.

The Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Aaron Civale have settled on a one-year, $4.9 million pact for the 2024 season, avoiding arbitration in the process. The right-hander was acquired by the Rays mid-season from the Cleveland Guardians and posted a healthy 3.46 ERA in 23 starts between the two clubs, although he limped to a 5.36 ERA across 10 starts after being acquired by Tampa Bay. The veteran's bread-and-butter lies within his control as he sports a 6.1% BB% for his career in which he has posted a 3.92 ERA across 86 appearances, all of which have been starts. Capped by a career 22% K%, Civale's fantasy value is middling, especially with his 23 starts in 2023 representing a career-high.

The Milwaukee Brewers and right-handed reliever Devin Williams agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal to avoid salary arbitration on Thursday. The deal includes a team option for the 2025 season. Williams' 2024 salary will likely come out to around $7 million. The 29-year-old hard-throwing right-hander should be the first closer off the board in fantasy drafts in 2024 after he posted an excellent 1.53 ERA (2.66 FIP), 0.92 WHIP, a career-high 36 saves, 28 walks and 87 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings over 61 appearances out of the bullpen. The two-time All-Star will be Milwaukee's locked-in closer heading into the 2024 season and has one of the nastiest changeups in the game.