Former Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins opted in to his contract at the beginning of the offseason, leading to the Brewers potentially looking for a trade partner.
Hoskins could be shopped this winter. The Brewers are “open to moving” him, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Hoskins will make at least $22 million over the next two seasons. He has an $18 million salary for 2025 with a $4 million buyout on a 2026 mutual option worth $18 million. Hoskins signed a two-year, $34 million deal with Milwaukee last offseason.
As Rosenthal noted, finding a team that could take on his salary might be a difficult ask. Teams that need a first baseman have plenty of options on the open market, including Pete Alonso, Christian Walker and Paul Goldschmidt at the top.
Interested teams would be betting on a big bounce back as 2024 was a down year for Hoskins. He batted a career-low .214 with a .303 on-base percentage and a .419 slug in 517 plate appearances. Teams interested in adding Hoskins would need to have at-bats open at DH as Hoskins probably isn’t a full-time first baseman at this point in his career. He started 92 games at first base and 37 at DH in 2024.
If you’re wondering, the Phillies are set on keeping Bryce Harper at first base and Kyle Schwarber as the full-time DH.
In all likelihood, Hoskins will probably stay with the Brewers in 2025, but Hoskins does have a lengthy track record of productivity at the plate and could be an interesting one-year flier.
