Get ready for some bat spikes, Milwaukee. The Brewers made their first big splash of the offseason Tuesday night, agreeing to a two-year, 34 million dollar contract with first basemen Rhys Hoskins, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. The deal has an opt-out after the first year.
The video above fires me up more every time I watch it. A very electric moment for a city that before this, hadn’t seen a home playoff win since 2011. Hoskins was a big-time performer for the Phillies on their way to the World Series in 2022, and another team just picked him up in hopes of capturing that same magic.
Hoskins, who turns 31 this coming March, is coming off of an ACL tear suffered in spring training last year. After getting drafted to Philadelphia in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB draft, the right-handed slugger would get a front-row seat to the rebuild taking place in Philly over the next five years.
In all four of his full seasons with the Phillies, Hoskins was good for an average of 30 home runs and 80 RBIs. In 2022, Hoskins posted a .246 batting average, while also hitting 30 home runs and driving in 79 runs.
How does Hoskins help the Brewers?
For the first half of last season, the Brewers’ stability at first base was quite shaky. That is until they traded for Carlos Santana at the deadline. Santana provided an immediate spark for the eventual NL Central champions, hitting .249 to pair with 11 home runs and 33 runs batted in during his time with Milwaukee.
The Santana move paid big dividends for the Brewers last season, but he was on an expiring deal and is turning 38 at the start of this upcoming season. Bringing him back just didn’t make sense. This is why the Hoskins deal makes so much sense for the Brewers. For starters, letting Rowdy Tellez walk left one true first baseman on the roster in Jake Bauers. With all due respect to Bauers, he isn’t your everyday first baseman, but Hoskins is.
For a Brewers club that only hit 165 home runs last season, ranking in the bottom third of the league, getting some pop in the lineup was a concern that needed to be addressed. With Hoskins, you are getting an every day, middle-of-the-lineup guy that should hit anywhere from 25 to 30 home runs, given he stays healthy.
Milwaukee has reached the playoffs five out of the last six seasons but only has one playoff series win to show for it. For a franchise that has only been to the World Series one time in its storied history, getting a productive season out of Rhys Hoskins could go a long way in getting them back to that point.
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