The Brewers' Buy-low Reunion Candidates on the Free Agent Market

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Photo by John Fisher - Getty Images

Devin Williams

The MLB offseason is officially underway and the Brewers will probably hold countless conversations with players and agents in the weeks and months ahead. They could start, however, with some people whose phone numbers they already have. 

Players with at least six full seasons of MLB service time who weren’t already under contract for 2026 became free agents following the conclusion of the World Series, although they’re not eligible to sign with anyone except their current team for a few more days. Nonetheless, the list of players looking for their next opportunity is out there and available for teams to peruse and inquire.  

The list includes plenty of former Brewers, of course, both from the 2025 season and prior years. Some reunions with players on that list are more likely than others. Aaron Civale, for example, is out on the open market but probably doesn’t have much interest in a return to Milwaukee after being traded earlier this season. Martin Maldonado is also technically available but has announced plans to retire. 

Elsewhere among the candidates, however, are a few old friends that might make sense in the right deal: 

Devin Williams 

Last year at this time the Brewers traded their two-time All Star closer to the Yankees instead of keeping him around until he became a free agent. New York, as it turned out, was not a great place for him to have a platform year. After posing a 1.70 ERA across five full seasons as a Brewer Williams had a 4.79 mark in 67 appearances for the Yankees and Baseball Reference graded him out as .3 wins below replacement level.  

Those overall numbers with New York don’t tell the full story of Williams’ time there, however. He struggled early but recovered late, posting a 3.89 ERA in his final 41 appearances and his peripheral numbers suggest even that was unlucky, as he carried a 2.50 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP). Furthermore, Williams’ Baseball Savant page shows he was still among the best pitchers in baseball at expected batting average against, getting hitters to swing and miss and recording strikeouts. Williams is unlikely to get a massive offer as a proven closer this winter given his struggles in New York, but a short deal to return to Milwaukee might give him a chance to return to the site of his prior success and try again. 

Orlando Arcia 

A longtime top prospect who MLB listed as the #6 minor leaguer in the sport before the 2016 season, Arcia had experienced mixed success with the Brewers across parts of five seasons when they made the unlikely decision to send him to Atlanta just four games into the 2021 campaign. That move eventually opened the door for Willy Adames to take over at short in Milwaukee but now Adames is also gone and infield depth was one of the Brewers’ glaring weaknesses in 2025. 

The Brewers probably don’t need to find a permanent solution for their infield challenges on the free agent market as their top three prospects (Jesus Made, Luis Pena and Cooper Pratt) are all infielders. None of them are going to be ready to open the season in the majors in 2026, however, leaving the Brewers with a gap to fill until that day arrives. Arcia is still only 30 years old, was an All Star with the Braves in 2023 and has experience playing all over the infield, something he never did as a Brewer. He also struggled mightily with the Rockies in 2025, so he’s unlikely to be a hot target this winter. Bringing him back would give the Brewers another candidate to compete for playing time and raise their floor a bit at the shortstop position. 

Victor Caratini/Gary Sanchez 

It’s a surprisingly robust market for catchers this winter, headlined by veteran J.T. Realmuto but featuring several players who have been the primary option for a team recently, including 2025 Brewer Danny Jansen. The Brewers’ need at catcher is relatively unique, however, and that might open the door for them to get creative with a veteran option. William Contreras is still under team control for two more seasons, and he doesn’t like to take much time off. Behind him the Brewers seem likely to promote top prospect Jeferson Quero at some point (although how they’ll use him remains a question). That means whoever opens the 2026 season as Contreras’ backup likely won’t see a heavy load behind the plate. 

That’s a dilemma the Brewers navigated in 2024 with Gary Sanchez, who is a free agent again this winter. Sanchez played in 89 games for the Brewers that season but only caught 28 of them, spending much of the season with his primary role being a veteran bench bat with power. The Brewers know he can be successful doing that, and if they need an everyday option behind the plate they could call up Quero instead. 

With that said, another of Contreras’ former backups is also available this winter and has been better recently. Victor Caratini is a more well-rounded option behind the plate and has played in 200 games for the Astros over the last two seasons, including over 100 at catcher. Caratini is 32 and is more likely to sign with a team that will play him more regularly but having him back in Milwaukee would give the Brewers the flexibility to get Contreras out from behind the plate more often and avoid some of the bumps and bruises that he accumulates in that role. 

Adding veteran players coming off down years won’t get the Brewers on lists of teams that “won the offseason,” as getting that kind of recognition requires a much bigger splash. The Brewers have experienced success in recent years at least in part due to their ability to get more than expected from seemingly small acquisitions, however, and some familiar names are available to be penciled into that template this winter.