Catcher William Contreras took home World Series MVP honors as the Milwaukee Brewers became champions for the first time in franchise history.
Contreras hit .381, going 8-for-21 with four RBIs in the five-game series. He delivered an RBI double in the clincher.
The 28-year-old also won 10 of 13 challenges in the first World Series with the Automated Ball-Strike system. He threw out four of nine runners who tried to steal.
He was a game changer for Milwaukee all October. Contreras hit .444 with two homers in the Division Series against the San Diego Padres. He batted .357 with a homer and three RBIs in the NL Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But a report that surfaced during the World Series took some wind out of Milwaukee’s sails.
William Contreras Has Career News Emerge
Contreras played the 2026 season on a $9.4 million salary. He agreed to that one-year deal in February, just before an arbitration hearing.
The deal also gave Milwaukee a $14.5 million club option for 2027.
Contreras and his agent never countered and the Brewers do NOT have optimism about signing him to a long-term deal
That salary looks small next to the three previous World Series MVPs. Corey Seager earned a $35 million base salary with the Texas Rangers in 2023. Freddie Freeman carried a $27 million salary with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned a $10 million base salary with the Dodgers in 2025, but he also collected a $50 million signing bonus.
Milwaukee paid its World Series MVP less than a third of Seager’s 2023 base salary. The Brewers got themselves a bargain.
But that may not last. Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the Brewers offered Contreras an extension in 2025. The offer was a three-year contract with options.
Contreras declined it. He and his agent never made a counteroffer. The Brewers are not optimistic about a long-term deal.
That does not make Contreras a free agent this winter. He remains under club control through the 2027 season. He is on track to hit free agency after the 2027 World Series.
Milwaukee keeps his rights even if it declines the $14.5 million option. In that case, he would go through arbitration one final time.
His contract does include one exit. The option turns mutual if Contreras finishes fourth or better in NL MVP voting. He could then decline it and become a free agent.
How Milwaukee Could Handle William Contreras Situation?
The Brewers have three realistic paths with Contreras. The first decision comes fast. Teams have five days after the World Series ends to decide on contract options.
Milwaukee can pick up the $14.5 million option or decline it and go to arbitration again. The club declined his $12 million option last November and paid a $100,000 buyout.
The second path is the one Milwaukee knows best: a trade. The Brewers dealt Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams and Freddy Peralta with one season left before free agency. In 2024, Milwaukee declined Williams’ $10.5 million option, then traded him to the New York Yankees.
Timing adds pressure. The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players union expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. A lockout is widely expected and it would freeze trades and free-agent signings.
Several outlets have already tied the Yankees to Contreras. The Brewers’ option decision will offer the first clue about his future.
2026 World Series MVP Expected to Leave Brewers Making $9.5 Million in Winning Year