Jul 3, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detailed view of a Milwaukee Brewers cap and glove during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Brewers' Impending Free Agent Could Have Monster 2026 Season

Originally posted on Milwaukee Brewers on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Mar 16, 2026 10:33 AM ET

He's less than a year into his Milwaukee Brewers tenure, but first baseman Andrew Vaughn already has to set himself up for the next steps of his career.

There are plenty of recent examples of the Brewers trading players away before they reach their walk year, so it will be interesting to see Vaughn take the field for 162 games this year with everything to play for in free agency. His uneven track record leaves plenty of room for his next paycheck to grow or shrink, depending on how his year goes.

And while it's a bit premature to declare that a huge season is coming based only on spring training results, one has to admit that the progress he's shown since coming to Milwaukee, coupled with those spring training numbers, certainly suggests big things in the works.

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Vaughn's huge spring drawing headlines

Vaughn's results have been great this spring, but the process behind those results has been even better. Brewers insider Adam McCalvy of MLB.com shared some of Vaughn's hard-hit data on Sunday, in the process of naming him the top standout player in camp for Milwaukee thus far.

"Vaughn, who was stuck in Triple-A with the White Sox when he was traded to Milwaukee last summer, and wound up giving the Brewers a second-half jolt, has been one of the most impressive hitters so far in camp," wrote McCalvy.

"He went into Sunday with 13 balls in play at 100 mph or above, according to Statcast, one shy of the spring high of 14 shared by three others. All that loud contact produced three doubles, two homers and a .400/.471/.700 slash line through his first 10 Cactus League games."

At this time last year, it was fair to wonder if Vaughn would be non-tendered before ever reaching free agency on his own terms. But the trade away from the Chicago White Sox, who once drafted him with the No. 3 pick behind Adley Rutschman and Bobby Witt Jr., seems to have worked wonders.

But teams want to see players put together consistent seasons, and Vaughn's 2025 campaign still only equated to a 99 OPS+ and negative-0.4 bWAR. He's sending signals that 2026 will be leaps and bounds different, and the money will follow if he backs that up.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Brewers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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