Jun 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of the Milwaukee Brewers logo on seating within American Family Field prior to the game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Brewers Veteran At Risk Of Being Non-Tendered

Originally posted on Milwaukee Brewers on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Nov 21, 2025 11:34 AM ET

The Milwaukee Brewers will be a team to watch ahead of the non-tender deadline on Friday.

When it comes to the Brewers, the guy for Brewers fans to keep their eyes on the most arguably is utility man Jake Bauers. The six-year big league veteran played in 85 games for the Brewers in 2025 and hit seven home runs, drove in 28 runs, and slashed .235/.353/.399 with a career-best .752 OPS.

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While this is the case, both MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan and MLB Trade Rumors' Anthony Franco tabbed him as a potential non-tender candidate.

Should the Brewers non-tender Jake Bauers?

"Jake Bauers, 1B, Brewers: The Brewers cut Bauers loose last offseason before re-signing him to a Minor League deal, so even if they non-tender him, it’s possible they’ll look to bring him back again later," Harrigan wrote. "He posted career highs in batting average (.235), on-base percentage (.353) and OPS (.752) over 86 games this past season and appeared in six playoff games with a .973 OPS.

Franco listed non-tender candidates at each position with Bauers one of the five first basemen mentioned.

"First Basemen: Jake Bauers (Brewers): $2MM, Jake Burger (Rangers): $3.5MM, Nathaniel Lowe (Red Sox): $13.5MM, Ryan Mountcastle (Orioles): $7.8MM, and Pavin Smith (Diamondbacks): $2.4MM."

Bauers is someone who is nice to have around because of the fact that he can play all over the place. In 2025, he saw time at first base, left field, and right field for Milwaukee. It would make sense to non-tender Bauers' projected price tag in arbitration isn't high. MLB Trade Rumors projected his value to be around $2 million. With Andrew Vaughn slotted in as the starter at first base, non-tendering Bauers would make sense if the Brewers are looking to save a little bit of cash, or if they think they could re-sign him in free agency at a lower value.

He's a six-year big league veteran coming of a career year. Keeping him around as a bench bat would be positive, but the perception is to keep an eye on him.

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

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