The Milwaukee Brewers found magic in Jake Bauers in 2026.

When the 2026 campaign kicked off, Bauers wasn't necessarily expected to be a major player in the middle of the order. Injuries opened the door to playing time early on in the season and he absolutely made the most of it. Bauers was a solid role player for Milwaukee in 2025 but turned into a star in 2026. Bauers crushed 26 home runs, drove in 86 runs and slashed .266/389/.484 in 144 games played. He finished the season with 3.3 wins above replacement. In comparison, his previous career high was 0.6. Plus, he went on to win the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award. An unbelievable run, to say the least.

Milwaukee already has tendered Bauers the qualifying offer, which would pay him over $23 million on a one-year deal if he were to accept it. If not, there's a real chance he lands a lucrative deal in free agency this winter. If you're a Brewers fan hoping that Bauers accepts the qualifying offer and sticks around, Jim Bowden of The Athletic's take on Tuesday may not be what you want to hear.

"The Brewers do have to deal with some free agents, specifically first baseman Jake Bauers and pitchers Brandon Woodruff, Dustin May and JoJo Romero," Bowden wrote. "Bauers will probably depart and be replaced by prospect Andrew Fischer, who hit 48 homers in the minor leagues this season."

Jake Bauers Will Get Paid

On Tuesday, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel projected Bauers to land a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $52.5 million. If a deal like that is actually realistic, it's hard to believe that it would be from Milwaukee, especially with Fischer looking like a slugger of the future for the organization. The Brewers have already shown that they're serious about Bauers. Tendering the qualifying offer shows this.

But it doesn't guarantee that he will be back. Bowden is a league insider and claimed that the slugger will "probably" not return. Mix that with the lofty contract projections around the league and things aren't looking great right now.

It's important to note that Fischer got most of his playing time down in the minors at third base in 2026. He did appear in 25 games at the Double-A level at first base, but most of his playing time was at third base and he hasn't reached Triple-A just yet. If Bauers leaves, the most likely solution actually would be to stick with Andrew Vaughn at first base in the short term while Fischer continues to develop.

For the Brewers, it's good that they have options. In a perfect world, the 2026 team would all stick together in return in 2027. But that isn't likely to be the case.