MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers picked up World Series MVP ’ club option for 2027 and extended a qualifying offer to NLCS MVP amid a flurry of roster moves on Monday as baseball’s offseason kicked into high gear.

Picking up Contreras’ $15.5 million club option came as little surprise after the durable catcher hit .270 with 18 home runs with 94 RBIs while becoming the first player in franchise history to catch at least 1,000 innings in three consecutive seasons. Now the question is what the Brewers will do next.

Contreras, who turns 29 on Christmas Eve, will be in his final season before free agency in 2027, and Milwaukee has regularly traded players in that contractual position -- Corbin Burnes prior to the 2024 season, Devin Williams prior to ‘25 and Freddy Peralta prior to ‘26 -- in order to replenish the system with young, controllable talent. But it’s not a sure thing. When shortstop Willy Adames was going into a contract year in 2024, the Brewers opted to keep him all the way to free agency, and netted a compensation pick in the following year’s Draft.

Speaking of that, the Brewers extended a qualifying offer to Bauers ahead of Monday’s 4 p.m. CT deadline, a one-year deal valued at $23.15 million for the 31-year-old first baseman and outfielder coming off a career year.

Bauers has until Nov. 17 to accept or reject the offer, which is calculated annually based upon the average salary of Major League Baseball’s 125 highest-paid players. If he accepts, he’s signed for 2027. If he rejects, he remains a free agent, but a team that signs him would be subject to losing a Draft pick. Under the current CBA, as a revenue-sharing recipient, the Brewers would receive a compensation pick as high as a spot between the end of the first round and the start of Competitive Balance Round A if Bauers declines the qualifying offer and signs elsewhere for $50 million or more. If he signs for less than $50 million, the compensation pick comes after Competitive Balance Round B.

For example, the Brewers extended a qualifying offer to Adames in 2024 and he declined, as expected. When he signed with the Giants for $182 million over seven years, the Brewers received the No. 32 overall Draft pick as compensation. The pick turned out to be high school shortstop Brady Ebel.

Here’s a rundown of Milwaukee’s other roster moves on a busy Monday:

  • Declined the mutual option on catcher and the club option on right-hander , making both players free agents.
  • Confirmed that right-hander had declined his mutual option and elected free agency.
  • Announced that right-hander and left-hander cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Nashville. The Brewers say that Wilson became a Minor League free agent on Monday. Koenig elected Major League free agency.
  • Announced that outfielder had been claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh. Baddoo signed a one-year deal with the Brewers last offseason but suffered a quad strain during Spring Training and played for Triple-A Nashville after getting healthy.