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Here's How Far Apart William Contreras and Milwaukee Brewers Were in Arbitration Process

Contreras will head to arbitration court with the Brewers after the two sides had a significant gap in negotiations.

Brady Farkas

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) reacts after hitting a RBI single against the New York Mets during the first inning in game one of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at American Family Field.
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) reacts after hitting a RBI single against the New York Mets during the first inning in game one of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at American Family Field. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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Milwaukee Brewers All-Star catcher William Contreras and the team will head to arbitration court after the two sides failed to come to a contract agreement before Thursday's deadline.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the two sides had a gap of nearly $1 million in negotiations.

Arbitration exchange update: William Contreras filed at $6.5 million; the Brewers filed at $5.6 million.

As a result of failing to reach an agreement ahead of time, an independent arbiter will decide the winner. Going to hearings is always a risky proposition for teams as it can bring about resentment on the players end and can materially change how they feel about the organization. Milwaukee needs to look no further than the Corbin Burnes saga of 2023 for proof of that.

At 27 years old, Contreras is one of the best catchers in all of baseball. He's coming off a year in which he hit .281 with 23 homers and 92 RBI. He earned his second All-Star Game appearance and helped the Brewers win the National League Central by a whopping 10 games.

A five-year veteran of the Atlanta Braves and Brewers, Contreras also helped Atlanta win the 2021 World Series.

If the Brewers are going to be true contenders again in 2025, they'll need Contreras to continue to elevate the lineup. After losing Willy Adames in free agency (San Francisco Giants), there's even more pressure on Contreras and youngster Jackson Chourio to produce.

The team will also be getting back a healthy Christian Yelich after he dealt with back problems in 2024.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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