Jacob Misiorowski expansion talks have reportedly yet to gain traction

Right-handed Jacob Misiorowski set the league on fire when he made his debut in early June. The early returns for the lanky fireballer were so impressive that he earned an All-Star bid after just five games in the major leagues. Securing Misiorowski long-term is likely a priority for the Brewers, but those discussions haven’t gone that far at this point. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hogg called expansion talks between the parties “has not yet occurred with any real momentum.”

Misiorowski pitched five hitless innings against St. Louis in his debut on June 12. He followed it up with a quality start against the Twins, and then five scoreless innings in a win over the Pirates. Misiorowski stumbled for the first time against the Mets (five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings), but bounced back by striking out 12 Dodgers. The 23-year-old pitched a scoreless inning in the All-Star game, earning a hold. A few rough performances during the All-Star break led to a 4.36 ERA for the season, although his SIERA of 3.56 suggests he was more effective than that mark.

Expanding Misiorowski is not without risk, given his relatively light workload history and powerful arsenal. The righty has amassed 233 2/3 innings in the minors since being drafted in 2022. This year he added 66 innings in the majors. Misiorowski’s 129 1/3 innings between Triple-A and the major leagues in 2025 marked a career high of 30+ innings as a professional.

Misiorowski’s fastball averaged over 99 mph with the Brewers. His slider was at a blistering 90mph, while his transfer, if you can call it that, averaged 90.3mph. The exceptional speed of all his offerings is part of the reason Misiorowski is effective, but busting the radar gun on every throw can lead to an increased risk of injury.

Misiorowski will not be eligible for arbitration until 2029. It’s difficult to determine what a potential extension would look like given his lack of experience. The most significant contract handed out to a pre-arbitration pitcher is the six-year, $75 million deal that Atlanta gave Spencer Strider in 2023. Strider already had 134 big league innings under his belt when he was granted the extension, including a dominant 2022 campaign in which he posted a 2.67 ERA with a 38.3% strikeout rate over 31 appearances. Eury Perez profiles similar to Misiorowski from a talent and risk perspective, and he has already had expansion talks with the Marlins. But even at age 22, Perez has logged nearly three times as many MLB innings as Misiorowski.

With the Brewers reportedly concerned about payroll, it would be desirable to sign Misiorowski at a reduced rate as soon as possible. If he delivers a full season in the rotation with close to 2025 results, the price will only go up. Hogg said that Milwaukee “definitely willing to talk”, but that does not mean that they can align with Misiorowski and his representatives.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images