Among the Brewers’ core of young players, Sal Frelick has emerged as an integral part of the Brewers’ outfield. Frelick was known for his strong defense in his first few years in the majors. He then took it to the next level in 2025 when he became a threat in the batting order, increasing his value even further. With four more years under team control, he is also heading into arbitration years where he could earn a hefty salary. Could an extension for Frelick make sense considering several other players are also in arbitration at the same time? If so, what would it look like?
In 2025, Frelick took a big step forward in his career when he became a threat on offense. He hit .288/.351/.405 in 594 at-bats, and also had 12 home runs, 63 RBI and 19 stolen bases. That was good for a 110 OPS+ and a 3.6 fWAR. He did take a step back on defense, but still had positive value (9 defensive runs saved in 2025 compared to 16 DRS in 2024). Frelick also has a 2024 Gold Glove award on his resume. Earlier today, Paul posted the 2026 ZiPS projections for the Brewers. They let Frelick take a step back, but still post a strong season at 572 PA, 100 OPS+ and 2.6 WAR.
Salary isn’t an issue for Frelick in 2026, as he’s still a pre-arbitration player and will be close to the Major League minimum. However, his first year of arbitration is approaching and should take place in 2027. He will be one of many young players competing in arbitration at the same time. With so many potential arbitration players in the future, extensions could provide some salary security. If the Brewers wanted to pursue that with Frelick, what would that look like? Which other players can provide a good comparison?
For a current, comparable player, Steven Kwan of the Guardians is one of the best I could find. In 2025, he hit .272/.330/.374 with 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He recorded a 3.2 fWAR and has won four consecutive Gold Glove awards. Frelick had the better season on offense, but Kwan played excellent defense (32 DRS between 2024 and 2025 in left field). Although Kwan has not signed an extension, he is entering his second season of arbitration. Kwan made $4.175 million in his first year in 2025 and is expected to make $8 million in salary in 2026.
Another player who could make for a good comparison is the Reds’ TJ Friedl. Friedl was more of a threat on offense than defense, but also has some similar numbers. In 2025, he hit .261/.364/.378 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI and 12 stolen bases — good for an fWAR of 2.9. Friedl’s best season came in his first full season in the Majors, where he had 18 home runs, 66 RBI, 27 stolen bases and a 4.1 fWAR in 138 games played. Friedl also has the advantage of playing in midfield, but has an overall negative defense value (-10 DRS in 2025). He is entering his first year of arbitration and has a projected salary of $4.9 million.
However, when it comes to extensions for young outfielders, one of the current standards was set by Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates. Reynolds signed an eight-year extension worth $106.75 million in 2023. That was also after he signed a two-year, $13.5 million contract as a Super Two player in 2022. Reynolds had a much stronger resume when he signed those contracts, with a 3.7 fWAR season in 2019 and a 6.3 fWAR season in 2021. He has cooled off since then, but has regularly been in the 2 WAR range in every season between 2022 and 2024. Last season was his worst year since 2020, with a 1.1 fWAR over 154 games. In his last three arbitration years, he earned $7 million, $10.25 million and $12.25 million. This would have been his first year in free agency, and as part of that extension, he will make $14.25 million this season. He signed for $15.25 million each year between 2027 and 2030.
Although Reynolds signed his contract after a series of very strong seasons, it does raise the bar for what Frelick can expect. Even taking inflation into account, it’s hard to imagine him getting more than what Reynolds did in his extension. Frelick also wouldn’t have bought up that many years of free agency. Because he’s 25, an extension wouldn’t prevent him from trying free agency after the contract. He could sign a five-year deal and hit free agency at age 30.
Taking these factors into account, here’s what a contract extension for Frelick could look like. The structure below would bring a five-year extension to $41.5 million.
- 2026: $1 million (last year of pre-arbitration)
- 2027: $4.5 million (first year of arbitration)
- 2028: $8.5 million (second year of arbitration)
- 2029: $12.5 million (final year of arbitration)
- 2030: $15 million (first year of free agency)
Since Frelick still has a year of pre-arbitration left, he wouldn’t get much in 2026 as he would still be making around the minimum. The arbitration amounts put him right around what his peers would get, and he would end up just under what Reynolds got in his extension.
It’s a reasonable progression for salary, but there are some reasons not to do it. First, Frelick played through some injuries in 2025. He missed some time on the IL with a hamstring injury and also suffered a knee injury late in the season. While neither is expected to stick around until 2026, it’s something to keep an eye on. Outfielders are also one of the “easier” positions to fill. While it can be difficult to play right field as well as Frelick, there are usually a lot of outfielders, and it is a position that players can be more easily moved to.
Frelick has proven his place in this team in recent years. He has continued to develop and develop as a player and has a reputation of going from strength to strength year after year. As the young Brewers team continues to develop, payroll will continue to be a concern for years to come. An expansion for Frelick could alleviate these concerns and retain a core player for years to come.
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