At the start of the offseason, we looked at the initial payroll projection for 2026. While not much has changed to the roster since then, there have been some adjustments. As the end of January approaches, and pitchers and catchers are set to report in just 13 days, the starting payroll is getting closer to a set amount. Let’s take a look at what has changed since then. (If you want to review the original projection from the end of October, you can find that post here.)
Here are some reminders for
the projection.
- The majority of these numbers are from Spotrac, which has estimated payroll numbers for all MLB teams.
- Per the CBA, the minimum salary for players in 2026 is $780,000. Any pre-arbitration player has this salary listed by default. These salaries can be slightly different for each player, but not by a significant amount.
- This is not a roster projection for 2026. Some players on this list are currently in the organization but may be planned for a minor league role. This is just in place to show what a minimum commitment would be. Minimum salaries can be swapped out for any other minimum salary player that would be in the minors.
- While I do not think the Brewers will break camp with 14 position players and 12 pitchers, that is how it is set up below due to current commitments. That will change before the season.
- In the initial payroll for 2026, I included the declined options after the 2025 season. Spotrac has moved those numbers to the 2025 season, so I have also adjusted for that to keep the numbers consistent.
- The final projected payroll for 2025 was $156,266,827, per Spotrac. That was 18th in MLB.
First, here are the projections for the initial roster.
Here’s a summary of what has changed since the original payroll:
- Brandon Woodruff accepted his qualifying offer. That added his $22.025 million salary into the payroll. Even though Woodruff accepted the offer, he will also receive the buyout for his option being declined (that is factored into 2025 payroll).
- William Contreras is the one player who still has a pending arbitration decision. Currently, he is estimated at $9.9 million, which is what he filed for. The Brewers filed for an $8.55 million salary. A deal could still happen before the hearing, but the salary will be somewhere between those two numbers.
- Every other player that is in an arbitration year agreed to their salary. The contract amounts have been added above.
- The following players have been removed: Freddy Peralta, Isaac Collins, Nick Mears
- The following players have been added: Brandon Woodruff, Ángel Zerpa, Akil Baddoo
The total above is just the initial total based on the projected active roster. However, there’s still more money to factor in to the payroll. If you compare it to the active roster at the end of the season, the Brewers only had just over $84 million of their $156 million total on the active roster. Here’s where the rest of the payroll came from. (Some rounding is used in the table, so actual amounts will be slightly different.)
Some of those numbers will be in the 2026 payroll as well. Specifically, the last four numbers will be very similar to 2025. The first three will be different in 2026. For the moment, there will not be any options to consider after the 2026 season, so that number can be ignored.
As for the other two numbers, it’s difficult to include a solid projection. Those numbers can easily be inflated by circumstances during the season. For example, if we looked at the injured list at the end of 2024, that was highly inflated due to Yelich finishing the season on it. If we go back to 2022, the traded/release player number was significantly higher because Lorenzo Cain’s final year salary was included. That would also result in the active payroll having a lower figure due to the changes in players, but those numbers end up in the IL or traded/released categories instead.
There’s one other factor that Spotrac considers in their payroll estimate. Even though the initial projection factors in 26 players, Spotrac adds in the payroll for 12 additional pre-arbitration players. Considering the Brewers were paying for seven IL players and eight players not on the team anymore (not counting two who were paid under $10,000), adding in 12 more players is a reasonable estimate. Those 12 players would make $9.36 million total. (Spotrac uses a slightly higher $820,000 estimate for pre-arbitration players, but the CBA minimum is at $780,000.)
What we can expect for 2026 is similar to the 2025 payroll. In terms of cash payroll, the total will at most be around that $156 million mark. The Brewers have been in the $140-$156 million range in recent years and that likely will not change. With that in mind, here’s a comprehensive look at the estimated payroll for 2026.
That leaves $17.4 million in potential additional payroll space. That extra space would be needed for the team to make in-season moves. It gives them the ability to take on money in contracts for players acquired by trade. It would also factor in contracts for players who make the team that are on minor league contracts (such as the recently signed Reese McGuire). It also gives them the opportunity to bring in a low-cost contract in spring training if the team has a sudden need.
With the overall quiet offseason for the Brewers, the payroll appears to be heading to a similar point in 2026. Any space remaining will be needed for in-season flexibility. There is potential for a smaller signing, since the team gained $7 million in space after trading Peralta. However, the team may be content to just save that money for now. If that’s the case, what we’re looking at will be close to the current spending plan for next season.
