Milwaukee Brewers prospect Luis Lara understands the challenges involved in making the big leagues as an undersized player.
And he appreciates the faith the Brewers showed in his abilities by signing him to a $31 million, seven-year contract.
Lara spoke with reporters over Zoom on Wednesday, one day after signing the deal, which includes club options for 2033, 2034 and 2035. The 5-foot-7 outfielder from Venezuela was asked about skepticism he had encountered
along the way.
“More than anything, (I’ve) felt (I’ve) had more people rooting for (me) and that have believed in (me) and been in (my) corner than people that have questioned (me),” Lara said through interpreter Julio Borbón, a Brewers special adviser to player development and scouting. “That’s also played a big role in where (I’m) at today.”
Lara receives a $2 million signing bonus, payable within 60 days of the agreement's approval by Major League Baseball. He gets salaries of $2 million each in 2026 and 2027, $3 million in 2028, $4 million in 2029, $5 million in 2030, $6 million in 2031 and $7 million in 2032.
Milwaukee has a $10 million option for 2033 with no buyout, an $11 million option for 2034 with a $2 million buyout and $12 million option for 2035 with a $1 million buyout. The option prices can escalate by $2 million for winning an MVP award, $1 million for finishing second or third in the voting, $500,000 for fourth or five and $250,000 for sixth through 10th. They also would go up by $200,000 for All-Star election or selection and by $200,000 for winning a Gold Glove.
Lara, an outstanding fielder who's having a breakthrough season at the plate with Triple-A Nashville, said the deal was negotiated swiftly.
“It goes back to about two weeks ago, when things started flowing in terms of when the offer came out,” Lara said. “From there, everything kind of happened fairly quick.”
This marks the latest example of the Brewers taking a chance on a shorter player who measures up in just about every other aspect.
Milwaukee acquired third baseman Caleb Durbin in a December 2024 trade that sent two-time All-Star reliever Devin Williams to the New York Yankees, and the 5-6 infielder finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting last season before getting traded to Boston in February.
Two weeks before trading Durbin, the Brewers acquired 5-7 infielder Jett Williams along with pitcher Brandon Sproat in the deal that helped the New York Mets land two-time All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta. Williams is Lara’s teammate at Triple-A Nashville.
Lara, 21, is hitting .336 with a .447 on-base percentage, seven homers, 28 RBIs and 20 steals in 58 games with Nashville this season. He batted .257 with a .369 on-base percentage, two homers, 40 RBIs and 44 steals in 136 games with Double-A Biloxi last year.
He also won a Gold Glove as one of the top three defensive outfielders in the minors last year.
“Especially in center field, the reads off the bat, the amount of games growing up playing, it was something that (I) just had a knack for, being able to track balls down and run them down,” Lara said.
Lara got his contract less than three months after the Brewers signed shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million deal.
They would love to follow the lead of Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, who signed an eight-year, $82 million contract in December 2023 when he had no major league experience and had played only six games above Double-A. Chourio made the big league roster the next year and had more than 20 homers and 20 steals in each of his first two full seasons in the majors.
Even so, Lara understands he can’t take for granted that the contract will make his path to the big leagues any easier.
“It’s basically not something that gives (me) a free pass and (I’m) just going to be able to get there,” Lara said. (I’m) going to continue to put in the same amount of work and have the same amount of approach in (my) game as (I’ve) had in previous years.”
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
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