Civale, acquired via trade in early July, tops the list of projected salaries in the group at $8 million, although he and others could ultimately wind up as trade pieces.
Contreras, meanwhile, is expected to receive somewhere around $7.6 million. There’s no question the Brewers would love to lock him up long term (Contreras turns 27 on Dec. 24) but based on what Contreras has said previously he is willing to wait for free agency in 2028 in hopes of landing a mega contract.
“It would be really premature to speculate on anything of that nature, given where we are in the calendar,” Kleine said. “It’s still November. I think once we get on the horn with his agency to hammer out his 2025 contract, that’s where our focus will be. It’ll be reaching an arb agreement.
“Obviously, he’s a huge part of this club and if it’s something that he and his agent have interest in discussing, we’re always happy to have those discussions. But right now we’re focused on building out the rest of our roster and we’re really excited about putting his name into the lineup next year, surrounded by guys like (Jackson) Chourio and the rest of the gang.”
Milner, who turns 34 on Jan. 13, may have reached the end of a solid four-year run in Milwaukee’s bullpen.
“These are always tough decisions,” Kleine acknowledged. “One thing to point out specifically on Hoby is just what a total pro he is and what a tremendous teammate he’s been since the time that we originally brought him into the organization on a minor-league contract (in December of 2020).
