The Milwaukee Brewers finally won their first World Series title in Game 5 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. The Brewers rebounded from being swept in the NLCS in 2025 and ultimately ended up on top in 2026.

But they've got some work to do in the offseason. They have some players that are free agents that they should try to bring back. Among them is first baseman and NLCS MVP Jake Bauers.

Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports ranked all of the top free agents heading into the offseason and predicted that Bauers will land a three-year, $54 million contract.

"A lifetime .211/.307/.365 hitter through age 29, Bauers busted out with a career year at age 30, hitting .266/.389/.494 with 26 homers and then took home NLCS MVP honors for the world champs," Pouliot wrote. "Bauers did show signs of the big step forward in 2025, with his bat speed and exit velocity numbers improving considerably and his strikeout rate dropping at the same time. So, he’s not entirely a one-year wonder."

Will Jake Bauers stay or leave?

Bauers did a lot to boost his value in his contract year and finally became what he was expected to be. The Brewers managed to get through the Los Angeles Dodgers in a four-game sweep thanks to Bauers' heroics at the plate, so he may be more expensive than originally expected.

Could that potentially put him out of the Brewers' price range and force them to look elsewhere for first base help? Possibly, but a multi-year deal is probably going to be what he gets after such a strong 2026 season.

The Brewers would be wise to try and keep him around, but his breakout season may make things a little bit difficult for Milwaukee.

A bigger-market team with more financial resources than the Brewers might be able to afford him more easily as the offseason gets underway. Also important to note, however is that there will likely be a lockout, so that could impact his market if he does not sign right away. That could lead to him taking a shorter-term deal once the lockout if lifted.

Bauers has made a lot of progress over the past several years at the plate, but a lot does depend on the lockout. The Brewers could possibly give him a pillow deal with opt outs if they want to keep him around for 2027.