With $34 million at stake for two arms, the Milwaukee Brewers must decide if these high-priced rentals can secure a title.
While there's a chance the Milwaukee Brewers could keep Dustin May and Antonio Senzatela around next season, it's going to cost them a combined $34 million.
May comes with a steep $20 million mutual option in 2027, one that has a $500,000 buyout. As for Senzatela, he does not have a buyout but comes with a hefty $14 million club option.
The health of Quinn Priester may decide whether or not May is brought back. At the end of the day, Milwaukee paid Brandon Woodruff more here in 2026, and it's not like that got them anywhere.
The third pitcher they added, JoJo Romero, is currently on the Injured List and will be a free agent after the 2026 season.
It's well documented that the Brewers didn't acquire a bat at the trade deadline, so it'll be interesting to see what the future holds for May and Senzatela, and if they regret trading either of their top 13 prospects.
Is May worth $20 million?
The answer to this question comes down to the situation the Brewers are in. They have a chance to head into the 2026 postseason with a Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Logan Henderson, and Dustin May rotation. On paper, that gives plenty of teams a run for their money, and could go down as a lethal unit that gets this team to the World Series.
The interesting part about adding May is the fact that the team at least has an option to bring him back next year. If Priester isn't going to be ready by the start of the year and Brandon Sproat is still struggling, it may be worth it to still have him around.
The Brewers' World Series window remains open, for now, so having May around an extra year at a cheaper cost than what they paid Woodruff this season seems like a bargain.
Can the Brewers stomach $14 million for a reliever?
For reference, Trevor Megill is making $4.7 million this year while Abner Uribe is making a measly $798,300. Uribe is still under team control for quite some time, but Megill is only going to be around for one more year if they don't re-sign him.
Again, look at that World Series window. The Brewers know both Megill and Uribe will be around next year; they should have Angel Zerpa back around, so keeping Senzatela could really help this bullpen remain elite.
Senzatela's performance with the Brewers this year will likely determine his fate, as he'd go from making $3,529,405 to $14 million, which is a huge jump, to say the least.
