The Brewers have signed yet another extension with one of their prospects. Milwaukee announced the signing of a Triple-A outfielder Luis Lara to a seven-year contract with club options covering the 2033-35 seasons. A reported $31MM guarantee that could rise to $79MM depending on option specifications and bonuses.
Lara will remain in Triple-A with an optional assignment. The Brewers needed to add him to the 40-man roster to complete the Major League contract. Left hand Brian Fitzpatrick moved from the 15-day list to the 60-day casualty list. The rookie reliever suffered a UCL sprain and is seeking a second opinion, reports Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
It has become common in recent years for clubs to commit to their junior players before they move up to the big leagues, or perhaps after a few games in the big leagues. As shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, from 2006 to 2016, there were six extensions signed by players with less than a year of service. From 2017 to now, that number is 25, 15 of which were inked in the last four years.
Milwaukee played an active role in that data set, especially in signing pre-release deals. In 2023, they gave up Jackson Chourio an eight-year, $82MM deal when he was considered one of the top two prospects in the league. That was a record deal for a pre-debut player at the time, though Colt Emerson he later broke that record when he signed a $95MM deal with the Mariners. Earlier this year, the Brewers signed another preseason deal, albeit on a smaller scale. See once Cooper Pratt agreed to an eight-year, $50.75MM contract in April, though Pratt has remained in the minors with an option since signing that deal.
This deal with Lara comes at a very low level. The guarantee is about a third of what Chourio received and just over half of Pratt’s deal. Chourio’s shyness is no real surprise. As mentioned, Chourio was one of the top prospects in the league at the time. Lara is a strong prospect but he’s probably more of a top 100 guy right now. Pratt and Lara have similar prospect ratings but Pratt’s deal was seen by some as more money.
Lara, now 21, was an international signee of the Brewers back in 2022. Milwaukee gave him a $1.1MM signing bonus at the time. Lara’s size is notable, as she is listed at 5’7″ or 5’8″, depending on the source. As you would expect from such a player, there isn’t a ton of power, but he does have speed. He has 447 minor league games under his belt so far with only 17 runs scored but 144 stolen bases. Because of that speed, his defense gets a lot of praise, with some scouts looking at him as the future Glover.
The case is beyond question. As mentioned, strength is easy, although perhaps Lara builds strength as she ages. He never hit more than four homers in any previous season but has hit seven in 2026, in just 247 Triple-A plate appearances. Plate discipline appears to be strong, however, as he often posts solid walk and strikeout rates. This year, his first in the minors, he has a 15.8% walk rate and a 13% strikeout rate. Both are excellent figures.
Baseball America currently ranks Lara as the #5 prospect in the program, a few spots behind Pratt. That store has Pratt #44 in their Top 100, with Lara at #50. FanGraphs had Lara #11 in the lineup back in the winter, before he started putting up good numbers in Triple-A here in 2026. ESPN bumped Lara up to #5 on the show in a recent show review. MLB Pipe has Lara ranked #91 overall and the #5 Brewer.
The Brewers are likely to feel happy about Lara coming to be a major contributor to the league. It seems like Lara’s speed and defense will make her tough even if she doesn’t hit hard. If he can maintain his solid approach at the plate and add some power as he gets deeper into his 20s, that just makes the deal more attractive to them.
From Lara’s point of view, he’s cutting to the extremes of his fundraising abilities, as is the case with any prospect of signing an early extension. If he hadn’t been able to hit the mark, he would have ended up as the fourth fastest player, which probably wouldn’t have paid him much. Accepting this deal allows him to bank more money than he would otherwise have. But if he turns into an All-Star caliber regular, he won’t have as much leverage for that. The deal will keep him from 21 to 27, with three clubs having the option to make him 30. He could still get a good deal at that point, as he enters his age-31 season, but he would have had more earning potential if he had been able to hit the open market in his late 20s.
As already mentioned, Lara will stay with the children for now. At the major league level, Milwaukee has an outfield that includes Chourio, Garrett Mitchell again Sal Frelickwith Christian Yelich, Jake Bauers again Blake Perkins entering another time. They have it too Brandon Lockridge on the injured list, Tyler Black again Akil Baddoo with an optional share, too Jett Williams in Triple-A at random.
In the long run, it’s fair to wonder if the Brewers will trade that team to open up playing time. Bauers is an upcoming free agent but everyone else is under club control for a while. Yelich’s deal is guaranteed until 2028. Chourio is signed until 2031 with two club options. Mitchell can be kept in arbitration until 2028, Frelick and Perkins until 2029.
For now, the Brewers have some fun outfield depth on a club with a few glaring holes. They have a 41-23 record which is second best in the National League, behind only Atlanta. Although they will undoubtedly be looking to add to the roster before the trade deadline, perhaps they can do so while removing an outfielder from their big league roster as they look to pitch more or help out on the left side of the infield.
Spencer Michaelis of the Brewers Fanatic Podcast first reported that the two sides had agreed to a deal worth approximately $30MM over eight years with two club options. Jon Heyman of The New York Post explained that it is actually a seven-year contract worth $31MM. Jeff Passan of ESPN confirmed the 7/$31MM draft and noted that there are three club options, with a maximum of $79MM. Pasan also added that Lara will stay with the children for now. Photos courtesy of Dave Kallmann, Imagn Images.
