Brewers have 'real' chance to make disappointing decision on $50M prospect

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Apr 30, 2026 - 14:37

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Brewers have 'real' chance to make disappointing decision on $50M prospect originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Milwaukee Brewers might not be the biggest spenders in Major League Baseball, but they've routinely been one of the better teams in the sport.

This year is no different, even though they've dealt with some injuries to stars like Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio. If the Brewers wanted to, they have a fun $50.75 million prospect they could call up this year in Cooper Pratt.

However, ESPN's Jeff Passan noted that there is a "real scenario" in which Pratt, the shortstop who got a $50.75 million extension before ever playing in the Majors, won't be called up to the big leagues this season.

Brewers might not call up Cooper Pratt despite $50.75M deal

"There's a real scenario in which Pratt spends the first year of his deal in the minor leagues," Passan writes.

This would be a bit of a letdown for the Brewers and for Pratt. After signing the $50.75 million extension to keep him around for the next eight years, to keep him in the minors for the first year would feel like a waste.

While it's nice to have Pratt locked in for the next eight years, as the 21-year-old will be a Brewer for a while on a reasonable deal, the first year is going to be wasted by keeping him in the minor leagues.

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Of course, there is a reason why the Brewers might make this decision. In Triple-A this season, Pratt has struggled a bit. He has a .222 batting average and .653 OPS with one homer, seven RBIs, and nine stolen bases.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound shortstop is a fun prospect, but he's not been a great hitter in his professional career. His career OPS in the minors is .725 in 910 at-bats.

Milwaukee could call him up this season, but Passan also believes there's a real scenario in which Pratt doesn't get called up to the Majors despite being in the first year of his $50.75 million deal.