2025 New Year’s Resolutions For The Milwaukee Brewers

[Harold Hutchison]

The start of a new year is always a time for reflection, and MLB franchises should be no different. What resolutions should the Milwaukee Brewers make for 2025?

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

In one sense, the 2024 Brewers really did not really leave a lot of room for improvement. They boasted a balanced offense, while their pitching showed tremendous depth despite a host of injuries. While they had great years from veteran players, they also had exciting development from rookies.

That said, the offseason has seen some significant departures. Starting pitcher Colin Rea and reliever Hoby Milner were allowed to go into free agency, while Willie Adames declined a qualifying offer and signed a $182-million deal with the Giants. Closer Devin Williams was traded to the Yankees for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin. There could be more to come.

But what should the Brewers resolve to do for 2025? Here are a few thoughts.

Go All-In For Roki Sasaki
Landing the NPB phenom may seem like a long shot, but the Brewers have some advantages that they can pitch to Sasaki. The Japanese ace would join Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers at the top of the Brewers’ rotation, joining veterans Aaron Civale, Nestor Cortes, and Brandon Woodruff.

It would likely take a large chunk of the $7.55-million international bonus pool allotment that the Brewers have for 2025, but it would be well worth it for the ace. Although the league will watch closely and discourage an early extension because of what it might do to the perceived legitimacy of Sasaki's tightly constrained free agency, the team would control Sasaki for at least six years, which is also a lot of time in which to negotiate a longer-term engagement if it suits both sides.

At the very least, they could drive his price up for whoever does acquire him. Wherever he signs, the team acquiring him will have to relinquish their claims on a handful of international prospects to whom that bonus allotment would have otherwise gone. Maybe the Brewers can force that issue and sign an extra talented teenager, if they don’t land Sasaki himself.

Free Tyler Black
Tyler Black spent most of 2024 stuck in Nashville, and it was as if he couldn’t get into a groove. The Brewers need to get him in the 2025 lineup; he's one of the best internal options to replace the production of Adames.

While Black can’t replace the power Adames brought to the lineup, he does have superb bat-to-ball skills; is much better on the basepaths; and is very good at getting on base via the walk. The Brewers have options for how to get Black in the lineup, either by moving him all over the diamond, or having him stick at one position.

Either way, the team needs Black to make key adjustments to MLB pitching—and get them done sooner, rather than later.

Figure Out The Hot Corner – Ideally With An Internal Option
The departure of Adames means Joey Ortiz will likely move to shortstop to fill that hole, creating a new one at third. The Brewers have options to fill that gap – whether it’s Oliver Dunn, Caleb Durbin, having Andrew Monasterio take over again, or sliding Sal Frelick down from the outfield.

While a trade could be one way to fill the hot corner, it would have its own costs for the Brewers, even if it were from a position of depth. Free agency would be another option, but the best option (Alex Bregman) is likely out of the Brewers’ price range.

None of the internal options are completely horrible, although all of them would have issues of one sort or another. Dunn’s swing has some serious holes, but he has power potential. Durbin brings speed and great strike-zone skills, but he’d need to adjust to MLB pitching, and he’s been injured a lot. Monasterio was serviceable in 2023, but his offensive ceiling is limited.

Clear Out The Bullpen Clutter
The Brewers have a very deep bullpen, but they may need to channel the spirit of Marie Kondo. The fact of the matter is that with a 13-pitcher staff, after the five-man rotation (currently looking like Peralta, Myers, Civale, Cortes, and Woodruff), the Crew will have eight slots for the bullpen. Trevor Megill will handle the closing duties, and the team will have to have Connor Thomas on the 26-man all season due to the Rule 5 draft rules.

After that, it gets crowded. Abner Uribe and Nick Mears will be looking to rebound from rough 2024 seasons, but they have high-upside stuff. Jared Koenig and Bryan Hudson are both solid options as lefties, and DL Hall and Aaron Ashby will likely serve as firemen for multi-inning relief outings.

That leaves the Crew having to figure out what to do with Joel Payamps and Elvis Peguero, who could be the odd men out. Both are solid relief options for about two-thirds of the teams in MLB. That’s before the Crew has to fit Craig Yoho into the bullpen, and he’s not the only relief prospect who could come up in 2025.

The team’s best choice would be to flip Payamps and Peguero to bolster their farm system while decluttering the bullpen. Eventually, they might also need to drop J.B. Bukauskas and Tyler Jay in favor of the young pitching talent on the farm.

Establish A Long-Term Front Office Plan
The Brewers have done very well in the front office, with a solid stream of talent since the start of the 2003 season, when the team began its long climb from the franchise’s 2002 nadir. That said, one of the most important things is to keep up the development of front-office talent.

This is not a small thing. The manager and players one sees at American Family Field are the tip of the iceberg for a successful franchise. The work to get the players there is often done by a lot of people most fans never hear of. Investment here may be far more important than signing or retaining a big-name free agent.

In this case, it may involve having a constant flow of talent lined up to replace scouts, coaches, and other personnel, including the manager and general manager. That is probably the best approach. As ever, they will be well-served to cast a wide net in their search for talent, and they do that as well when it comes to staffing the front office as they do when hunting talented players for the big-league roster.

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What do you think the Brewers’ resolutions for the New Year should be?

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[SF70]

Try hard to trade some of their best in baseball prospect depth to upgrade the roster for ‘25 & ‘26.

Lara-Areinamo-O’Rae-Baez-Guilarte-Black, even YRod can go for the right player. Everyone else but low minors SP’s not named Letson-Knoth-Woodward can also go.

 

[Sugarrayray]

Great article. Many good ideas. 
 

Also why on earth would the Crew keep a confirmed bum like Mears over a bullpen work horse in Payamps? Payamps’ year was slightly down last year and he still was a good player. He’s dependable, healthy, and has good stuff. He also is one of the few veterans in the bullpen. 
Mears has never been good, had immediate health trouble upon being acquired, and has always found a way to pitch well below what his stuff would indicate.

Also I would not bank on Thomas staying on the roster this year. He was a rule 5 flyer. They will see how he looks in spring and go from there. He is guaranteed nothing this year. 

[Snoebird]

I have two concerns. Both deal with ownership and its narrow-mindedness regarding its immediate and distant neighborhood.

I would like to see the 20-square-block asphalt hole in the center of Milwaukee developed into parking ramps, bars/restaurants, green spaces and hotels/motels that would create tax revenue for Milwaukee County and cut into the booming bed business in Brookfield. Tailgating would be shrunk. 

I would also like to see the fastest-growing metro area in Wisconsin be at the very least recognized by Brewers ownership. Madison's population boom is entering a stronger phase, and the city has become the Midwest's mecca of tech jobs. It would behoove Brewers management to embrace a metro area that exceeds 500,000. Madison is every bit as capable as Des Moines, Omaha and St. Paul of becoming a Triple-A outpost, and could form rivalries with those three neighboring International League cities. With Nashville on the verge of trading its IL team for a MLB franchise, it would make sense for Brewers ownership to pursue an acquisition of the Sounds to anchor that AAA affiliate as well as invest in Madison's growth. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway would support plans for a ballpark that the Brewers could build in conjunction with Madison-based American Family Insurance, just as she is rooting for an Amtrak line from Madison to Milwaukee that would require a station. 

As someone who watched absentee ownership lead to the Braves' departure from Milwaukee, it bothers me that Mark Attanasio has never publicly been photographed in any other Wisconsin city except Milwaukee. It also bothers me that he has assigned Rick Schlesinger to deal with politicos of all manor. He has mentioned his desire for an entertainment district adjacent to his stadium but has done nothing to initiate it. You can't move a stadium, so the pact the Brewers struck with the city, county and state was no great surprise. But the fact that the Brewers aren't realizing the potential for more revenue in their neighborhood as well as eventual revenue in that booming capital city an hour away makes this old-timer uneasy.

[Rick Daltons Flamethrower]

Tyler Black is in a murky no mans position this year. He won't start and there is not outfield room for him. Not sure what to do with him.

[sveumrules]

5 minutes ago, Rick Daltons Flamethrower said:

Tyler Black is in a murky no mans position this year. He won't start and there is not outfield room for him. Not sure what to do with him.

Between Bauers and Sanchez that's 119 games started at DH/1B that are opened up now.

I'd be looking to split up that time something like this in 2025...

DH: Yelich (65) Contreras (45) Hoskins (26) Black (26)
1B: Hoskins (110) Black (52)

Bauers also picked up nine games on the grass as the 6th OF and another 33 PAs as the most frequently used pinch hitter to end the year with 346 PAs.

No reason Black can't get 350-400 PAs in a similar role this year to give us a better idea if he is ready for a more full time spot in 2026.

[Harold Hutchison]

I could see it going a little differently:

DH: Contreras 26, Black 26, Yelich 110

C: Contreras 110, Haase 26, Quero 26

1B: Hoskins 136, Black 26

2B: Turang 136, Durbin 26

SS: Ortiz 136, Monasterio 26

3B: Black 52, Durbin 52, Monasterio 58

LF: Chourio 110, Yelich 26, Black 26,

CF: Mitchell 110, Perkins 52

RF: Frelick 110, Chourio 26, Mitchell 26

[SF70]

54 minutes ago, Harold Hutchison said:

I could see it going a little differently:

DH: Contreras 26, Black 26, Yelich 110

C: Contreras 110, Haase 26, Quero 26

1B: Hoskins 136, Black 26

2B: Turang 136, Durbin 26

SS: Ortiz 136, Monasterio 26

3B: Black 52, Durbin 52, Monasterio 58

LF: Chourio 110, Yelich 26, Black 26,

CF: Mitchell 110, Perkins 52

RF: Frelick 110, Chourio 26, Mitchell 26

Black is not a 3B.

[jesusoftheapes]

I do not think Matt Arnold thinks Ortiz is the SS like the media does.  Every time asked Arnold says the job is covered by Turang and his platinum glove does not take him off that job.  I think SS will be manned by Turang and Ortiz will stay at 3rd.    I also believe that 2nd will be manned by Sal or Caleb Durbin and this is not that big of a mystery.   The guy they have been grooming for the job for over many seasons beats the newcomer who just came here last season.    Ortiz is probably a good SS too but Turang belongs there and was kept from the job by Willy Adames who had tenure and Star Power .   That is not the case anymore and I believe the SS job is already marked for Brice Turang.   

Tyler Black needs to be taking only MLB at bats.  I said it last year that the Crew needed to bring up Black and leave him up longer than a series at a time so he can accumate himself to MLB pitching.    His down 2024 was 100% because he was told he would be up in 2024 and our Manager seemed to not like the guy very much personally and did not want him on the 2024 team.     So I highly doubt that Murphy will suddenly change how he thinks of Tyler Black this season.   Tyler Black seems doomed as a player on this team.  I think trading him to a franchise that will allow him work would be the fair thing to do for Tyler.  They really have no place for him especially with Durbin now on the roster and he being one of Murphy's favorite prospects.      Tyler has a lot to learn yet at the highest level .  He has nothing to learn in AAA.  Anymore time in AAA will only damage Black and it is not fair to keep him in purgatory.    I think the best option is a trade and a new beginning and the best way to make up for Willy is named Garrett Mitchell.    

 

Agreed ..  Just get Sasaki.  We want nice things too.  

   Connor Thomas...***?  I don't know what to think of the guy as a MLB pen player.   Last time I watched him pitch was 6 years ago as a freshman and he struck out 10 for the Yellow Jackets.   So where he has come in that time is anyone's guess.  If he was anything great I highly doubt he gets Rule 5.   Heck what do I know?  He could come in and put Elvis and PAyamps to shame.  Time will tell.   I wish he was here on anything but Rule 5 though.  

[jesusoftheapes]

On 1/3/2025 at 6:50 AM, SF70 said:

Black is not a 3B.

Black is 1st base or done in Milwaukee in my opinion.     Tyler Black 100% for sure makes a terrible 3rd base at the MLB level and cannot play there.   Dunn however I was not unhappy with over there at the start of the season.   I think he has potential .     I think Ortiz stays on 3 though.  I think Turang is SS.  

[jesusoftheapes]

On 1/3/2025 at 5:55 AM, Harold Hutchison said:

I could see it going a little differently:

DH: Contreras 26, Black 26, Yelich 110

C: Contreras 110, Haase 26, Quero 26

1B: Hoskins 136, Black 26

2B: Turang 136, Durbin 26

SS: Ortiz 136, Monasterio 26

3B: Black 52, Durbin 52, Monasterio 58

LF: Chourio 110, Yelich 26, Black 26,

CF: Mitchell 110, Perkins 52

RF: Frelick 110, Chourio 26, Mitchell 26

This is my Beyond Thunderdome lineups .  To dream of number of games a player plays is how you doom them to injury for the season so I will leave that to you guys .     This would be a good way to part the lineup in thunderdome rule baseball .   This is a perfect example of offseason blues type thinking.   

DH:  Rhys Hoskins,Christian Yelich  

C: William Contreras, Eric Haas

1B Christian Yelich(because why the hell not)/Rhys Hoskins

2B Sal Freilck/Caleb Durbin

SS Brice Turang/Caleb Durbin 

3B: Joey Ortiz/Oliver Dunn

LF: Garrett Mitchell,Caleb Durbin

CF: Blake Perkins, Garrett Mitchell 

RF:  Jackson Chourio, Caleb Durbin, Sal Freilck

 

 

[jesusoftheapes]

On 1/2/2025 at 2:04 PM, sveumrules said:

Between Bauers and Sanchez that's 119 games started at DH/1B that are opened up now.

I'd be looking to split up that time something like this in 2025...

DH: Yelich (65) Contreras (45) Hoskins (26) Black (26)
1B: Hoskins (110) Black (52)

Bauers also picked up nine games on the grass as the 6th OF and another 33 PAs as the most frequently used pinch hitter to end the year with 346 PAs.

No reason Black can't get 350-400 PAs in a similar role this year to give us a better idea if he is ready for a more full time spot in 2026.

I disagree. Black does not fit here.  I see his best path to baseball is on another roster.    Tyler Black is not a possible Garrett Mitchell level guy.  He has not impressed many people in a while and seems to be going the wrong way.   He serves no one in the minors but he really does not serve the interest of the Brewers.   Turns out he is just not as good as planned and has not progressed as a defender enough to be useful .   So let him develop someplace that has a spot for him to fit in.  He seems trapped here right now.