Brewers Reportedly Concerned about Payroll

[trwi7]

5 minutes ago, SF70 said:

More likely?

The team liking Lockridge. Do you remember how excited Murphy was getting Lockridge?

What else is he going to say?  This guy sucks and I don't really have any use for him?  There's nothing exciting about getting a 28 year old defensive replacement who can't hit no matter how much the manager tries to spin it.

[harrydalton]

Attanasio group bought Brewers in 2005 for a reported $223 million. Forbes has recently valued the franchise at $1.7 billion, an increase greater than 7.5 times. I see a possible 5 year window of opportunity for serious contention for one or more championships. Why can't they in that term boost payroll $25 to $50 million?

OK! Swing away all you tightwads. Ain't my money to play with.

 

 

[BrewerFan]

16 hours ago, Thurston Fluff said:

I saw another post saying something similar about him being a setup man and now we'd somehow be pigeon holing Uribe in the 9th. Where did that come from? Uribe has shown he's more than ready, willing, and able to close. He was being groomed to be one since the minors. It's been obvious for a while that he's the heir apparent closer. There's an argument to be made he'd be our best option now even with Megill on the roster.

Nobody said he wasn't. The 9th inning usually isnt' the toughest inning. Remember when we had Hader? He was quite clearly our best reliever. He was more valuable coming in, getting the heart of the order out in the 7th or with a one run lead and 2 men on. 

Nowhere in my post did I infer or dispute that he ready to be a closer.  

16 hours ago, Thurston Fluff said:

If the Brewers want to trade from the bullpen to save money

The payroll isn't that high. They have... arguably the best farm system and they just lost to the Dodgers in the NLCS. 

If they are cutting payroll... I'd be extremely disappointed. They're right about where they were last year despite the added income... and this article sounds like it was just 100% speculation. 

Attanasio gets a lot of #### for being cheap and it's been unjustified IMO, but... they start cutting away players like that, Ashby or Peralta... for any reason other than they get a deal they can't say no to, it'd be pretty disappointing. 

 

[Vgmastr]

13 hours ago, harrydalton said:

Attanasio group bought Brewers in 2005 for a reported $223 million. Forbes has recently valued the franchise at $1.7 billion, an increase greater than 7.5 times. I see a possible 5 year window of opportunity for serious contention for one or more championships. Why can't they in that term boost payroll $25 to $50 million?

OK! Swing away all you tightwads. Ain't my money to play with.

 

 

If you bought a house 20 years ago for $100k and now it's worth $300k you don't just have $200k sitting around to buy stuff with, you only get that money when you sell the house.  Just because the franchise is worth that much more than when he bought it means nothing until he sells the team, that's not money available to put into payroll.

[KCBrewerfan34]

I think when you have a window to a WS you should go for it and stretch the payroll, just like if you’re rebuilding then maybe you go lower. Some teams lose 90 games a year, why carry a higher payroll to lose 80-85 

[Thurston Fluff]

8 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

Nobody said he wasn't. The 9th inning usually isnt' the toughest inning. Remember when we had Hader? He was quite clearly our best reliever. He was more valuable coming in, getting the heart of the order out in the 7th or with a one run lead and 2 men on. 

Nowhere in my post did I infer or dispute that he ready to be a closer.  

The payroll isn't that high. They have... arguably the best farm system and they just lost to the Dodgers in the NLCS. 

If they are cutting payroll... I'd be extremely disappointed. They're right about where they were last year despite the added income... and this article sounds like it was just 100% speculation. 

Attanasio gets a lot of #### for being cheap and it's been unjustified IMO, but... they start cutting away players like that, Ashby or Peralta... for any reason other than they get a deal they can't say no to, it'd be pretty disappointing. 

 

Hard not to see the pigeon holing comment as anything other than an inference he isn't ready for the role.

 

[SF70]

57 minutes ago, KCBrewerfan34 said:

I think when you have a window to a WS you should go for it and stretch the payroll, just like if you’re rebuilding then maybe you go lower. Some teams lose 90 games a year, why carry a higher payroll to lose 80-85 

The Brewers don’t believe in windows. Maybe the looming lockout puts extra emphasis on trying to win this coming season but that same potential lockout could also curb the desire to spend on this year’s team. 

My guess is a portion of the extra revenue the team received from their playoff run of ‘25 is being set aside just in case.

[BrewerFan]

1 hour ago, Thurston Fluff said:

Hard not to see the pigeon holing comment as anything other than an inference he isn't ready for the role.

 

I don't see how;

Quote

 

The phrase "to pigeonhole someone" means to unfairly categorize or classify them into a narrow, often simplistic group or type, without considering all their diverse qualities, skills, or characteristics.

 

Closer= Simplistic group. 9th inning, no matter what, not always(in fact usually not) the most impactful innings by a reliever.

Keep Megill and Uribe can throw in the 7th or 8th or whenever they need him as he did last year.

 

The Brewers have done this for years. They've put as much value on the guy coming in and getting outs vs the middle of the order in the 8th or in a tough spot in the 7th as they have the closers role. 

That's not me inferring Uribe isn't good, it's... just the opposite. It's me wanting to see him used the same as he was this year. 

[BrewerFan]

3 hours ago, KCBrewerfan34 said:

I think when you have a window to a WS you should go for it and stretch the payroll, just like if you’re rebuilding then maybe you go lower. Some teams lose 90 games a year, why carry a higher payroll to lose 80-85 

We're not even talking about really stretching it. At most we're up ~10M from last year... and they made at least that with their playoff run.

And of COURSE the Brewers "believe in windows." Saying they want "more bites at the apple," does not mean they don't recognize when they're competitive and have a chance to win now. They know they have a good team. That's why I don't believe they're going to be pinching pennies and trading these contracts that are extremely team friendly to cut payroll. 
 

I'm also confused why a potential lockout in '27 would in some way result in the Brewers saving money. If there's no season, there's no payroll, but there IS still TV money. That money(National deal at least) is Guaranteed. So that doesn't make sense. They're making money every year. They're not raking it in and making hundreds of millions, but they're not operating at a loss. 

 

[Frisbee Slider]

Returning every meaningful piece from a franchise record 97 win team seems like the best possible window to build upon 🙂🤷‍♂️

[harrydalton]

You don' t have to cash out equity to benefit from it. Reduce profits or borrow on the equity. Jeez!

[KCBrewerfan34]

2 hours ago, Frisbee Slider said:

Returning every meaningful piece from a franchise record 97 win team seems like the best possible window to build upon 🙂🤷‍♂️

Plus they’re adding Mitchell, maybe Quero and probably Henderson into the mix. Pretty good additions potentially. Many of the younger players hopefully, have not reached their ceilings!!

[TURBO]

32 minutes ago, KCBrewerfan34 said:

Plus they’re adding Mitchell to the IL several times in 2026, maybe Quero and probably Henderson into the mix. Pretty good additions potentially. Many of the younger players hopefully, have not reached their ceilings!!

Fixed it for you.

I feel bad that so many are still clinging to the hope that Mitchell will suddenly be healthy for a season and contribute.  I've given up, and don't consider him for anything, at all.

[markedman5]

2 hours ago, harrydalton said:

You don' t have to cash out equity to benefit from it. Reduce profits or borrow on the equity. Jeez!

Borrowing on the equity is a stupid way to run a business ( it’s what got Selig into, trouble) and we don’t know how much profit they are making.

The Brewers play in baseball’s smallest market and last year had a payroll that ranked 18th……not really sure why people think they are cheap.

If you’re mad about the payroll blame the system……..

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/_/year/2025

[jay87shot]

I think basically everyone is right here. The team should be able to stretch payroll up like 20 million for 1 year. Since a lot of money does/could come off the books next year the 2027 cba shouldn't play much into this years salary. When Woody comes off the books next year with Peralta and possibly Contreras it will be easy to get back on budget. If there is a year to go for it this year should be it.

However we really dont know what the books look like. When Mark bought the team he did raise payroll from the putrid Selig numbers. However when you look at TV deals you do see how much less the org. has When compared to other organizations. Mark has been a good owner and yes I think he could open the checkbook a little more. I dont really get the feeling like he is making huge profits of the team on a year to year basis. 

[BrewerFan]

26 minutes ago, markedman5 said:

Borrowing on the equity is a stupid way to run a business ( it’s what got Selig into, trouble) and we don’t know how much profit they are making.

The Brewers play in baseball’s smallest market and last year had a payroll that ranked 18th……not really sure why people think they are cheap.

If you’re mad about the payroll blame the system……..

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/_/year/2025

You use equity to borrow to grow your business... Real Estate is a fine example... and you could come up with other ways it would make sense, but this isn't one of them. 

The Brewers are already maxing out. Unless he's going to sell... how's he repaying the equity? I don't think they should or need or will just deal a guy like Megill to save 4.4M. I also don't want them to go out and sign Bichette and then in the future have to slash the payroll. 

They're doing fine. Bringing this team back with the young guys who should get better. Chourio is on the verge of breaking out, Garrett Mitchell... just because people mentioning him seems to elicit a lot of anger, I find it mildly amusing, Quero, Henderson... and several other prospects who may or may not contribute. Adams and Wilken could. Wichrowski... who knows. 

 

I feel like mentioning again though, even if Attanasio wanted to use the equity in the team... he owns less than 40% of the team. So that 1.7B, his share might be 600M. He also wants it to stay in his family. So he's going to be passing that down 

 

[Underachiever]

1 hour ago, TURBO said:

Fixed it for you.

I feel bad that so many are still clinging to the hope that Mitchell will suddenly be healthy for a season and contribute.  I've given up, and don't consider him for anything, at all.

Sums up my feelings on Mitchell and his return to help the team: 

 

[nate82]

4 hours ago, harrydalton said:

You don' t have to cash out equity to benefit from it. Reduce profits or borrow on the equity. Jeez!

MLB only allows teams to borrow from MLB and the rate is rather high and is only there for extreme emergencies.  So you can remove borrowing on the equity.  The team is not going to reduce profits that is just not going to happen.  From what I have heard the Brewers are on razor thin margins and the profits that they have cut into are all going into player development.  The Brewers firmly believe in player development as their way that they can win.  Don't expect much in terms of FA signings from the Brewers.  They may invest more once Yelich is gone but they will then have to pay Chourio more once that happens.  

[Scooterfletcher]

16 minutes ago, nate82 said:

MLB only allows teams to borrow from MLB and the rate is rather high and is only there for extreme emergencies.  So you can remove borrowing on the equity.  The team is not going to reduce profits that is just not going to happen.  From what I have heard the Brewers are on razor thin margins and the profits that they have cut into are all going into player development.  The Brewers firmly believe in player development as their way that they can win.  Don't expect much in terms of FA signings from the Brewers.  They may invest more once Yelich is gone but they will then have to pay Chourio more once that happens.  

So many business analyst experts on a sports website.  I am sure one of the ten chiming in is on to something.   We will add a guy or two (Hoskins/Quintana) or (Montas/Samchez/Jarvis) so don’t look for a cut in payroll.

[BrewerFan]

15 hours ago, Scooterfletcher said:

So many business analyst experts on a sports website.  I am sure one of the ten chiming in is on to something.   We will add a guy or two (Hoskins/Quintana) or (Montas/Samchez/Jarvis) so don’t look for a cut in payroll.

That wasn't really a "business analyst." 

Also, a "guy or two(Hoskins/Quintana)." That's... quite a chasm there. 

2/34M we committed to Hoskins... and 1 year 2M and then 2M buyout.

Not really similar at all. 
What's more, what "business analysis" do you think has been done here? It's usually not a good financial decision to borrow against the equity you've accrued in a business? That's just... well, it doesn't take an MBA.

I don't really expect any FA signings, much less a Hoskins signing at this point.

[Scooterfletcher]

4 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

 

I don't really expect any FA signings, much less a Hoskins signing at this point.

I’m not an MBA, but I’ll bet you two opening day tickets that we make a free agent signing.   

[BrewerFan]

9 minutes ago, Scooterfletcher said:

I’m not an MBA, but I’ll bet you two opening day tickets that we make a free agent signing.   

No. We're ALMOST certain to sign a NRI or a Minor League FA...

I WILL bet you we're not going to sign ANYONE in the Hoskins/Montas price ranges. 

[Scooterfletcher]

8 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

No. We're ALMOST certain to sign a NRI or a Minor League FA...

I WILL bet you we're not going to sign ANYONE in the Hoskins/Montas price ranges. 

And I will take your original offer that we will sign an actual MLb free agent and not just a non roster invite.  

[BrewerFan]

41 minutes ago, Scooterfletcher said:

And I will take your original offer that we will sign an actual MLb free agent and not just a non roster invite.  

LOL... you've invented this "original offer." 

What in fact WAS the was the "original offer"  I made?

I said we're DEFINITELY not signing "a player or two," like Hoskins or a Montas, players who made... on average of 17M a year when they were on the Brewers.

 

51 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

I WILL bet you we're not going to sign ANYONE in the Hoskins/Montas price ranges.

THAT'S the only "bet" I'm making and I'm not going to entertain any more as I... don't think you believe what you're saying. 

I said we're DEFINITELY not signing "a player or two," like Hoskins or a Montas, players who made... on average of 17M a year when they were on the Brewers.

You've made the spread Hoskins 2/34 to literally ANYONE. Eric Hasse comes back but doesn't make the team, well... we signed someone! You win!

 

LOL... that's just  ridiculous. You made the initial argument, you wanted to "bet." 

 

Quote

 We will add a guy or two (Hoskins/Quintana) or (Montas/Samchez/Jarvis) so don’t look for a cut in payroll.

There could be a guy named Samchez out there, maybe we'll sign him... or some Jarvis(perhaps Paul Bettany is in need of employment, I don't know.... maybe we have some AI programs).

 

Anyway, I'm not entertaining this. You set the bar at comically high as a minimum and now you're setting it as comically low as a minimum and trying to shift it as though I wanted to engage in some bet in the first place. I mean, if you really need opening day tickets that bad, we'll work something out!

 

[Roderick]

On 11/28/2025 at 10:35 AM, trwi7 said:

When do we ever add at the deadline?  If we add it's just a cheap reliever or something.  Not a reason to shed payroll.

The Brewers just used the budget they held back for the trading deadline on Jansen and Miller/Montgomery.  You can question the quality of pickups, but you can't question that they used a decent chunk of payroll for these two tranx.