Brewers 2025 Opening Day Roster Prediction, v 2.0

The Brewers are still trying to figure out how to replace the Willy Adames-sized hole in the lineup and the clubhouse, and there are going to be some changes in their pitching staff with the departures of reliable contributors like Colin Rea (to the Cubs) and Hoby Milner (now a Texas Ranger). Still, taking the 40-man roster as it stands, the Brewers could assemble a very good team, likely to contend again for the NL Central crown.

Let’s look over the team and what the Opening Day 26-man roster looks like, following Wednesday's signing of Tyler Alexander.

Starting Rotation
The Brewers had a solid 1-2-3 punch in their rotation late in 2024, between Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, and Aaron Civale. The acquisition of Nestor Cortes adds a solid mid-rotation starter whose real value for the Brewers remains twofold:

1. He pushes Brandon Woodruff (when he returns) to the fifth spot for his comeback season after 2023 and 2024 were largely lost due to injury; and
2. He buys time for a well-stocked Triple-A rotation that includes Logan Henderson, Chad Patrick, Jacob Misiorowski, and Carlos F. Rodriguez to gain seasoning in Nashville.

The newly-signed Tyler Alexander is another potential option for the fifth spot, especially if Woodruff needs more time to build up. He could also “piggyback” with Woodruff, should the Brewers take that option. Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, and Rule 5 pick Connor Thomas could also be options for the fifth spot if Woodruff isn’t ready to go, though Hall certainly has less chance of that now that he's behind schedule at the outset of camp. Robert Gasser was moved to the 60-day IL due to recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Cortes, Alexander and Woodruff are going to determine much of how Milwaukee’s 2025 can go, especially in the early going. If Cortes and Woodruff return to the form that made them top-10 vote recipients for the Cy Young Award in their best seasons, or if Alexander makes the type of quantum leap Rea did while with the Crew, the Brewers could go toe-to-toe with any team in the playoffs.

Projected Opening Day Rotation: Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale, Nestor Cortes, Tyler Alexander; Brandon Woodruff to 60-day IL

Bullpen
The relief corps remains quite deep—so much so that the Devin Williams trade and designating both Tyler Jay and J.B. Buskaukas (both of whom are NRIs to spring training) did little to ease congestion.

Trevor Megill will likely take up the closer’s role, which he performed very well in 2024 during Williams’ absence. Who handles the eighth inning, though, remains up for grabs. Will it be Jared Koenig, Nick Mears, Abner Uribe, Joel Payamps, Grant Anderson, or Elvis Peguero? Obviously, it will be some mixture of those names, but someone will get the bulk of the holds in front of hoped-for Megill saves. Could NRI Craig Yoho seize that job?

The losers in the scramble for high-leverage setup work will likely end up handling the seventh inning; toiling in Triple-A Nashville for a bit; or being moved to teams looking for help in the bullpen, especially if Yoho forces the issue in the spring.

The depth is such that they have a terrific lower-leverage segment of the bullpen, which will feature a number of relievers who can go multiple innings. The top four contenders are all lefties, three of whom could be dominant: Bryan Hudson, along with rotation contenders Hall, Ashby and Thomas. Yoho and Misiorowski could easily wind up in the Brewers’ bullpen, too, especially since the former has nothing left to prove in the minors.

Payamps, Mears, and Thomas cannot be optioned to the minors. This could be one area where the Brewers make some trades by Opening Day, as the situation crystallizes.

Projected Opening Day Bullpen: Trevor Megill (closer), Craig Yoho, Joel Payamps, Jared Koenig, Bryan Hudson, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, Connor Thomas

Catchers
This is a straightforward position for the Brewers. William Contreras will likely be the starter for the third season, having secured a huge payday in his first year of arbitration. Eric Haase will be the backup to start the season, but he will be looking over his shoulder as Jeferson Quero will be in Triple-A Nashville after recovering from a shoulder injury that cost him all of 2024. That said, Darrien Miller, a catching prospect overshadowed by Quero over the years, received a non-roster invitee to spring training and brings familiarity with the young Triple-A starters, making him an intriguing option.

Projected Opening Day Catchers: William Contreras (starter), Eric Haase (bench)

Infielders
Three of the four positions will be set going into Opening Day. First base will be manned by Rhys Hoskins, who opted in with the Brewers for 2025. Joey Ortiz will likely move to shortstop to fill the very big shoes of Adames, who took a seven-year, $182-million deal from the San Francisco Giants. Brice Turang will return at second base, where he earned both the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove.

That leaves third base, where the Brewers already had some solid internal options before Caleb Durbin’s acquisition in the Devin Williams trade. Tyler Black did not see much action at third in 2024 (nine games for Triple-A Nashville), but that seems to be the only real way he can carve a place in the big-league lineup. His bat has nothing left to prove in the minors, and he is arguably the team’s best offensive option at the position on the 40-man roster, even with the team’s doubts about his defense.

In this case, the Brewers could likely go with a platoonish approach at the hot corner, with Black and Durbin getting the bulk of the starts. Black could find more at-bats by playing some DH, left field, and first base, in addition to the hot corner. Durbin may be helpful in giving Ortiz and Turang days off by handling second base when he isn't at third base.

Isaac Collins, a switch-hitter who has seen playing time at third base, second base, and the outfield, Oliver Dunn, and Vinny Capra could also be options in the infield, with Dunn a possible starter at third—if he can actually make contact with the baseball.

Projected Opening Day Infielders: Rhys Hoskins (1B), Brice Turang (2B), Joey Ortiz (SS), Tyler Black (3B/platoon), Andruw Monasterio (backup SS/3B/2B), Caleb Durbin (3B-2B/platoon)

Outfielders
Arguably the deepest position group on the team, all of the likely 26-man roster candidates for the Brewers have significant professional experience in center field, which has been a factor in helping the team’s pitchers look good.

Garrett Mitchell will likely start in center, bringing a potent left-handed bat, speed, and excellent defense if he can avoid the injured list. Blake Perkins handled most of the center field duties in 2024 while Mitchell recovered from an injury, and he was a Gold Glove finalist. Sal Frelick earned a Gold Glove primarily playing right field last year, but could see time in the infield in some scenarios. Jackson Chourio finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, and won’t need two months to adjust to MLB pitching in 2025.

These developments will likely bump Christian Yelich to being the primary designated hitter, which should make things easier on his surgically repaired back and maybe help him double the 73 games he played in 2024, which could help replace some of Adames's 32 home runs and general offensive dangerousness. Black may also see some time in the outfield, having played both center field and left field in the minors. Brewer Hicklen could be the first callup in case of injury, or he could be a casualty of a roster crunch.

Projected Opening Day Outfielders: Christian Yelich (DH), Jackson Chourio (LF), Garrett Mitchell (CF), Sal Frelick (RF), Blake Perkins (bench)

Lineup Projection (primary starter/secondary starter)

1. 3B: Tyler Black/Caleb Durbin
2. LF: Jackson Chourio/Tyler Black
3. DH: Christian Yelich/Tyler Black
4. C: William Contreras/Eric Haase
5. CF: Garrett Mitchell/Blake Perkins
6. 1B: Rhys Hoskins/Tyler Black
7. RF: Sal Frelick/Jackson Chourio
8. SS: Joey Ortiz/Brice Turang
9. 2B: Brice Turang/Caleb Durbin

Bench Projection

• C Eric Haase
• IF Andruw Monasterio
• IF Caleb Durbin
• OF Blake Perkins

Projected Rotation

• RHP Freddy Peralta
• RHP Tobias Myers
• RHP Aaron Civale
• LHP Nestor Cortes
• LHP Tyler Alexander

Projected Bullpen

• RHP Trevor Megill (closer)
• RHP Craig Yoho (set-up)
• RHP Joel Payamps (set-up)
• LHP Jared Koenig (set-up)
• LHP Bryan Hudson (middle/long relief)
• LHP DL Hall (long relief)
• LHP Aaron Ashby (long relief)
• LHP Connor Thomas (long relief)

60-Day Injured List

• RHP Brandon Woodruff
• LHP Robert Gasser