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Since the start of the 2022 season, the Brewers have played 14 postseason games. The division-rival Chicago Cubs have played just eight, all of them coming this fall. However, the two clubs have played the same number of "cash cow" games, under the rules that govern the distribution of postseason revenue throughout MLB. The inability to put up a significant fight against the Dodgers not only meant the end of their magical season and the evaporation of any dreams of the franchise's first World Series championship, but also a missed opportunity to make tens of millions more dollars.
Though there's lots of money to be made from any playoff appearance—and especially from any home games—the biggest chunks for individual teams come when a series goes beyond its minimum required length. For the first two games of the Wild Card Series; the first three games of the Division Series; and the first four games of both the League Championship Series and the World Series, the two teams playing divide only a small portion of the gate receipts. Most of the money for those games goes to the Commissioner's office and (the greater share) to the players; that's where the playoff shares you hear about each fall come from. If there's a Game 3 in a Wild Card Series; Games 4 and 5 in the Division Series; or Games 5 through 7 in the LCS or World Series, the two teams playing divide roughly 85% of the gate.
In other words, for sold-out Games 3 and 4 at Dodger Stadium, the Brewers only got (as a rough estimate) $3 million. They probably made more like $2 million at the gate for Games 1 and 2 at the smaller, lower-priced Uecker Field. By contrast, Game 5 could have netted the Brewers a solid $5 million by itself, and Games 6 and 7 would have been worth nearly as much, in gates alone.
Because the Brewers were also swept in the 2023 Wild Card Series, the only playoff games they've played that have netted them these larger shares in the last three trips they've made to October were Game 3 against the Mets last fall and Games 4 and 5 against the Cubs earlier this month. That's better than nothing—and Wrigley Field, though short on capacity, charges very high ticket prices, so that was a very lucrative game to get nearly half the revenue from. Still, the Crew likely only made about $15 million in attendance revenue during this playoff run.
Attendance, of course, is not the whole story. The Brewers hosted five games, which means they got to fill their team-owned parking lots and hawk merchandise and concessions five times. They'll also realize some ancillary benefits, like a stronger season ticket base (new signups, plus a boost in renewal rates) and better marketing and advertising rates. Beating the Cubs, in particular; getting the monkey off their back by winning a playoff series for the first time in seven years; and advancing to an NLCS against the extremely high-visibility Dodgers all increase their earning power.
The Brewers are probably $30 million richer for having done as well as they did this season, including in October. That's not all in cash, and they won't realize all of those benefits right away, but that's a decent estimate of the number. It's a great thing to keep in mind, as the team heads into an offseason in which they'll have some key holes to fill but plenty of money coming off the books. Significant raises are due for arbitration-eligible youngsters Brice Turang and William Contreras, and under the terms of Jackson Chourio's team-friendly contract extension. However, Rhys Hoskins headlines a list of veterans who will hit free agency. Right now, the Crew's projected payroll for next season is only around $75 million. They could easily add $50 million in talent via free agency this winter.
Mark Attanasio and the ownership group authorized payrolls over $130 million in both 2022 and 2023, but they've pared that back to $98 million and $115 million in 2024 and 2025, respectively. That happened even as attendance increased, which it's almost sure to do again in 2026. Given the money they just made this fall and any reasonable revenue projection for next season, the Brewers should be back over $125 million next year, which means that they can go make aggressive moves in free agency or on the trade market. That kind of freedom, for a team that also has a cadre of young stars and one of the game's best farm systems, should scare even the mighty Dodgers.
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