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