Harold Hutchison

PECOTA’s projections point to trouble for some Brewers pitchers in 2025, but could the real key for the season be something else for three of the Crew’s hurlers? Image courtesy of Justin Berl/Getty Images PECOTA has been particularly down on Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, and Bryan Hudson, leading some to think a late free-agent signing would be a smart move. However, the projections may not be the best predictor for that triumvirate's 2025 performance with the Brewers. Splits may matter more in these three cases. Let’s review each of the pitchers' most notable data points. Aaron Ashby Ashby missed all of 2023 with shoulder surgery and was recovering as the 2024 season started. He was clobbered in an April start and put together a decent start in June where he got no run support whatsoever. That led to what we'll call an "early-season" split of an 0-2 record with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.731 WHIP as a starter. Later in the season, he found his footing as a multi-inning relief specialist – a role Josh Hader performed well in during the 2017 and 2018 campaigns for the Brewers. After being called up in late August, Ashby was dominant in 12 outings, posting a 1.37 ERA, a 0.763 WHIP and a 9.3 K/BB ratio, going as long as three innings out of the pen. If the Brewers keep Ashby in the bullpen for 2025, the splits point to him being almost dominant in the multi-inning role. This would be very helpful when it comes to easing Brandon Woodruff back into the major league rotation, for starters (pun intended). At $3.45 million, his contract won't be an anchor for the Brewers, who could stretch him out for the rotation in 2026 and 2027 before they have to make decisions on team options in 2028 and 2029, which will be for $9 million and $13.5 million, respectively. Still, his 2024 splits as a reliever point to Ashby being much more valuable than PECOTA projects, especially if he aids in keeping Woodruff's workload low as the staff ace eases back into action. DL Hall Hall was intended to be a mainstay of the rotation in 2025. He struggled initially before landing on the injured list with a knee injury, posting a 7.71 ERA in four starts in March and April, with a 2.265 WHIP. But after his return, he was a much different pitcher. In two starts in August, he gave up only one earned run in 11.2 innings, good for a 0.77 ERA. After that, he mostly worked from the bullpen, where he was generally dominant (minus struggles against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who hit him hard in one start and one relief appearance). The Brewers have options with Hall in 2025. He could be used, like Ashby, as a multi-inning fireman, helping rest Woodruff or another Brewers starter coming back from injury (Robert Gasser being one possibility). Or, he could end up in the rotation, where his second-half ERA as a starter was a respectable 3.68, albeit in a small sample. Hall will be cheap in 2025 and 2026 as a pre-arb player, so the Brewers can get plenty of value in this piece from the Corbin Burnes trade before it gets more dicey due to arbitration pay raises. His second-half splits should have Brewers fans expecting a much better performance than PECOTA projects, especially if he's willing to pitch in a swingman role. Bryan Hudson Hudson was acquired in a January 2024 trade for 2023 20th-round pick Justin Chambers, which, in a sense, made the pick a steal for the Crew. During the first three months of the season, he was dominant, posting a 4-0 record along with a 0.82 ERA and a 0.614 WHIP over 44 innings while striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. He had a rough patch in the first week of July before the All-Star break, suffering his only loss of the season and giving up four of the 12 earned runs he surrendered in all of 2024 in just three appearances. After that, though, he returned to being solid, posting a 2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings over 11 appearances and notching two more wins, logging a WHIP of 0.638 while striking out 5.7 batters per nine innings. He was sent down to Triple-A Nashville in September after being placed on the injured list on July 27. Hudson, a workhorse in the early part of the season, may have simply worn down. The 71 innings he pitched in 2024 between Milwaukee and Nashville were the most he’d posted since 2018, when he was a full-time starter in the Cubs' system before an injury-riddled 2019 campaign. That said, while Hudson’s August numbers point to a pitcher who may not have been as dominant as he was in the first three months of the season, he was still was quite solid and dependable. Like Hall, he is under team control through 2029 and cheap through 2026. And like Hall and Ashby, Hudson is capable of going multiple innings at a time for the Crew, and PECOTA’s projections may be underestimating his ability to induce bad contact, something else the splits seem to show. Do you think the splits of Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, and Bryan Hudson are a better predictor of their performance that PECOTA in 2025? Let us know in the comments below! View full article

Would you rather have a new fourth starter on a one-year deal, or get in good with the next Roki Sasaki? Image courtesy of © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The Brewers re-upping with the network formerly known as Bally Sports Wisconsin (and some extra cash from the competitive-balance tax) give the Crew about $15 million more to spend on payroll in 2025. There is talk of going for a free agent, but perhaps the Brewers should think more about how to bolster their long-term future with their extra cash. For the short term, the team has some strength in the farm system. The future on the left side of the infield looks brilliant, with MLB Top 100 prospects Jesus Made and Cooper Pratt looking very much like they could anchor those positions within a few years. The Brewers have a wealth of outfield prospects in their system, not to mention some serious depth in the rotation. But the fact is, the hot stove economic realities hit hard this winter. The Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Giants, Phillies, Red Sox and Blue Jays still have the ability to spend more than twice as much as the Brewers can, without breaking a financial sweat. That's going to be a huge problem in the medium and long term for the franchise, barring a hard salary cap in MLB or greatly expanded revenue sharing—which may not be happening any time soon. The Brewers have done very well of late with amateur free agency in Latin America, where Jackson Chourio, Made, and Yophery Rodriguez have all emerged as top prospects in recent years. The team’s even found a few steals, like Juan Baez, who signed for just $10,000 and might yet become a solid big-leaguer. The Brewers, though, need to cast their eye further afield. If they can’t outbid the Dodgers, they could arguably improve by building up their scouting in Japan, Korea, and Australia, and start building relationships with high school and college baseball players there. In this case, it would take one of two tracks. The first and most obvious track would be to see who the Brewers could sign in the international free agency period. They would be competing with NPB and KBO, but the A’s already have signed a Japanes high schooler and a notable slugging prospect from Japan recently chose to come Stateside and attend Stanford en route to MLB, rather than signing with an NPB club, so it’s not like this path isn’t already being taken. The Brewers would simply be more systemic about it. There is a second track, though. The Brewers would also be planting seeds to try to gain an edge should players be posted for MLB free agency by their teams in instances where they don’t sign with Milwaukee right away. In this case, it’s about having Milwaukee being in the front of those players' minds, as opposed to being an afterthought. Creating authentic relationships might just be a market inefficiency. How would they go about doing this? For starters, the Brewers should consider establishing dedicated scouting offices in Japan, Korea, and Australia with their $15 million in extra cash. By having scouts involved in the local baseball landscapes and cultures, the team can build strong relationships with promising talents and their coaches from an early stage. Last year, the MLB Draft's No. 1 overall pick was Travis Bazzana, an Australian infielder who came to the States to play for Oregon State University. Imagine the value of catching a player like Bazzana (who received an $8.95-million signing bonus) at 16 and selling them on the developmental upside of starting their professional career early, with a team noted for its excellent work with young players. In the international free-agent market, there are hard caps on spending for an entire year south of that bonus Bazzana got, and top-tier individual bonuses tend to be more like $3 million. In addition, by investing in local baseball academies or sponsorships for baseball tournaments, the Brewers can create goodwill and brand recognition. They could also benefit from hiring former NPB, KBO, and ABL players or coaches as scouts or other liaisons, leveraging their connections and insights to identify and attract top-notch prospects. The initial investment could easily come back in the form of more revenue for the Brewers, which could either be re-invested into scouting and player development, or which could even be used to make the team more competitive in the free-agent market. In other words, while Justin Turner or other free agents might be tempting, the Brewers best move with their extra cash may be to dream bigger for the distant future. At the very least, they could use some of their remaining flexibility for those goals, even while spending part of what remains available to them to secure a player like Turner. View full article

As spring training gets closer, one set of players often gets overlooked amid all the 40-man drama. Yet, these players can often make big contributions to the Brewers. We’re talking about the non-roster invitees (NRIs). Image courtesy of © Curt Hogg / USA TODAY NETWORK One of the biggest NRIs to have an impact on the Brewers was Rob Deer. He came over from the Giants in an unnoticed transaction before the 1986 season, but made the team and hit 33 homers with 86 RBIs, becoming a heart-of-the-order threat for the Brewers for several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Obviously, though, that's just one example among a great many. Could the 2025 crop of NRIs have some impact players? Let’s take a look. RHP Jacob Misiorowski Misiorowski’s floor has been as a right-handed version of Josh Hader, circa 2017-2018: a multi-inning fireman who can shut down an opposing lineup's best and hand the ball to a closer, if not get a game’s last five or six outs. The question has been whether he can control his slider well enough to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. Either way, Misiorowski contributes to the Brewers. The real difference could come five years down the road, barring a change in the hot-stove economic realities. What will be intriguing is how Misiorowski fares against big-league hitters. Can he go multiple times through a big-league batting order? RHP Craig Yoho Yoho could be the first 2023 draft pick for the Brewers to see the majors. Selected in the eighth round, he has the funkiest changeup this side of recently traded Devin Williams. The chance to be a future closer is undeniable. Arguably, Yoho has nothing to prove in the minors, where he dominated to the tune of a 0.94 ERA and an identical WHIP, while striking out more than 15 hitters per nine innings. The real intrigue comes from the rest of the bullpen. Trevor Megill is probably safe as Milwaukee’s closer for 2025, given his admirable job of filling in for Williams when the relief ace was sidelined with stress fractures in his back. But the same can’t be said for other pitchers. Could Yoho bump Abner Uribe, Joel Payamps, or Elvis Peguero from the Brewers pen with a hot spring? C Darrien Miller Miller has long been an under-the-radar prospect behind the plate for the Brewers, overshadowed by Jeferson Quero’s rapid rise through the minor-league system. His offense is highlighted by outstanding OBP skills (64 walks in 306 at-bats in Double-A Biloxi) that have been consistent throughout his professional career. The real question in spring training will be what his invite means. Is Miller the long-term No. 2 catcher behind Jeferson Quero, with the Brewers deciding to move William Contreras? The team could do far worse than Miller as a second-string backstop, and he has been teammates with many of the young Triple-A pitchers. 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. Like Miller, Martinez has been an under-the-radar prospect. He’s a freakish athlete (6’5”, 250 pounds) who provides excellent defense at first base and has even seen limited action in center field, where he’s held his own. Aside from power and defense, he’s also shown speed on the bases (66 steals in 81 attempts over the last three years). The intrigue here is his direct competition with Jake Bauers, who came back to the Crew on a minor-league deal with a big-league invite. While Bauers has spent time in MLB, in 2024, his batting average was below the Uecker line, and he struck out more than twice as much as Christian Yelich did. OF Luis Lara Lara is a fast outfielder with excellent defense in center field. Much of his offensive skill set involves hitting for average, with some excellent base-running skills on top of that (55 steals in 74 attempts between Advanced-A Wisconsin and the Arizona Fall League). He’s arguably a hybrid of Gold Glover Sal Frelick and Gold Glove finalist Blake Perkins. Lara rapidly rose through the Brewers system, playing a full season at Wisconsin at the age of 19. His performance in spring training against big-league pitching could make things interesting, considering the Brewers have Yophery Rodriguez and Braylon Payne in the system, could Lara’s NRI be a way to showcase a potential trade chip, or are they evaluating to see if he can bump Perkins off the roster someday? Which of these NRIs do you find the most intriguing? Are there others that you think could break out and help the Brewers? Let us know in the comments below! View full article

A lot of my earliest memories as a Brewers fan didn’t come with Bob Uecker providing the description over the radio. In fact, I’ve never even been to Milwaukee, and the only Brewers games I have seen in person were when they were the visiting team. Image courtesy of © Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK I never really got to hear Uecker call games until the mid-2000s, when MLB GameDay audio became available. I’d heard him in some commercials, and knew he’d been acting some, but he seemed cool. Once I was able to listen to GameDay audio, it was a revelation. I’d heard local play-by-play–but for the announcers, like Jon Miller, even for the home team, it was like a job. For Uecker, though, it was different. He was all-in for his team–and make no mistake, the Brewers were his team. When I finally was able to listen to him call games, you could tell his love for the Brewers was real. Uecker was the one person with Brewers fans during the highs of winning a pennant, multiple division titles, and hitting a new high in terms of regular playoff appearances. He was also there for the team’s hard times, too, between the early struggles before the team made its first rise to the top; the mid-1990s through 2002, when the franchise hit its lowest point; and even when it hit a rough patch in the mid-2010s. Those seasons test the mettle of announcers more than the glory days, and Uecker was as good at bracing the audience during each. Uecker also clearly brought joy to a play-by-play call. When Carlos Lee hit a home run, Uecker would do his best impression of a horse neighing, playing off Lee’s nickname of "El Caballo". He’d describe Derrick Turnbow coming in to close out a game with “D-Bow” to get “D-Save.” It was a glimpse of how he must have called the biggest Brewers’ moments of my early fandom: the Juan Nieves no-hitter, Paul Molitor’s hitting streak, and the time they dropped 18 runs on the Red Sox among them. Some of these were games I heard through local announcers. Others, I just followed in the box scores or brief blurbs in the local paper. Through all of it, Uecker provided Brewers fans hope after the losses, someone who shared in our joy after the wins. No matter what the predictions for the season, Uecker was the person whom we all looked forward to hearing from on Opening Day, no matter whether the heartbreak was losing a game, seeing a season end without the playoffs, exiting the playoffs way too soon, or a beloved player being traded or departing via free agency. Uecker had been scaling back his work for the Brewers, we know now, due to a battle with lung cancer, but this coming Mar. 31 will be the first home opener without Uecker. This will be the first season without Uecker calling Brewers games since 1970. I missed many of those, and so did many fans younger than me. But for all the Bob Uecker calls I missed, and the Bob Uecker calls we won’t get to hear in the future, I’m grateful for the ones I did get to hear. View full article

Uecker Stadium at American Family Field. American Family Insurance keeps the AFF part, but the stadium itself stays named for Uecker.

Two pitchers with good track records in Milwaukee are coming off arm injuries. Brandon Woodruff has posted some historically good numbers (not to mention a moment of glory), while Wade Miley has been solid. Could the Brewers help both succeed with a trick from their Rookie league teams? Brandon Woodruff is coming off a shoulder surgery that cost him much of 2023 and all of 2024, while Miley’s 2024 was cut short by Tommy John surgery. There are questions about how much they could pitch, but the bullpen’s unpredictability comes with its risks. However, Milwaukee may find an answer from its farm system – specifically, its Rookie league teams. Their two Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League teams often take a “piggyback” approach with their young pitchers. One will start the game and be relieved by another after three or four innings. Both of the young pitchers would operate on a “starter’s” routine, but the wear and tear on their arms is greatly reduced in the early portion of their careers. Overall, this approach has worked and is part of how the Brewers have established themselves with a very young Triple-A rotation. Jacob Misiorowski, Carlos F. Rodriguez, and Logan Henderson are among the Brewers’ pitching prospects who have benefitted from this developmental approach. Given that Woodruff and Miley are both coming off significant arm injuries and lengthy layoffs from pitching, the Brewers may find that a “piggyback” approach used for their young pitching prospects is the answer to their conundrum about how to keep them both in the rotation while reducing the risk that they could re-injure their arms. Woodruff and Miley could maintain the routine of being starting pitchers, but neither would be racking up massive pitch counts. However, this approach may bring benefits for Woodruff and Miley in terms of health and reduce Milwaukee’s reliance on the Milwaukee-Nashville shuttle in 2025. The Brewers have something to gain besides keeping two darn good pitchers from making trips to the injured list. In fact, at the game-day level, the whole of “Brade Milruff,” as Milwaukee’s fifth starter, could be a lot greater than the sum of its parts. As anyone following the Brewers knows, Woodruff and Miley are entirely different pitchers. Woodruff is among Milwaukee’s all-time leaders in strikeouts per nine innings, while Miley has been a guy who has a talent for inducing poor contact. Woodruff brings heat; Miley’s “stuff” isn’t world-beating. And there’s the obvious fact Woodruff is right-handed, and Miley’s a southpaw. If they were to piggyback, each going twice through the order, opposing hitters would have to make a drastic adjustment mid-game. That alone is an edge for the Crew. But if Pat Murphy is willing to try to get in the head of his counterpart on the other team, they can always leave exactly WHO is starting a mystery… right until the lineup cards are exchanged. In other words, the opposing manager would have to figure out who is getting the start – because the skillset to handle Woodruff’s pitching is much different than what would best handle Miley’s and vice versa. Or, the Brewers could even use Jared Koenig or another reliever as an “opener” for the Woodruff/Miley combo. The possibilities with this are not quite endless, but they do get the mind going. Milwaukee is in a small market and must innovate to remain competitive with teams in larger markets. In 2025, having “Brade Milruff” as the fifth starter could be just the ticket to making the postseason again. View full article

Players have been moving in free agency for about two months, the Brewers have not made any major splashes yet, and the first base market seems all but settled. Should they move on to find help at the hot corner? Image courtesy of © Peter Aiken-Imagn Images The free agent market had some big names at first base, with Christian Walker, Paul Goldschmidt, Pete Alonso, and Carlos Santana among those on the open market. But now, that market seems to be settled, with Walker going to Houston, Santana to Cleveland, and Goldschmidt to the Yankees. So, should the Brewers give up on finding an external upgrade at first base and deal with their hole at the hot corner? The Current First Base Situation The Brewers are not in terrible shape at first base entering 2025. Rhys Hoskins had a solid offensive season after missing all of 2023 with a knee injury, but he is owed $18 million for 2025. Jake Bauers was a decent backup first baseman who also filled in at the corner outfield spots, although the Brewers let him walk after last season. Tyler Black, who was on the Milwaukee-Nashville shuttle, has to be the favorite to replace Bauers on the 26-man, adding more positional versatility (Black has played second base, third base, and center field during his professional career in addition to first base and designated hitter). At the same time, his bat is widely acknowledged to be MLB-ready. One X-factor is non-roster invitee Ernesto Martinez. Martinez has been under the radar for a while. Despite a massive 6’6”, 250-pound frame, he’s also been quite athletic, manning center field in his professional career. He’s provided excellent defense during his long journey to NRI status. Wes Clarke could also emerge, having spent 2023 between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville. It's not a bad situation for the Crew. The Current Market For First Base Per MLB.com’s listing of 2024-2025 free agents by position, Pete Alonso is the only real significant upgrade available on the market. Alonso, who crushed a ninth-inning home run in Game Three of the NL Wild Card Series off Devin Williams, declined a qualifying offer from the Mets and could be in line for a huge deal. The Mets have broken the bank for Juan Soto, luring him from the Bronx with the biggest deal ever given to a player. They also added Frankie Montas from the Brewers. With their current set-up at first base, the Brewers probably can’t go on the free-agent market for Alonso, and players like Connor Joe and Justin Turner may not be much of an improvement. The Crew’s Current Hot Corner Hole With Joey Ortiz likely to move to shortstop to replace Willy Adames, the Brewers are in the market for a third baseman. Even after ruling out using Black at the position, even as a short-term solution for 2025 as they await Brock Wilken or Mike Boeve’s arrival in Milwaukee, they have several internal options, but all have their warts. Oliver Dunn’s swing showed major holes at the MLB level in 2024, and he missed a lot of time with injuries. Caleb Durbin is an unproven rookie with an exciting blend of speed, some power, and OBP skills, but he also has had several injury list visits. Andruw Monasterio’s solid in the field, but his offensive ceiling is limited compared to Durbin, Dunn, and Black. Cooper Pratt, Luke Adams, Eric Bitonti, and Jadher Areinamo look promising, but they are not likely to compete for 26-man roster spots until 2026 or 2027. The Hot Free Agent Market At The Hot Corner The Brewers could look to sign a third baseman, but the options on the market are limited. Alex Bregman is likely out of their price range. Yoan Moncada could be an option, but he barely saw the field for an atrocious White Sox team. Another option could be to look for a free agent at shortstop to move to third base. Ha-Seong Kim could be an option as he looks to rebound from a 2024 slump after finishing in the top 15 for MVP voting and securing a Gold Glove in 2023. Paul DeJong provides a chance to replace the power lost when Adames packed his bags for the Bay Area, but he has had high strikeout totals over his career, and his walk rate has been down since 2022. If they went the free-agency route, the best option would be to see if they could acquire Kim on a two-year deal with a team option. However, with questions about TV revenue since the bankruptcy of the Bally Sports networks and the massive money currently committed to Hoskins, the budget looks tight for a free-agent addition. Overview The small-market straightjacket is hitting the Brewers some in the 2024-2025 offseason when it comes to finding a third baseman. Still, the team’s internal options are not entirely horrible, and they could get some decent stopgaps at the hot corner for a cut-rate price, while first base looks solid for 2025. View full article

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

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. What do you think the Brewers’ resolutions for the New Year should be? View full article

If they're going to move Civale and Payamps, I think they'd be better served at making a run for Sasaki instead of a one-year Scherzer/Verlander gamble.

Fielder and Weeks are arguably the best players the Brewers ever had at second and first. Hardy arguably now the third best shortstop in Brewers history given Willy Adames' three-plus seasons. Braun's defense was a weakness at third, but he only led the NL in slugging that year and won Rookie of the Year. The `82 infield had two who were the best of all time at third (Molitor) and short (Yount), with Cooper the #3 all-time first baseman (behind Fielder and Richie Sexson). At second base, there's Gantner, who was very good on defense, but whose bat was not exactly his strong suit - and who arguably has been eclipsed as the 5th-best second baseman of all time by Platinum Glove winner Brice Turang. Yount brings the MVP hardware. The question is, which do you think was a bigger anchor, Braun's defense at third, or Gantner's lack of offensive prowess? To me, it's Gantner.

The infield of that season (3B Braun. SS Hardy, 2B Weeks, 1B Fielder) was arguably the best infield of any Brewers team of all time - with maybe the 1982 infield (3B Molitor, SS Yount, 2B Gantner, 1B Cooper) as the only rival.

The key, then is two-fold: 1. Constantly have a pipeline of FO talent. Evaluate FO personnel on how well they train those below them. "Next man up" isn't just for on the field, have it be the same for the front office as well. Just have a constant pipeline for when people get poached/retire/move on. 2. Make the Brewers more than just a club, fill that same front office with people for whom winning baseball IN MILWAUKEE is their passion. Work with local high schools and colleges to talent-scout potential front office talent for the Brewers.

The acquisition of Nestor Cortes was more than a one-year rental for the Brewers, it gave them a chance for a compensatory pick if Cortes pitches well enough for the Brewers to make a qualifying offer. But the Brewers don’t just have that chance with Cortes, they have two other shots with players on their roster. Image courtesy of © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The Devin Williams trade gave the Brewers what amounted to a conditional draft pick from the Yankees. But Rhys Hoskins and Aaron Civale could also net the Brewers some serious draft compensation, if the Brewers hang onto them and things pan out well. Let’s review the reasons why. Rhys Hoskins Hoskins lost the entire 2023 season to an ACL injury. His return in 2024 saw him post a slightly below-average OPS+ of 98. Before that, though, Hoskins averaged a 125 OPS+ over six years with the Phillies. If Hoskins returns to the 2021-2022 form he had with the Phillies (when he posted an .822 OPS and 4.9 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference), he could be in line for a big deal for some team looking for a full-time designated hitter/first baseman. This would be good for the Brewers, both in the short term and for the long haul. Hoskins would be 33 years old, but in this scenario, it would be an easy call for him to decline his side of an $18-million mutual option for 2026. The Brewers would be able to offer him a qualifying offer thereafter, because the Phillies didn't do so when he hit free agency after suffering that ACL injury. After Hoskins (inevitably) signed elsewhere, the Brewers would get an extra draft pick in 2026, tucked at the end of either the first or the second round. Aaron Civale As with Hoskins, holding Civale could be good for the Brewers in both the 2025 season and the long run. Civale rebounded from a rough start to the 2024 season with the Rays after being dealt to Milwaukee for minor-league prospect Gregory Barrios, posting a 3.53 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 74 innings pitched for the Crew. This was a slightly better line than Civale posted in five seasons with the Cleveland Guardians (3.77 ERA in 430 innings, across 76 starts). With a full offseason of access to the Brewers’ pitching lab before his his contract year, Civale could end up with a big year for the Crew—or, at the very least, surface numbers similar to Freddy Peralta’s 2024 season. In that circumstance, it’s not hard to see the Brewers making a qualifying offer to Civale, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to see him pull in a bigger deal than Frankie Montas did; think about four years at $15 million per annum as a reasonable expectation. That nets the Brewers a second compensation pick after the first round in the 2026 amateur draft. That would have the Brewers sitting very pretty. The Potential 2026 Draft For the 2026 MLB Draft, the Brewers would, in the first three rounds, potentially come away with their first-round pick, two comp picks after the first round, their second-round pick, a pick in the Competitive Balance B round, another comp pick at the end of that round, and their third-round pick. With the Brewers having a first-round pick, a comp pick for Willy Adames, another for not signing Chris Levonas this summer, and a pick in the Competitive Balance A round in 2025, plus their second and third-round picks, there is a chance for the team to supercharge their farm system into the late 2020s and early 2030s. For that to happen, the Brewers would need to take some risks. They’d have to hold on to Hoskins and Civale for the 2025 season; those guys would need to play well; and the player market would need to not crater under baseball's various flavors of economic pressure. That said, even as a small-market team, the Brewers run risks every season. These rolls of the dice could benefit them in a huge way for years to come. View full article

I think the Brewers have gotten hung up on what Black can't do as opposed to what he can. He's not going to be a Gold Glove-caliber defender, whether at first base, third base, or left field. DH is likely to be the primary role for Christian Yelich. But that's no reason to leave his bat on the bench or to keep him in Triple-A. Once he adjusts, I think he is reminiscent of the offensive profile the Brewers got from Paul Molitor from 1987-1992. He's also got the skills on the basepaths at arguably Brice Turang's level, but his bat is that much better.

If Civale pitches like he did for the Crew or his six seasons in Cleveland (3.50 to 3.75 ERA, 160+ IP), then the smart call may be to extend a QO. He'll pass, and get a good-sized deal (say, over $50 million), and the Crew gets a first-round pick out of the deal.

Perkins is a better option to attach. Sign Santana as a replacement (get Gold Glove-level defense) and move Black to LF, Chourio to RF, Frelick to 4th OF,