I don't even think the Brewers would be making that big of a sacrifice to keep the next closest wave of talent off the 40 man this year. Of all the guys not currently on the 40 man already, only Jett is knocking on the door of the majors. All the Brewers would be doing would be taking one year off from aggressive advancement.
The names I see being mentioned as potential candidates to make MLB debuts in 26 who aren't already on the 40 man are: Jett, Made, Pratt, Wilken, Fischer, Lara, Burke, Pena, and Adams to varied levels of mention. The only one who would be controversial if not added this year would be Jett. Everyone else could easily be kept off the 40 man through all of 26 without an uproar. Everyone else hasn't even played in AAA yet. And given the circumstances, a full year in AAA is not some big ask