Jim Goulart

The Brewers farm system will look a lot different come next April. There are currently 34 players set to reach minor league free agency in October, a combination of veterans signed in 2025 as organizational depth, and many players who simply are set to graduate after spending as many as seven years (including the lost 2020 pandemic campaign) in the Crew's system. For most of these players, it will be on to their next baseball opportunity, if hopefully one presents itself. For the Brewers front office, the next few months will help shape roster decisions - are there players whose performances are worthy of being added to the 40-man roster to maintain their rights? Are there other players who should be enticed with minor league deals at an enhanced pay scale to remain in the system? This list is not the list of Rule 5 eligible players, that list will be out later this week in a separate article. Primary decisions: C/2B/3B Anthony Seigler - As of today, it seems the Brewers have made the call on Seigler's future. What a nice job by the organization in identifying and further developing the versatile just-turned 26-year-old, the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 draft. RHP Coleman Crow - Just promoted to Nashville from Biloxi, the trade capital netted for Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor from the Mets (for whom Crow never pitched), Crow dazzled in his first ten starts with the Shuckers once he was full-go after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Crow, 24 years old, is nursing a hip injury that is not expected to sideline him for long. Barring any new injury woes, Crow seems a lock for a 40-man roster spot to prevent him from walking away, or should we say flying away. Players are listed alphabetically within the two groups below - Veteran presence currently assigned to AAA Nashville's roster: C Jorge Alfaro - Alfaro, 33 in September, has displayed his career-long bit of pop (11 HR, .410 SLG) while maintaining his usual low OBP (.267). Surprisingly, Alfaro has been successful in all 11 of his SB attempts, flashing joy on the basepaths he had not since 2013. RHP J.B. Bukauskas - The 15th overall pick in the 2017 draft (Astros) appeared in six April games for the 2024 Brewers and pitched well. An oblique injury was compounded by a right lat injury that required surgery in February, a surgery that will keep him sidelined for all of the 2025 season. Bukauskas, 29 in October, was outrighted off the 40-man roster this past January. INF/OF Bobby Dalbec - The just-turned 30-year-old has raked in 51 games at the AAA level in 2025, with a .297/.367/.573 line (.940 OPS). In a tiny 18-at-bat sample with the big-league White Sox, Dalbec was 4-for-18 (one double). He's a fantastic depth piece for just about any organization. INF Raynel Delgado - Only 25 years old, the Cuban native had exhausted his years of control with the Guardians when the Brewers signed him for the current season. He posted a .791 OPS at the AAA level in 2024, but that has dropped all the way to .617 with the Sounds. C Ty Duvall - Yet to appear in an actual game, Duvall has spent 2025 on the Development List, and we believe is primarily acting as Nashville's bullpen catcher. He'll turn 28 in July. OF Jimmy Herron - Set to turn 29 in July, Herron and his .578 OPS currently sits on the "Development List" (excess taxi squad) for the Sounds. LHP Tyler Jay - The Brewers clearly like the 31-year-old, the 6th overall pick in the 2015 draft (Milwaukee does love "prospect pedigree", even if it's a decade old.) Jay has been a fine piece of the AAA bullpen, albeit in his bite-size outing lengths. C Nick Kahle - As solid an organizational soldier as you'll find, and currently on the Development List, Kahle is our first listed player about to maximize his seven pro seasons all within the Crew's system. It's easy to envision the 27-year-old 2019 4th rounder on a path to future coaching assignments should he wish to pursue that aspect of his baseball journey. RHP Jesus Liranzo - The 30-year-old has filled a mid-to-low level bullpen role for the Sounds in his first season with the Brewers. LHP Josh Maciejewski - Milwaukee seems to like its Yankees connections, and the longtime New York farmhand, who turns 30 in August, has recently received starting opportunities with Nashville, long having performed in that role, as well as in the bullpen, throughout his career. 1B Ernesto Martinez - The fan favorite has already re-upped with Milwaukee on not one, but two, minor league contract extensions, meaning he has already been with the organization for nine years. With a significant drop in SLG this year, the relationship may be reaching its end. Martinez recently turned just 26, so he'll find suitors elsewhere. RHP Sam McWilliams - The 6'7", 230 lb. reliever turns 30 in September. In 17 appearances in 2025 limited to just 19 innings, McWilliams has posted a rough 1.84 WHIP. RHP Vinny Nittoli - Some may question why some prized power bullpen arms in Biloxi are currently blocked by such a group of established veterans in Nashville. Nittoli, 34, has fanned 34 in 24.1 innings, but with an elevated 1.60 WHIP. Manager Rick Sweet isn't one to utilize a true long man. OF Jared Oliva - When healthy (limited to 44 games thus far), the 29-year-old Oliva has proven to be dynamic in center field and streaky but mostly effective at the plate. LHP Thomas Pannone - the 31-year-old could have been a sneaky choice to make a start for the big-league club at some point this season but suffered a torn flexor tendon which landed him on the full-season injured list. RHP Joel Payamps - We thank Joel for his two strong years in Milwaukee. The 31-year-old has been effective in his eight Nashville appearances. RHP Garrett Stallings - A May 2024 trade acquisition from Baltimore, Stallings, who turns 28 in August, has been a bit of a godsend for Rick Sweet's staff, having recently performed well in a rotation role. LHP Bruce Zimmerman - The 30-year-old with significant (but rarely effective) MLB experience has performed to his expected career norms while with the Sounds. Others currently assigned below the AAA level: RHP Alexander Cornielle - The Dominican native turns only 24 in August. Cornielle has taken a long-anticipated leap in performance in his first taste of AA ball, with 14 solid starts under his belt. While not necessarily a prime candidate for October 40-man roster addition, the Brewers would be wise to entice Cornielle to remain in the organization. RHP Jeferson Figueroa - The current Wisconsin Timber Rattler will be 25 years old come August. He has not built upon a successful 2024 season split between Carolina and Wisconsin. C David Garcia - Currently on the full-season injured list at Wisconsin, Garcia only received 19 at-bats before being sidelined. The 25-year-old longtime Texas Rangers farmhand has yet to reach the AA level. INF/OF Eduardo Garcia - Remarkably, Garcia won't turn 23 until July yet qualifies for minor league free agency after being a key $1.1M signing in the July 2018 international pool. Garcia has given the Brewers much to consider in 2025. He has clubbed 11 home runs (more than the prior two years combined) and has blown away his previous stolen base high. That being said, this is the 4th season he has seen time at the High-A level (ten games at Biloxi in 2024). He and his agent should have a busy offseason weighing offers. OF Yhoswar Garcia - Another youthful player, the speedster who was dropped by the Phillies during spring training 2024, will turn 24 in September. All of his triple-slash figures have dropped precipitously with Wisconsin this season, after Garcia was very solid overall with Carolina last year. This concludes the Garcia portion of our list. OF Adam Hall - Hall began the year with Nashville but is now back with Biloxi and recently turned 26 years old. Hall was recently featured by MLB for his unique Bermudian roots. RHP Edwin Jimenez - Yet to appear in any game in 2025, the 23-year-old has remained Brewers property in 2025, but does not have a specific roster designation, having last pitched on May 26th of last season. Jimenez had a crazy and fortuitous W-L line in 2024, going 7-0 in eight appearances (six starts) with Wisconsin despite a 5.02 ERA before landing on the full-season injured list. RHP Abdiel Mendoza - The Panamanian native turns 27 in September. The Brewers took a flier on the minor league free agent out of the Blue Jays' system, but Mendoza has struggled mightily with the Shuckers (5.61 ERA, 1.71 WHIP). C Darrien Miller - A 9th round high school pick in 2019, Miller, now 24 years old, continues to maintain a high OBP in his 2nd AA season with Biloxi, but has year-to-year drops in already low AVG and SLG figures. RHP Zach Peek - The 27-year-old reliever is in his first year in the Brewers' system, having been plucked from Baltimore in the Minor League Phase of December's Rule 5 draft. Peek was bumped up from Wisconsin to Biloxi on June 3rd. RHP Jake Polancic - Another 27-year-old, Polancic, a former Diamondbacks prospect (11th round, 2016), was obtained from the independent league ranks in the offseason prior to the 2024 season, and saw action last year with 14 Timber Rattlers relief appearances through June 7th. He currently remains on the 60-day IL and the nature of his injury was not made public. OF Bladimir Restituyo - Restituyo turns 24 years old this week, but has been a pro since signing out of the Dominican with the Rockies in 2017, and exhausting all his Colorado team control. He's in his 3rd full season at the AA level, and the Eastern League, his prior home, is not all that different an offensive atmosphere to the Southern League. Yet Restituyo currently sports a poor .458 OPS through 196 Shuckers at-bats. C Ramon Rodriguez - Rodriguez, 27 in October, is prized for his defensive acumen and leadership. The former Dodger and Oriole farmhand had already signed for an extended one-year stay with Milwaukee after 2024, and was raking with a .941 OPS in the smallish sample of 21 games in 2025 when he suffered a devastating Achilles injury on May 16th. Many prospect follower fans would welcome his return. C Victor Torres - Torres turns 25 years old on July 29th. After appearing in only 14 games in the White Sox system in 2023, he similarly played in just 14 games for the Crew in 2024, split evenly between Carolina and Wisconsin. So far with Biloxi in 2025, Torres has appeared in just one game. As with Ty Duvall in Nashville, it's believed Torres is functioning as the bullpen catcher. RHP Justin Yeager - It seems we are almost contractually bound to note every time we mention the 27-year-old reliever, that Yeager was the third incoming piece in the infamous Esteury Ruiz ATL-OAK deal (William Contreras, Joel Payamps). Yeager has made 76 appearances in the Brewers organization, all with Biloxi, and nearly all as an effective closer. Coming off a very successful run as the closer for Team Puerto Rico all the way through the Caribbean Series last winter, Yeager has yet to get the bump to Nashville. Beyond the seemingly obvious Coleman Crow choice, would you place any of these players on the 40-man roster come October? Which players do you really hope come back on a new minor league deal? Let us know in the comments.