Jake McKibbin

If he agrees. Remember Harold, it's a mutual option and the expectation is that Woodruff would get more than a $10m deal for one year. With his injury past, he's likely wanting his next contract to guarantee that lifetime security, and probably for multiple years. There's a possibility more velocity returns in the off season as well, but health is a question mark. Still , his performance in 2025 was far above expectation and I think he'll get a multi year deal somewhere

Image courtesy of © Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Brewers had one of their lowest payrolls of the 2020s this season. Their year-end 40-man roster payroll was around $115 million, according to Cot's Contracts. That was the lowest mark since 2021, when they spent $105 million, and their ranking (23rd in the league) was lower than it's been since 2017. They had a high number of pre-arbitration salaries, combined with deferred salaries and likely-to-be-declined mutual options that have been pushed onto 2026, as the team always tries to maximize their liquidity and the utility of their money within the revenue cycle of the sport. Here's an early roster projection, based on last year's salaries and MLB Trade Rumors arbitration estimates: Player 2025 Base Salary ($m) 2026 Base Salary ($m) Catcher William Contreras 6.00 11.00 Jeferson Quero 0.00 0.82 Infielders Andrew Vaughn 5.85 7.85 Jake Bauers 1.40 2.00 Brice Turang 0.78 4.40 Caleb Durbin 0.76 0.82 Joey Ortiz 0.78 0.82 Andruw Monasterio 0.76 0.82 Outfielders Garrett Mitchell 0.76 1.00 Blake Perkins 0.80 0.82 Sal Frelick 0.76 0.82 Jackson Chourio 4.25 7.25 Christian Yelich 22.00 22.00 Starting Pitchers Freddy Peralta 8.10 8.00 Jacob Misiorowski 0.76 0.76 Chad Patrick 0.76 0.76 Quinn Priester 0.76 0.76 Logan Henderson 0.76 0.76 Relief Pitchers Trevor Megill 1.94 4.20 Abner Uribe 0.76 0.82 Jared Koenig 0.78 0.82 DL Hall 0.77 0.82 Aaron Ashby 3.45 5.50 Grant Anderson 0.80 0.82 Tobias Myers 0.76 0.82 Nick Mears 0.96 1.60 Total Active Payroll 86.86 Deferred/Option Declined Contracts Brandon Woodruff (Buyout on mutual option) 10.00 Danny Jansen (Buyout on mutual option) Rhys Hoskins (Buyout on mutual option) 0.50 4.00 Ryan Braun 1.80 Jose Quintana (Buyout on mutual option) 2.00 Lorenzo Cain 1.00 William Contreras (Buyout on club option, sending him to arbitration) 0.10 Total Declined Options/Deferred 19.40 Total Cash Payroll 2026 106.26 The team is always spinning plates and kicking cans down the road, but there are a few more plates in motion and a bit more litter on the path than usual this offseason. The deferred salary still being paid to long-retired stars Ryan Braun and Lorenzo Cain is no big deal. Most teams have such line items; the payments are just bills coming due for things that saved the club money in the past; and Christian Yelich's $4-million deferral (which will be paid out in 2037 and 2038) offsets that money anyway. (That deferral is why, though his official salary is $26 million, Yelich is only listed at $22 million above.) The buyouts the team owes to Brandon Woodruff, Rhys Hoskins and Jose Quintana, however, add up to real money. They won't really think of those as part of next year's budget, and the money they made in reaching the NLCS this fall will cushion the pain of paying those buyouts this winter, but they're still there. How Much Revenue Do the Brewers Have to Spend? In the wake of the postseason exit, a lot of graphics went around about the percentage of total revenue teams spend on payroll, but this isn't exactly a fair fight. For one thing, player payroll is only the most visible (and, admittedly, the most expensive) of several ways to invest in the team. It doesn't include money spent on coaching staffs, analytics departments, facilities, the farm system, or other ancillary supports. For another, some teams' costs are more elastic than others'. Ditto for revenue. The Brewers' revenue depends much more heavily on their on-field success, for instance, than does the Dodgers'. Still, there's a trend to observe. Generally, teams spend something like $160 million less on their roster than they took in the previous year. (Note: Forbes's revenue estimates, while better than nothing, are likely far from perfect. Spotrac, used by the creator of this content to estimate payroll, is not especially good at capturing the dynamics of payroll in baseball, so consider that estimate of spending even rougher than Forbes's shot at revenues. Again, though, it's better than nothing.) There are some exceptions, but for instance, the Dodgers had $203 million left after their on-field payroll, compared to the Brewers' $198 million. It could be worse, if you're someone who worries that Mark Attanasio isn't spending freely enough; the Chicago Cubs have $371 million remaining. In short, what I'm saying here is that if we can estimate the Brewers' total revenue for 2025 and deduct around $200 million, we could have an upper limit for their 2026 payroll. How Much Revenue Did the Brewers Make In 2025? First of all, the Brewers' total attendance in 2025 was higher than they managed in 2024. With 2.65 million fans crossing the turnstiles (up around 112,000, or something like 1,400 per game), they'll have created additional revenue from ticket sales, concessions and merchandise. The merchandise is more variable, but if we prudently estimate the gross revenue as somewhere around $12 per person for concessions and the average cost of a ticket in 2024 being $57 (per Gametime; another imperfect source that beats wild shooting in the dark), the Brewers have added an additional $7-8 million in revenue. On top of that is the playoff success @Matthew Trueblood covered on Sunday. Reaching the NLCS has serious financial implications for the Brewers, adding around $15 million by Matt's estimate. All things considered, a conservative estimate might be that the team made $22 million more this season than last. They may want to retain some of this as insurance against a potential lockout in 2027, when the CBA is re-negotiated, but they do have more to spend than they've had even very recently. The Brewers have also been one of the heaviest spenders in revamping their minor-league structure, an effort that has been undertaken heavily in recent years—and will continue in 2026 with the relocation of the Carolina Mudcats to form the Wilson Warbirds with brand-new, state-of-the-art facilities. The Brewers partially own that affiliate, so they do factor some of the costs associated with their move into their own finances. Prior success is no guarantee of future profits. The Brewers cannot afford to say that, because they made an additional $20-25 million in 2025 and have lots of money to spend relative to what they invested this season, they can splurge on a 10-year, $300-million contract. Nor would they be likely to do so, anyway. This is a team with major reinforcements on the way in positions of need throughout their minor-league system, from Cooper Pratt and Jesus Made at shortstop to Blake Burke, Brock Wilken and Luke Adams as infielders with some thump. It does, however, give the front office some breathing room, should they choose a two- or three-year deal with a manageable average annual value, similar to the Hoskins and Woodruff ones. They may have even more than that to spend. There should be some room for a steady veteran upgrade this offseason, perhaps someone like Ha-Seong Kim. Perhaps they'll decide to go large, if they can get a short-term, high-AAV deal for someone like Trevor Story or Alex Bregman. Will the Brewers make those moves? Or will they, as in 2021, be cautious with their spending, as TV uncertainty and the CBA negotiations loom large? They certainly have additional funds and some budget space, if they choose to be aggressive. View full article

Ask and ye shall receive Very interesting shapes here, that arm angle usually creates more horizontal break on a fastball, this is essentially a 95 mph cutter with 15" IVB, and that curveballs looks tasty Maybe needs to be in zone a bit more with both as he goes up the levels, but he's got some stuff

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images The Freddy Peralta trade rumors came quickly, but not unexpectedly. Entering the final year of his contract with the Brewers, Peralta has a club option for $8 million. That will surely get picked up. A very team-friendly deal, this makes Peralta an attractive option to retain for the financially challenged Crew, but it also lures other teams towards him—especially those also operating in smaller markets and who have strong farm systems. Peralta is just short of being a true ace, with a tendency to get bogged down in his efforts to put away hitters and (too often, sometimes) to walk them in the process. However, his raw stuff and his intelligent approach are good enough to keep him consistently better than average. Perhaps his most valuable trait is his ability to post day in and day out, making 30 starts or more in each of the last three seasons while continuing to round out his arsenal. We know Peralta is also valuable to this Brewers team as a clubhouse leader, and has been a rock around which they built their rotation and their team culture over the last two seasons. That being said, purely because of the environment in which they operate, the Brewers organization cannot afford not to at least listen to offers. The Valuations The first consideration is what an organization is willing to give up for a starting pitcher with one year of control remaining. From the Brewers' perspective, the bar to clear is the one-year on-field value of Peralta's pitching, plus that of a pick just after the first round in 2027—because, should the team keep him. they'll certainly extend him a qualifying offer and receive such a pick if and when he signs elsewhere after next year. Secondly (if you'll allow some math nerdiness), the $8-million contract value is a huge boon to whoever is receiving Peralta—whether it be a team lingering around the competitive-balance tax threshold, or those with tighter budgets. Peralta's performance in 2025 would be closer to a value of $30 million, meaning there's around $22 million of excess value the Brewers would be looking for in return, plus the compensation pick. Looking at the Corbin Burnes trade (who commanded more, as a Cy Young winner, but who was also due considerably more money in his final year of arbitration eligibility than Peralta will make next year), we have some basis for comparison. In that deal, the Brewers received two fringe top-100 prospects in Joey Ortiz and DL Hall, plus a competitive-balance pick that allowed the Brewers to select Blake Burke in the 2024 MLB Draft. One of the biggest considerations for pitchers is that they're always at risk of a long-term, season-ending injury. Burnes's elbow went out this year, as did Gerrit Cole's. Both pitchers had workloads in excess of 500 innings throughout the three prior seasons, as has Peralta from 2023-2025. Here are the pitchers from 2022 through 2024 to breach that 500-inning mark, with a fastball velocity over 94 mph. Of them, only Kevin Gausman, Framber Valdez, Luis Castillo and Mitch Keller pitched over 170 innings in 2025. That's not to say Peralta will get injured, but we saw Burnes get injured in Year One of his long-term deal with Arizona. In this day and age, nearly every pitcher has a long-term injury at some point, and it's a ticking time bomb. The value for one year of Peralta is likely somewhere in the range of two top-100-ranked prospects (per the Brewers model; they were higher on both Hall and Ortiz than the consensus public rankings) and no competitive-balance selection. Alternatively, they could look for three players, with one fringe top-100 player and two higher-upside, lower-ranked players. It certainly won't be the type of package that's franchise-altering, despite the likelihood that Peralta gets a meaningful number of Cy Young votes this year. Are the Brewers Higher on Peralta Than Most Teams? Peralta's value in the Brewers clubhouse in mentoring young pitchers—and especially his impact on Latin American players—is no small thing, either. In that sense, perhaps the Brewers will see Peralta as more important than Burnes, who had public beef with the Brewers in the wake of his arbitration proceedings. It's an intangible benefit the Brewers hold dear as a reason for their success over the last eight years, and with a young core coming through and some questions around their depth entering 2026 (certainly the kind of depth that is ready and capable of making 30 starts in a season), Peralta holds a lot of additional value that the Brewers organization will prize more dearly than their counterparts, and that may require an offer far beyond somple, rational valuation. Peralta also showed tangible improvements on the field in 2025. Yes, he did outperform his peripheral numbers, which were more in line with the higher ERAs produced in 2023 and 2024, but he managed to lower his "air pull" rate, which is one of the biggest indicators in home runs conceded. In tandem with that, the increased usage of his changeup added significantly to his profile, both in neutralizing opposite-handed hitters and even allowing him to tunnel in under the hands of right-handers. Peralta is the Brewers' best starter, but he hasn't yet demonstrated the combination of dominance and consistency to rate as one of the league's elite starters. His 2025 was a step in the right direction, but whether teams think they can unlock that final step will play a big role in any negotiations. If He's So Valuable, Why Would The Brewers Trade Him? The important note here is that the Brewers aren't definitively trading him. All we have so far is a speculative report from an out-of-town national writer, saying they're expected to listen to offers. Mark Attanasio has said previously that, due to the Brewers' market potential, they can never afford to ignore a call. Hyperbole though this is, it makes sense. If the Tigers were willing to offer Tarik Skubal for Freddy Peralta, you would have to jump at the deal. That won't happen, but it illustrates the broader point. The Brewers may be seeing some prospects with that type of upside who can help not just in 2026, but in the long term. If a team is willing to overpay, the Brewers won't push them away. (See the Athletics' overpay in their determination to acquire *checks notes* Esteury Ruiz.) With one year remaining on his deal, there is a possibility that Peralta gets moved. It's the nature of the business, with no room for compassion—at least in Milwaukee. The Brewers won't be actively shopping him. They'll want a team to get desperate and overpay for the lone stalwart in their rotation, and if nothing comes through, they'll be very happy proceeding into 2026 with Peralta on board. View full article

Image courtesy of © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images There were considerable questions on whether Jacob Misiorowski would even make the Brewers' NLDS roster after some dramatically poor outings since the All-Star break. In the second half, he had a 5.36 earned run average (ERA) while hitters were getting on base at a .354 clip. Given that this is far and away the most Misiorowski has pitched in a season, both by innings and pitch count, it seemed unlikely that he would be a difference maker in October. And yet... Without the young fireballer, it's fair to say the Brewers may not have survived the NLDS matchup against the Cubs, playing key roles as a bulk pitcher in games two and five. Game two featured some of his liveliest stuff, hitting 104 mph repeatedly on his fastball, and using that raw stuff to navigate some of the wildness that had typified his profile. His two outings, however, were anything but wild, combining pitchability, a varied arsenal, and still regularly hitting over 100 (if not quite the 104 mark). Misiorowski has leaned heavily on his slider and curveball to startling effect. I wrote earlier in September how Misiorowski's slider is the weakest of his four pitches and has proved the most hittable in his arsenal. He would consistently catch too much of the strike zone with it, and, despite being a poor swing and miss offering, he was using it heavily in two-strike counts to finish hitters off. It just wasn't working. Combining that with his issues under pressure with men on base, it all seemed like, despite the raw talent, Misiorowski had a lot of learning to undergo before he could be considered a top-of-the-line starter. Fast forward to his last two October appearances, and Misiorowski has thrown more sliders than ever. I'm ready to eat humble pie, but there is one big difference: The slider/cutter is the pitch he feels most comfortable locating in the strike zone; he has better control of it than his other offerings. It's a pitch ideally suited to getting ahead, and if hitters make contact, they'll still struggle to square it up and can produce some cheap, quick outs early in the count. That, at least, was the profile in the regular season, but one thing has changed: he's now using it against left-handed hitters. Previously, his usage chart looked something like the chart below for left-handers (from the article in September). Not the incredibly heavy four-seam usage on the first pitch and when the batter got ahead of left-handed hitters, in dramatic contrast to those two situations above. He's destroyed the predictability of how left-handed hitters faced him, and they've really struggled as a result. Left-handers slugged over .500 against fastballs and cutters against Misiorowski across August and September (.462 in August, .571 in September). That number is at .067 in October with just a single base hit given up to a left-hander this postseason. He's finding the zone consistently with his slider/cutter, and one very interesting thing pops out from a stuff perspective, too: Looking at the above chart comparing Misiorowski in August/September vs October, and you'll see his slider grades out impressively higher from a stuff perspective. The characteristics haven't changed a whole lot, with more spin and perhaps a slightly lower arm slot (often associated with some fatigue, and completely normal). However, the fastball being up a couple of ticks has a big effect, and that velocity separation being greater means that hitters can't sing at the fastball and hope that, if they're wrong, they can still catch the slider out in front. Instead, those swings are turning into whiffs, and the pitch has been almost impossible to square up this October. I'll hold my hands up: I was wrong about the slider and its usage in September. That being said, a couple of things stand out as to the sustainability of this. The first is that Misiorowski has had a bump in velocity from the postseason adrenaline, and it remains to be seen whether he will consistently sit 100-101 throughout a full season. Secondly, he was helped somewhat by the shadows at Dodger Stadium, which made picking up any form of spin nigh on impossible. It was a perfect situation for him, but even so, he answered every question posed until fatigue began to kick in. There are more answers to come in 2026 for the phenom. That being said, his calmness, poise, and competitive instincts have shown huge strides, and the way he's bounced back from adversity was perhaps his biggest sticking point this season. That has now been put to bed. View full article

Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images With a 2-0 series lead heading to Wrigley Field, there was a real hope that the Brewers could put the Cubs to bed in ruthless fashion. That hasn't happened, with the Cubs slugging the Brewers to death in Game 4 while the Milwaukee team couldn't get the big hits to drop. In some ways, this portion of the series encapsulated what many thought could be the difference between the sides. The Chicago Cubs have hit eight home runs in four games. They've struck out a lot, but they've slugged, and that's been the difference in Chicago. They've had Nico Hoerner playing like an MVP, hitting .471 in the series so far with almost a 50% line drive rate. In all likelihood, this final game is a crapshoot, knowing that any team in baseball can win any game on any given day. The Cubs have momentum, but momentum isn't statistically a big thing in baseball. That being said, the Brewers are going to have a few advantages going into Saturday's elimination game. First of those is the way the game is likely to begin, with a bullpen game for the Brewers against Shota Imanaga (or perhaps Colin Rea) for the Cubs. The Cubs are going to want some length from someone to cover at least three innings, before turning the ball over to their five main men: Caleb Thielbar, Andrew Kittredge, Drew Pomeranz, Daniel Palencia and Brad Keller. They'll want to avoid Ben Brown or Aaron Civale in a game such as this. That gives the Brewers (probably) one time through the order against the home run-prone Imanaga. To finish the regular season, Imanaga averaged over two home runs per nine innings, while also struggling to generate the strikeouts that have been so prominent for him through his first season and a half with the Cubs. In Game 2, the Brewers had a definitive attack plan for Imanaga (discussed thoroughly by Matthew Trueblood here), and they didn't miss on the pitches they wanted. The key question is whether they stick or twist—stay the course, or alter their approach against the Cubs' number-two starter, who is likely to adjust accordingly. He's also unlikely to see the Brewers a second time through, with a quicker pull should he find trouble. Then we come to the bullpen, where the Brewers have managed to use a wider variety of arms than the Cubs; that brings some distinct advantages: We noted this penalty last season, in particular, when teams saw Emmanuel Clase for a third time in a series, as well as Devin Williams facing the same part of the order two days running against the Mets. (Sigh.) Relievers were often dominant early in a series, before regressing later as teams saw them multiple times in a short span. So far in the division series, the Brewers have faced the Cubs' 'A' bullpen multiple times, and without a lot of fortune with their contact quality: Games Innings SIERA Earned Runs Drew Pomeranz 3 3 0.23 0 Daniel Palencia 3 3.1 5.13 3 Caleb Thielbar 2 1.2 3.09 0 Brad Keller 2 2.1 6.21 0 Andrew Kittredge 1 1 3.29 1 Of these, only Pomeranz has been truly dominan. Both Palencia and Keller have been fortunate not to give up more than they have, while Kittredge and Thielbar have been good but not exceptional. Still, only two home runs have created any sort of offense against the Cubs bullpen, making it imperative the Brewers either find a way to take advantage of their burgeoning familiarity or jump on Imanaga to begin the game. For your reference, here are the key Brewers batters and the number of times they've already faced each of Chicago's Big Five during this set. Pitcher/Batter Yelich Chourio Turang Contreras Vaughn Frelick Durbin Perkins Bauers Ortiz Collins Keller XX X X X X X X Palencia XX X XX XX XX XXX X X Pomeranz XX X XX X X X X Thielbar XX X X X X Kittredge X X X X X Finally, 'TBD' may be the Brewers' best starter in this postseason. It's highly likely they go with a bullpen game, with either a lefty to counteract some of the threat from Michael Busch to start the game or even an arm like Chad Patrick, whose new slurve has been causing fits. He has a 1.14 FIP in his three appearances so far, and yes, the times seen in a series penalty could apply to him as well here, but he's one of the relievers who has really risen to the challenge of postseason baseball. Regardless, it's more likely they open with Aaron Ashby once more. The beauty of this for the Brewers is that they have enough length available (between Quinn Priester and Jacob Misiorowski) that they can afford quick pulls where and when they need them. If Ashby has one out and two on in the first while struggling to command his breaking ball again, you can pull him. If Misiorowski can't find the zone, pull him. They can mix and match depending on the situation, with no regard for any future following Saturday's game. That suits the all-around strength of the Brewers. Their bullpen has thrown 22 innings of 1.23 ERA ball so far in this Division Series. It's win-or-go-home time. The Milwaukee Brewers have the advantage of home field, their home crowd, and the relentless approach that's served them so well this season. They can plan for what's to come intensely, know who will pitch (and probably when) for the Chicago Cubs, who have been far more predictable than the Brewers thus far. That being said, this is a shootout in which an umpire's call, some BABIP fortune or a timely home run can make all the difference. This is what baseball is all about—those moments where everything is on the line, emotions high for all involved. Can the Brewers finally have their moment? Do you think they even have the advantage coming back to Uecker Field? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! View full article

Beating the Cubbies in three games doesn't hurt enough. Give them a taste, then blow em away

Wind blowing in today and out tomorrow is a fascinating one, ideally the Brewers may have preferred things the other way around with Priester today and Taillon's 13th percentile ground ball rate on show, but we'll see what happens. A small detail on what could be a defining day! Nerves tingling yet for anyone?

When Boyd faltered during his first start against the Brewers, it was more his command than anything that caused them to run riot. Uncompetitive misses and some meatball fodder, and with him tiring towards the end of the season combined with a three day rest period, I'm not sure this is the right call from the Cubs. That being said, this is playoffs. Anyone could get 12 outs from balls smoked right to a fielder

Interesting on the strike rate being average, in guessing that means he's getting quite a bit of chase as those zone rates, especially on the fastballs, aren't really screaming control too much to me Leading with the sweeper to RHH is also pretty interesting, and may explain some of the lower K numbers. The sweeper, while it moves a lot, has been more of a soft contact pitch across MLB this season. Not sure I'm a fan of a starter leaning on his breaking pitch quite so often as that, but he's certainly getting results (All of this based purely on the data provided by Terry above, love it dude!)

I thought I was being incredibly efficient checking off each of the names you mentioned with that list, but never looked above #30 as I thought "nah, too much scrolling". Chanced it, and lost EDIT: The Pipeline review seems incredibly strong on him. Wow

The Top 50 international prospects in the 2026 class Top Baseball International Prospects Draft class rankings are up on pipeline with a blurb on Frontado (#24) and Rodriguez (#50)

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers bumped Brandon Woodruff's planned Saturday start back to this coming Wednesday, briefly stirring some fears about the veteran hurler's health in September. Apparently, though, Woodruff is uninjured. Instead, it seems like the Brewers have used their two off days within a week to align their rotation, while keeping everyone else working on regular rest. They have now lined up the triumvirate of Freddy Peralta, Woodruff and Quinn Priester to pitch against the Los Angeles Angels, in that order. In keeping their pitchers on four days' rest and use (with an abbreviated start for the final three games of the regular season), that would see: Freddy Peralta Brandon Woodruff Quinn Priester 1st Start 16th Sept - LAA 17th Sept - LAA 18th Sept - LAA 2nd Start 21st Sept - STL 22nd Sept - SDP 23rd Sept - SDP 3rd Start 26th Sept - CIN 27th Sept - CIN 28th Sept - CIN That would feature a four-man rotation with a skipped start on September 25, but with plenty of arms around, that shouldn't be much of a concern. It should allow them to stay on some regular pitching schedule (without too much time between starts) entering the NLDS. Keeping to a regular schedule is vital for the Brewers down the stretch. They'll want their playoff starters pitching as closely as possible to the end of the season, as too much rest can be as damaging as too little. Should Peralta pitch on September 26, his next start would be the following Saturday, in Game 1 of the NLDS, with seven days between starts. They could also choose to use the abbreviated starts that are likely to come in the final series to pitch all three of their playoff horses in the final two games, shortening that time between starts even further. What Does That Mean For Jacob Misiorowski? With Jacob Misiorowski still learning and adapting to wrinkles in the big leagues, Quinn Priester's reliability looks awfully tempting, so to see the Brewers lean this way is no real surprise. That being said, should they reach the NLCS, they would need a fourth starter, and the young phenom is in pole position to be used there. Jose Quintana's calf strain may make the discussion moot, but he may also have a role here. Depending on whom the Brewers face should they survive the NLDS, the left-handed matchup may be advantageous, despite his recent struggles. Quintana's postseason pedigree means that the Brewers are comfortable throwing him in for four or five innings against a Phillies lineup that hasn't been quite as successful against left-handers this year. If we assume Misiorowski is the favorite to slide into the rotation should the team reach the NLCS, how they manage his workload to finish the season is fascinating. Both in his start to 2025, and in his return from his shin contusion in August, Misiorowski has struggled to find his rhythm from the get-go after prolonged absences from the mound. Will they use him out of the bullpen in the NLDS? Will his last outing before the playoffs be a start on September 24 against the Padres? He'll need to stay both stretched out, and available from the bullpen. Adjustments to his schedule and rhythm haven't come easily to the young hurler this season, and it could be a steep learning curve. Live BP sessions during the lull between the team's regular-season finale and the NLDS might help bridge the gap. Do you think the Brewers' playoff rotation is set in stone? Or could Jacob Misiorowski still wriggle back into the thick of it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! View full article

The Cubs expended actual capital to get Mike Soroka, who I don't think survived even a game with them? It could have been worse!

It's interesting with the Made promotion given how the organization approaches technical tweaks. I remember Brenton Del Chiaro talking about Made with @Aram Leightonearlier in the season and referencing something about his swing that would likely need refined. This isn't a direct quote but he said something along the lines of "We don't have anyone in the Major Leagues who's been successful with that" which Aram agreed with. If I had the time to go back and re-listen I could say more, though it's well worth a listen for any and all on this site, but the consensus was that the swing had a propensity to result in too many ground balls and prevent Made from elevating enough to access his power. That's something we certainly saw in Low A and, although results have been better in Wisconsin under the Timber rattlers uniform, the expectation is that Made might struggle more facing a higher caliber of pitcher and raw stuff. That being said, the Brewers won't intervene in any way unless Made approaches them to do so, and that might require some struggle. Why fix what isn't broken, especially when baseball is filled with unique swings. They may be wondering if this is where he'll face some problems catching up to big velocities, its a huge step from High A to Double A and especially in the midst of a playoff chase. If he succeeds, great, if he struggles, they have a plan ready and waiting to work on through the off season with the young phenom. Either way, its pretty much a win-win

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Made absent in Wisconsin's last game this year is interesting. Not sure it makes it any more or less likely he'll have a trip to Biloxi to at least see that level before next year, but I still think it's notable

If this is wrong, I'll be heavily discussing Thomas's model with him 😅 signs suggest he has been unlucky with that ERA, if he can't just keep that confidence

Ethan Dorchies throwing 98 pitches at this stage of the season is one heck of an effort. Lots of contact, but he did a great job keeping it on the ground when he faced traffic and a varied arsenal had the Nats in tatters

And then some slightly odd baserunning, didn't cut the bases well and took a wide turn at third base on an Ebel single before being thrown out very comfortably at the plate. By 5 yards or so