Matt Breen

Beautiful stuff. So fun.

I love Contreras. But he has put on a lot of miles. He's slow - and will likely get slower sooner than later. He approaching 30 - so a veteran - but not that old. But guys can fall off pretty quickly once they lose a little quickness. I think the team should investigate an extension - but not overdo anything. Otherwise, if nothing sensible is out there - just ride out 2027. Let Quero be our backup - assuming the team thinks he's ready for it. Then see how Contreras and Quero play in 2027. We can then revisit next year. But in the end, I'd love to tie Contreras up for a few years - but I'm not sure it works for him or us financially.

On October 17, 1982, 18-year-old me went down to County Stadium from Madison with my parents and sister for Game 5 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The series was tied 2-2. Before the playoffs, my dad had submitted a request for postseason tickets, and this was the game he got. Lucky us. The game was brilliant. Robin Yount had hit a dramatic home run in the 7th, and Mike Caldwell had gutted out 8 1/3 innings as the Crew won 6-4. It was the last game of the series in Milwaukee - as the final two were in St. Louis. I went home confident - knowing that we had to just win one of the last two games. Surely we could do that. The Brewers were - after all - a great team. They had won 97 games, and had slugged 216 home runs. They had three players with more than 30 homers. And three that had hit better than .300. Three players had more than 200 hits. Robin Yount was the league MVP. The names are now part of Brewer lore. Cecil Cooper, Gorman Thomas, Jim Gantner, Ben Oglivie, Don Money, Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, Yount, Mike Caldwell, and others. This was Harvey's Wallbangers at their finest. My friend (RIP, Andy) and I watched Game 6 at a bar (drinking age was 18 back then). The Crew got pummelled. We had one more chance. The Brewers lost 6-3. I remember walking away with my buddy lamenting our not-so-stellar pitching. And the injury to Rollie Fingers - one of the game's great relievers. But still, I said, next year. Or the next. We had a good team. We surely had more epic seasons in us. But it was not to be. The Brewers were getting older. Injuries and age chipped away at the club. The team hit only 132 home runs the next season - with only one player hitting more than 20. And the lack of pitching further exposed the team. Now, the Brewers were still good. They won 87 games in 1983. But this was pre-wild card baseball. Good didn’t get you into the playoffs. And so the Brewers floundered. Some years they showed signs of life - but the club was always exposed in some fashion. The greats of 1982 aged and faded - or retired or moved on. There would be no division titles. No World Series trips. Nothing. The 1990s were the bleakest of eras. It was the Sal Bando era. That’s not a compliment. The team failed to invest in scouting not just in the United States, but also in Latin America. They made poor decisions on who to sign as free agents - and who to let walk. They drafted badly. It was the ugliest of times, as we were not only not very good but also had little hope for the future. That changed in the 2000s with a new regime - and then a new owner. In 2008, I took my then 9-year-old son to the final game of the season - watching Ryan Braun hit a homer to put us in the lead - and CC Sabathia close things out with another complete game victory. My son says he remembers being at the game - but not much about the specifics of it. He just remembers the place going crazy, then watching the Mets-Marlins game - which got us into the playoffs. He said dropping the blue-and-gold confetti was what he remembers most. Since 2008, the Brewers have had legitimate opportunities to get back to the World Series. Perhaps decades of heartbreak have steeled me to be cautious - but even this year - I tried not to get too excited about the club’s success. Even as the team came within one out of defeating the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS - I fretted, thinking we’d find some way to blow it. But we didn’t. It was glorious. For more than 40 years, Brewer fans have revered the 1982 Brewers - the one team to make it to the Big Dance. The club that came so close to winning it all. The team that we held close to our hearts. Heck, there was even a film - Just a Bit Outside - made a couple of years ago about the 1982 team. And so, while people who lived through the 1982 season will never forget their beloved Harvey’s Wallbangers, the victory over the Dodgers last week has exorcized a ghost. It was a ghost of the greatest club ever to wear the Brewers uniform. A ghost reminding us - every year - of the failures of more than four decades. And that is a good thing. 44 years is too long to cling to such ghosts. It’s far better to embrace the living, breathing thrill and excitement of today. And I can’t help but feel happy for a new generation of Brewer fans. They can experience the thrill I had experienced back in 1982. The thrill that we are the best. And there is so much more to come. For myself, the greatest joy is that my son and his wife are big Brewer fans. His excitement about this year’s club was so much fun. To have him texting me during the games these past few months - usually excited about something that happened - has been awesome. It’s a bonding moment that I cherish as I am older - and know that the years ahead are a lot fewer than those behind me. So as the 2026 World Series approaches, I can only look at the experience with incredible amounts of anxiety - but more than that - gratitude and satisfaction. It has been 44 years since I cheered from the first base side of County Stadium - as fans swarmed the field at the end of Game 5. Those are great memories - but also ghosts that have hovered over the franchise for far too long. It’s time to make new heroes and new memories - and hopefully - an experience never before seen in franchise history. View full article

I was at the last Brewers World Series game in 1982. So much hope. So cool to finally see us back there. Now let's win this thing.

oh yeah, baby

Why bunt at this point?

Yes!

Just sweet to have days like these. So good.

That was just really nice.

I feel better. yay.

Yankees? Hmmm... let's think about this... How about: Brewers get: Spencer Jones, Carlos Lagrange, and Elmer Rodriguez Yankees get: Freddy and Trevor Megill Two pitchers, one OF bat. All three guys carry six years of control. Each is a fringe Top 100 prospect. None are perfect, but there's some potential upside (and lots of scary stuff too).

Dallas fired Nico yesterday. I still can't believe he dealt Luka. For Davis, Christie and a 1st. It seemed so light at the time - and looks even lighter today. And of all the teams to gift Luka to - the Lakers. Sigh. I understand there were concerns about Luka's conditioning and so forth - but it's 25-year old Luka. Still incredible.

That would have been nice.

Dude has milked his name for six years with the Bucks. At about $2m per season - not a bad gig. At least he seems to play hard when he's out on the court. I like his energy.

thank you, collins. should never have gotten there. but I'll take it.

Image courtesy of © Curt Hogg / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Perhaps it’s bad form to be looking beyond the amazing 2025 season the Brewers are having. But it’s hard not to take a peek at the future and not be a little bit satisfied with the state of the club for 2026. The reason for this is that the Brewers are in a great spot - financially and personnel-wise - for next year. How good are we sitting? Well, the club could do nothing but bring back their players under control and have a good team, and financial flexibility. Let’s look at the team’s status for 2026. Players Under Contract Freddy Peralta ($8 million salary for 2026 - same as 2025) Aaron Ashby (salary goes from $3.45 million to $5.7 million) William Contreras (salary goes from $6 million to $12 million) Jackson Chourio (salary goes from $4.25 million to $7.25 million) Christian Yelich ($26 million salary for 2026 - same as 2025) Pre-Arbitration Players Quinn Priester Chad Patrick Jacob Misiorowski Logan Henderson Tobias Myers DL Hall Jared Koenig Abner Uribe Grant Anderson Joey Ortiz Sal Frelick Caleb Durbin Andruw Monasterio Anthony Seigler Brandon Lockridge Blake Perkins Arbitration Eligible Nick Mears (made $963,000 in 2025 in first year of arbitration) Trevor Megill (madę $1.94 million in 2025 in first year of arbitration) Brice Turang (eligible for first time) Garrett Mitchell (eligible for first time) Jake Bauers (made $1.35 million in 2025 in first year of arbitration) Andrew Vaughn (made $5.85 million in second year of arbitration) Free Agents Danny Jansen ($12 million mutual option with $500,000 buyout) *Jose Quintana ($15 million mutual option with a $2 million buyout) *Brandon Woodruff ($20 million mutual option with a $10 million buyout) Rhys Hoskins ($18 million mutual option with a $4 million buyout) Shelby Miller Rob Zastryzny Minor Leaguers who may help in 2026 Carlos Rodriguez Craig Yoho Jeferson Quero Robert Gasser Tyler Black *Notes Woodruff has a $20 million mutual option with a $10 million buyout for 2026, so he is likely to take the $10 million and pursue free agency - assuming he keeps pitching as well as he has this year. Quintana has a $15 million option with a $2 million buyout for 2026. While Quintana has been a fine player for Milwaukee, it’s unlikely the team picks up his option and instead pays the buyout. Other notes I don’t expect the club to bring back Jake Bauers unless on a minor league deal with a minimum salary. Rob Zastryzny may return, but the cost should not be much more than the league minimum. Financial Analysis The team is scheduled to have $11.25 million more in already agreed-upon contracts (Chourio, Ashby, Contreras). Arbitration raises - including a full season of Andrew Vaughn - will likely cost the team an additional $17-18 million. In total, the team will add about $28-30 million in salary via scheduled raises and arbitration. The club will shed $42 million in salary with Woodruff, Quintana, and Hoskins, assuming no options are picked up. The difference leaves the club $10-12 million under the 2025 payroll. Lineup The club can bring back most of its 2025 lineup intact. Vaughn replaces Hoskins. For reserve catcher, the team may go with Quero or bring in a low-priced veteran. Turang is back at second base. Ortiz (shortstop) receives another year to improve at the plate. The team sticks with Seigler, who they seem to like, and Durbin, at third base. The outfield is strong with Chourio, Frelick, Collins, Perkins, and Mitchell (assuming he is healthy). Yelich is the full-time designated hitter. Starting pitching options include Peralta, Misiorowski, Patrick, Myers, Gasser, Priester, and Henderson. Relief corps includes Megill, Anderson, Uribe, Koenig, Mears, Ashby, Hall, Yoho The club could move one of the relievers - such as Hall or Ashby - to the rotation. I would expect the club to look for some bargains - just like they always do - such as when they acquired Quintana this past spring for just $4 million. The team loves bargains, and they will strike when they see one. The great thing is that the Brewers have to do nothing to bring this team back. Yes, it hurts to lose the pitching depth. But they will likely rely on existing players and an opportunistic signing or two to fill out the ranks. Could the team bring back Woodruff or Quintana? Anything is possible (especially once we get a financial windfall from winning the World Series). But we can’t forget that arbitration raises will continue to eat into the core lineup beyond 2026. That means the team wants to avoid expensive, long-term contracts. It doesn’t mean the club won’t do something, but history tells us the answer is unlikely. View full article

just wow. very fun time.

Oh yeah

Image courtesy of © Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Eugenio Suarez would look awesome in a Brewers uniform for the last two months of the season. A right-handed power-hitting third baseman is just the ticket for this club. The key is, will the Brewers pay the price? Other teams (Cubs, Mariners, Reds, Astros, Phillies) have interest in the slugger. So, who will (over) pay for Suarez? For the Brewers, it likely means young, controllable pitching. That means someone such as Chad Patrick or Logan Henderson. Would the club deal six years of one of those guys for two months of Suarez? Let’s remember, Brandon Woodruff and Jose Quintana could be free agents after the season. That leaves the rotation with Freddy Peralta (set to be a free agent after the 2026 season), Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, Tobias Myers, Henderson, and Patrick - plus a returning Robert Gasser. We have seen how critical pitching depth is in this league. Based on past actions, it seems highly unlikely that the club would give up a starter such as Patrick or Henderson for two months of Suarez. And let’s not forget that the price could go higher. Ryan McMahon is off the market (likely taking the Yankees out as well), so teams looking to improve at the hot corner are competing for fewer resources. For that reason, the Brewers are likely to focus on flexibility and affordability. That means a player who won’t cost too much, in terms of money and talent, to acquire. Ideally, they’ll focus on a player who can play competently around the infield, hit league average, and can put the ball in play. And won’t count a lot to acquire. That means guys who are impending free agents. Here are the contenders. Willi Castro, Minnesota Can play all over the infield, hits about .250, has a little pop. He’s a free agent after the season and is only owed around $2.2 million for the rest of the 2025 season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Pittsburgh Excellent defender around the infield. He has mostly been a below-average hitter with little power, but a solid batting average (.260-.270). He’s not exciting, but he’s a solid player who can help down the stretch. He is owed $2.5 million for the last third of the season. Of course, we can yearn for Suarez. Or a non-rental, such as Josh Smith. However, that will again come at a cost to the team. And if those players are made available, they will likely fetch a premium. In the end, it’s unlikely Milwaukee overpays for anyone. Instead, they will focus on depth, protecting themselves against an injury or in case a young player, such as Durbin, slumps. Also, it’s unlikely they look at aging or unreliable players, such as Ke'Bryan Hayes, Yoan Moncada, or Nolan Arenado. They are injury-prone, too expensive, or just not that productive. In the end, I expect the Brewers to explore various ways to improve the team. It could be an infielder or even a first baseman. But it all comes down to the cost. It’s a philosophy that has - mostly - paid off for the club these past few years. And one they will likely stick to. Still, you never know. The team is opportunistic. If something falls into their hands, they will pounce. It’s just a matter of who that is. View full article

I think the Bucks really only have two options right now if they want to add: 1. Sign someone for minimum or near minimum. 2. Send Kuzma with our 2031 1st round pick attached. No one wants the guy with $42m still on his contract. So we have to make it worthwhile for them. Matching contracts would be a challenge. Kuzma is set to make $22m - so (I think) we'd have to be near that. Perhaps we have an end-of-the-bench guy we could throw in to make it $25m - but I'm not totally sure how cap stuff works. It will be interesting to see where things go.

Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin put out a statement. “It’s an incredible opportunity for Damian,” Goodwin said. “He receives all of his money guaranteed, and it provides him an opportunity to decide his next destination as an unrestricted free agent. He gets a chance to rehab at home if he chooses to, and be with his family and his kids for the next year. The goal is for him to take his time and make a decision on what his next destination will be.”

ESPN doesn't hate small markets. They like the buzz it creates - and the traffic - from big markets who want Giannis (or any athlete from a small market). It's about money.