How the Brewers Can Become Strong World Series Contenders

Heading into Opening Day 2024, there were tempered expectations for the Milwaukee Brewers. Their organization went through a bit of an overhaul the preceding offseason, and that marked the start of a new era of baseball in Milwaukee that came with plenty of uncertainty.

And yet, the Brewers still managed to soar past all expectations.

After they won 93 games in the regular season and secured the No. 3 playoff seed, their fanbase was buzzing with excitement. This team felt different, and it appeared as if they were destined to make the postseason run that fans had been waiting years to see.

But things came crashing down for Milwaukee in a matter of days, as the Brewers came up short against the New York Mets in Game 3 of the NLWCS.

First-round postseason exits have become an unfortunate trend in Milwaukee, and despite the overwhelming amount of success and excitement that came from the regular season, the fanbase left the 2024 season with the bitter feeling of disappointment once again.

With the offseason in full swing, it’s back to the drawing board for the Brewers. Just as they do each offseason, they will work to improve their roster as they strive to return to contention next season.

Offseason Expectations for the Milwaukee Brewers

When projecting what lies ahead for the Crew, it’s important to set expectations as to how they might realistically maneuver the offseason. Contrary to what some fans might be hoping for, the Brewers are likely to remain pretty quiet in free agency.

With Major League Baseball now producing and distributing Brewers games instead of Diamond Sports Group, it’s yet to be seen how their new TV deal will impact how they approach payroll. Although, it’s pretty safe to assume Milwaukee won’t spend drastically more money this offseason, if any at all.

Similarly, much of the lineup is set with answers at most positions heading into next season. In reality, the 2025 Milwaukee Brewers will probably look very similar to the team from a season ago.

Regarding whether or not the Brewers should run it back next season, there’s an argument to be made from both perspectives.

On the one hand, their defeat at the hands of the Mets marked their sixth consecutive postseason series loss. Is running it back really the best way to exorcise their postseason demons when the current formula has not generated any success in October?

At the same time, it’s still important to remember they were a great team in 2024. That was a good Mets team they lost to, and they were one Pete Alonso swing of the bat away from advancing to the NLDS.

It’s difficult to argue with a winning formula that has generated so much regular season success and has gotten the Brewers to the postseason in six of the last seven seasons.

It’s a challenging position to be in for one of the smallest markets in baseball, and it’s a crossroads that Milwaukee faces each and every season.

Still, as a whole, there was plenty of good to build upon from 2024, and there will be a few items on the Brewers’ offseason to-do list if they wish to go for their third consecutive division title in 2025.

Priority #1: Replace Willy Adames

It’s all but guaranteed that Willy Adames’s time in Milwaukee has come to an end. He hits the open market as one of the top free agents in this year’s class, and he’s going to be far too expensive for the Brewers to retain.

Adames has been one of the most important players in the organization since he came over from Tampa Bay back in 2021, and replacing his production should be of the utmost importance this offseason.

Since the Brewers acquired Adames back on May 21, 2021, no player has produced more fWAR for the club. He has over 100 RBIs more than the next closest player over that stretch (Christian Yelich, 224), and his 107 home runs are almost double the next closest player as well (Rowdy Tellez, 55).

Point being, he has been a major pillar of the Brewers’ run production over the course of his time in Milwaukee. The Brewers can’t expect to subtract Adames from their lineup and have the offense continue to roll in 2025.

That being said, it feels as if the Brewers are comfortable with their group of internal options to help replace his production in 2025. Christian Yelich will return to the lineup next season, and many of their young bats – especially budding superstar Jackson Chourio – have plenty of room to grow offensively.

While it was an offensive formula that worked for the Brewers in 2024, it’s yet to be seen if relying on their young bats to take a step forward will be enough. Whatever their course of action may be, they need to have a plan for how to minimize the effects of losing such an impactful offensive weapon as Adames.

Priority #2: Address Third Base

When looking at Milwaukee’s big league lineup as a whole, third base is the only position in glaring need of an upgrade. Addressing the hot corner could be somewhat related to replacing Adames’ production in the lineup.

If the Brewers go the most likely route of moving Joey Ortiz from third base to shortstop, then they need to look externally to bring in an everyday third baseman who can make an impact offensively for this team.

As it currently stands, Milwaukee’s top internal options consist of Oliver Dunn, Andruw Monasterio, and Tyler Black.

Dunn is sporting a strikeout rate near 40% to go with a 68 wRC+ in his 104 big league plate appearances. Monasterio hit .208 with a .575 OPS in 142 plate appearances in 2024. And it appears the Brewers are comfortable shifting Black away from third base, as just nine of his 102 starts in Triple-A came at the hot corner in 2024.

That’s not going to cut it for a team looking to compete for a World Series title. Third base should be a position of power and offensive production, and the Brewers will need to look externally if they want an impact bat at the hot corner in 2025.

The Brewers won’t be part of the Alex Bregman sweepstakes, and this year’s free agent class at third base is extraordinarily bare outside of Bregman. They might need to get creative on the trade market to bring in a viable big league bat to take over at third base.

Priority #3: Replace the Vacated Innings

The Brewers pieced together a very effective starting rotation in 2024, but they’re losing several arms this offseason. Joe Ross, Bryse Wilson, Colin Rea, and Frankie Montas will no longer be with the organization in 2025, and each of those players had a vital role in the rotation at one point or another last season.

Those four arms combined for 403.2 innings in 2024 that will need to be replaced. The Brewers need to determine if they are comfortable filling those innings with their internal options, or if they need to look to the open market to fortify the back of the rotation.

As it currently stands, Milwaukee has no shortage of arms who can contribute in 2025, but it’s also a group of pitchers that comes with a great deal of uncertainty.

Most significantly, Brandon Woodruff is primed to return to the mound in 2025, and he very well could be Milwaukee’s biggest addition this offseason.

In one of my recent articles for Just Baseball, I broke down how important Woodruff is for this rotation. I highlighted what we can expect the 2025 rotation to look like for the Brewers, and how Woodruff’s return might impact their approach to the offseason when it comes to their pitching staff.

To take things one step further, the Brewers need to identify who will be a part of their starting rotation moving forward and if they feel their group of young arms is capable of not just getting them through the regular season, but helping them break through in October.

Specifically, Milwaukee needs to figure out what roles DL Hall and Aaron Ashby will have moving forward. Both players are fairly similar; they each have shown flashes of being a capable starter at times throughout their young careers, but it’s yet to be seen if they can be stretched out in the rotation full-time.

Additionally, there are a handful of arms knocking at the door in the minor leagues who could be a part of the pitching plan in 2025. Jacob Misiorowski, Carlos Rodriguez, Logan Henderson, and Chad Patrick could all have a role in the rotation next year.

Point being, it feels as if the Brewers are comfortable with the group they have to get them through the season. While it’s always possible they go out and sign a low-cost, back-end starter, it’s likely they rely upon their group of internal arms to piece together their big league rotation, just as they mostly did in 2024.

Will Things Be Different in 2025?

It’s easy to get hung up on the disappointing end to the 2024 season, but it’s time to turn the page to 2025 and focus on how the Brewers can get back to World Series contention next season.

There’s plenty to like about this Brewers team moving forward. Their roster construction is pretty clear heading into 2025, and Pat Murphy, the 2024 National League Manager of the Year, showed that he is capable of leading this team to victory.

Of course, it’s not easy for a small market team to flirt with contention year in and year out. But that’s exactly what the Brewers have done for more than half a decade. In what was supposed to be a re-tooling season for Milwaukee, this team wasn’t that far off from winning it all in 2024.

There is so much room for growth for a team that won 93 games last season and secured their second consecutive division title. Even if the Brewers elect to run it back with a similar squad in 2025, what this team accomplished this past year should make Brewers fans very excited about where this ballclub is headed.