The Milwaukee Brewers’ 2025 season met an ignominious end on Friday night. It was a disappointing way for the year to come to a close and exposed some of the lingering questions about this iteration of the Brewers as they move forward, but this was also an excellent season for a team with a lot to feel good about. Even this postseason run, which exposed some serious flaws, gave us reasons for optimism.
In the spirit of the mixed feelings of the last few days, and with inspiration from my buddy Vince (who does this after every Brewer season), I’ve put together a list of quick-hitter pros and cons to take away from the season as a Brewers fan.
Pro: It was the best regular season in Brewer history. Team-record 97 wins, two 11+ game winning streaks, the best record in the league.
Pro: The Brewers won a postseason series. Finally. And it was against the Cubs!
Con: The Brewers were embarrassed by the Dodgers in the NLCS. I think this is more about the Dodgers than the Brewers, but it’s not a good feeling.
Pro: Even a hobbled Jackson Chourio looked like the best Brewer on the field in the Championship Series. He does not turn 22 until spring training. He has things to work on, but the potential is off the charts.
Con: The “Brewer offense” of speed and contact worked for two postseason games and didn’t work for the next seven. Long-standing questions about this team’s power source remain, and there is no obvious route to improvement. There was a certain irony in the fact that rumored trade target Eugenio Suárez hit two home runs, including a grand slam, for the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS on the same day that the Brewers were swept in a series in which they hit one homer.
Pro: Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick really showed something in the postseason. Miz had his ups and downs this season, but he also made it apparent that if he can rein in his skills, he has the capacity to be a top-top-top-level ace. Patrick not only showed early in the season that he is already a mid-rotation caliber starting pitcher, but he also looked like someone who has significant room to grow beyond that.
Con: How much more can Christian Yelich provide? Yelich had a good season, but he turns 34 in December and the late-season wall he ran into coincided with a flare-up in his long-term bugaboo, his back. He also cannot play the field anymore, which limits the Brewers’ options (including a scenario where Jeferson Quero makes the team and William Contreras spends more time at DH). There are two years and roughly $46 million remaining on his contract.
Pro: Brice Turang’s August may have been a mirage (and he struggled in the playoffs), but if he really is a 120 OPS+ hitter and can get his defense back to 2024 levels, he would become an MVP contender. I’m not kidding!
Pro: Caleb Durbin looks like a legitimate major league player, which makes the Devin Williams trade a big win.
Con: Joey Ortiz does not. Jesus Madé doesn’t turn 19 until May. Cooper Pratt struggled offensively at Double-A. Neither are likely options next season. Milwaukee will need to decide if they are comfortable hoping Ortiz’s bat bounces back closer to 2024 levels, or if they’re going to find someone to act as a bridge.
Pro: The farm is in excellent shape. I mentioned Madé and Pratt, but there were bright points all over the system, and Milwaukee continues to rise in team rankings (they were in the top five in most of the big ones, and number one in Baseball America’s midseason update).
Pro: Freddy Peralta had what was probably his best overall season. He either returns to the top of the rotation as the younger guys get more comfortable around him, or he is traded for what should be a good return.
Con: If Peralta does get traded, the rotation sorely lacks experience, a problem that would likely only be addressed by low-level free agents (like Jose Quintana).
Pro: Andrew Vaughn cooled off after an impossibly hot start, but his emergence gives a likely answer to the Brewers’ first base question, assuming the Brewers are willing to pay his arbitration figure (likely over $7 million). Look for Jake Bauers, a Pat Murphy favorite, to return to run back the platoon. The long-term future of first base in Milwaukee remains murky, but next season is probably okay.
Con: Milwaukee is still not going to bring in any free agents who make a huge difference. Expect to be disappointed if you’re hoping for an aggressive move, even with Rhys Hoskins coming off the books (between his buyout and Vaughn’s arbitration case, the Brewers would already be paying about $12m compared to the $18m Hoskins mutual option).
Pro: The Brewers do, on the other hand, have what they need to make a seriously splashy trade, if they so choose. I’m talking about a superstar or someone on the verge of a breakout with multiple years of control. They probably won’t, but they could.
Pro: The bullpen was awesome in the postseason. Predicting relief pitching on a year-to-year basis is a fool’s errand, but Abner Uribe is the real deal, and the Brewers still have two years of team control on Trevor Megill. The back of the bullpen, as it has for years in Milwaukee, looks pretty well set.
Con: Who is the third outfielder? Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio have two spots locked down. For a while, it looked like the Brewers had really found something in Isaac Collins, but he looked utterly lost in the last month and the postseason. Hopefully, he finds his groove and answers this question. It is clear that Garrett Mitchell cannot be relied upon, though it’s nice to have him around as a potential surprise. Blake Perkins is in the Ortiz camp: he’s a great guy to have on your team, but a bad guy to have in your lineup every day.
Pro: The rotation will have question marks, but there are plenty of options after Peralta (if he’s on the team), Misiorowski and Patrick. Aaron Ashby or DL Hall could try a pivot from relief work. Robert Gasser and Logan Henderson have shown flashes. Tobias Myers could be an option. And we’ll see what happens with Brandon Woodruff, who might want to test free agency, but health questions could lead him back to Milwaukee.
There are certainly many more. Add to the comments if you wish!
