Milwaukee Brewers 2024 offseason preview: What do the Brewers need to do to stay atop the NL Central?

Let’s take a look at the season that was for the 2024 Milwaukee Brewers, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.

Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the Twins, Mariners, Cubs and more?

Postseason outcome

The Brewers were eliminated by the Mets in a shocking turn of events in their NL wild-card series. After the Mets took Game 1 by riding their momentum to an 8-4 victory, the Brewers rallied late to take Game 2 behind rookie star Jackson Chourio.

The winner-take-all Game 3 was a scoreless affair through six. Then the Brewers’ bats broke out for a late, two-run lead. But Pete Alonso stunned the home crowd with a three-run homer in the ninth, ending the Brewers’ season and sending the Mets to the NLDS. After such a successful season, the Brewers have a lot to process.

Things that went right

For a team that ran away with its division, there were actually no Brewers who had a remarkable season. Instead, the 2024 Milwaukee club was the true definition of a team, as there were many players who did their parts with productive campaigns.

On the offensive side, Christian Yelich would’ve been the team’s MVP had he not been limited to 73 games by a back injury that required season-ending surgery in August. Yelich was unlikely to win the NL MVP award, but his .909 OPS would’ve put him in the discussion.

Yelich was far from alone in making notable offensive contributions. William Contreras is one of the few catchers in baseball who propels his team’s lineup. The 26-year-old led all catchers in runs scored and sat behind only Salvador Perez and Cal Raleigh in RBI. He was joined in the heart of Milwaukee’s lineup by Willy Adames, who set career highs in homers (32), RBI (112) and runs scored (93). Adames also added a speed component to his game by swiping 21 bases.

Finally, the biggest story of the second half was the play of rookie Jackson Chourio, who recovered from a slow start to post an eye-popping .914 OPS after the All-Star break.

The rotation was led by Freddy Peralta, who posted solid ratios (3.68 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) and led the club in innings and strikeouts. Tobias Myers made his major-league debut on April 23 and wound up posting the best ratios (3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) among the club’s regular rotation members.

The bullpen was also a major strength, finishing second in baseball in ERA. Trevor Megill filled in admirably as the closer until Devin Williams returned from a season-opening stint on the IL on July 28. Joel Payamps and Bryan Hudson were key contributors who led the team in holds.

Things that went wrong

Truthfully, not much.

Rhys Hoskins can be labeled as a disappointment, but he deserves credit for playing in 131 games after missing all of the 2023 season due to a torn left ACL. Still, the 31-year-old produced career-low marks in batting average (.214) and OPS (.722).

Manager Pat Murphy also dealt with a revolving door at the back of his rotation until the team added Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas in July. Still, Murphy and pitching coach Chris Hook squeezed some respectable starts out of the likes of Joe Ross, Bryse Wilson and DL Hall.

Offseason plans

The Brewers are often willing to dip their toe into the free-agent market, but they rarely chase the biggest prizes. Drafting, developing and trading are this team’s primary paths to success, and they have done well in those areas in recent years.

Most of the infield spots are accounted for going into 2025. Contreras will continue to be one of baseball’s most impactful catchers, and Hoskins will get a chance to improve in the final season of his two-year deal. Brice Turang started the season in fine form before struggling in the second half (.564 OPS); the lefty-hitting speedster should play second base against right-handers but needs a platoon partner. Joey Ortiz is an excellent defender who settled in as the third baseman after arriving in the Corbin Burnes trade, but the Brewers will need to find a shortstop with Willy Adames heading to free agency.

The Brewers’ outfield is unsettled beyond Chourio in left field. Garrett Mitchell missed most of the first half due to a fractured hand but hit well enough after the All-Star break to get strong consideration in spring training to start in right or center field. Assuming that his back cooperates, Yelich can play left and push Chourio to the right side. There is a chance that Yelich becomes the DH to reduce wear and tear on his body. Finally, Blake Perkins is a useful fourth outfielder who is a strong defender and can play all three spots.

Milwaukee has four pitchers locked into the rotation, with Peralta, Myers, Civale and Colin Rea. The wild card will be Brandon Woodruff, who hopes to be fully recovered from 2023 shoulder surgery by the start of spring training. A healthy Woodruff would be the staff ace, but he is far from a sure thing from a health standpoint. Hall is another rotation candidate, though he can also work out of the bullpen.

The bullpen is the one area of the club that requires no offseason attention. Williams, Megill, Hall, Payamps and Hudson are all under team control for next season. In fact, the relief corps is an area that could be used in an offseason trade to land a shortstop, if president of baseball operations David Stearns and general manager Matt Arnold don’t like their options in free agency.

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Prospects on the horizon

Milwaukee opened the season with one of baseball’s top-ranked farm systems before a combination of promotions and injuries moved it down to the middle of the pack. Still, there are some players ready to contribute soon.

Jeferson Quero established himself as arguably the best defensive catcher in the minors and was on track to debut in Milwaukee in 2024 before he suffered a torn labrum that ended his season in March. He will almost certainly spend a few months in Triple-A next year but could arrive in Milwaukee during the summer.

Tyler Black remains on the prospect list, despite his having played 18 games in the majors. The 24-year-old can play either corner infield spot and has an unusual skill set for those positions, as he lacks power but can get on base and brings plus speed.

Jacob Misiorowski is an electric pitching prospect who can reach triple digits with his fastball and has maintained elite strikeout rates in the minors. The 6-foot-7 righty has spent most of his career working as a starter but has operated primarily as a reliever in Triple-A and could be a dominant force out of the bullpen right away. No matter which path he takes, Misiorowski should debut early in 2025.

Goals for 2025

Milwaukee has won the NL Central in three of the past four seasons, which earns this team the right to enter 2025 as the division favorite. There are clubs nipping at the Brewers’ heels, however, as the Cubs have a solid roster, and the Reds are full of ascending players. Still, Milwaukee’s ability to maximize the production of its pitchers has been a calling card that keeps this team ahead of the pack in a division that has otherwise lacked elite teams in many recent seasons.

To be serious World Series contenders, though, the Brewers will need to add more high-end talent to either their rotation or their batting order. Otherwise, their roster on paper will rank slightly below those of the NL powerhouses in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Fantasy focus

Because Chourio is so young and had such a great impact in the second half, he will be selected in the range of Round 3 in 2025 fantasy drafts. Contreras, Williams and Peralta should all be selected in the range of Rounds 4-6. Yelich will be a boom-or-bust option in the middle rounds, and Myers will be selected in the same range. Woodruff will have a wide draft range that will greatly depend on how he fares in spring training.