The Milwaukee Brewers have not exactly been active this offseason. Their only two additions to date are lefty reliever Angel Zerpa, in a trade sending out Isaac Collins and Nick Mears, and cast-off outfielder Akil Baddoo. Not really needle movers. Coming off a franchise-record 97 wins, the Brewers face unfamiliar pressure to keep pedal to the metal for next season.
That hasn’t happened. MLB insider Jeff Passan isn’t surprised, but he didn’t veil his disappointment with Milwaukee’s approach while their National League counterparts have been busy bolstering the troops.
Brewers’ inactivity leaves little margin for error as expectations rise
In Passan’s offseason check-in, the Brewers fell in the category of “teams in need of a move.” Passan explains his reasoning: “This is mostly a function of the Brewers carrying the best record in baseball last year and the expectation that doing so warrants an uncompromising follow-up to ensure it ends with gold rings rather than disappointment.”
Actually expecting them to make waves, he notes, would be “foolish.” Everyone knows how the organization operates.
One could, of course, argue that those 97 wins a year ago prove the team doesn’t need to do anything at all. Their core pieces will all be back, with the possible enormous exception of ace Freddy Peralta if the Brewers do in fact pull the trigger on a trade.
But it’s also true that while the Cubs went out and signed Alex Bregman, to name one noteworthy move among rivals, the Brewers haven’t exactly kept pace. Relying on internal growth from young players is a justifiable strategy, but that’s a lot of pressure to heap on second-year players whose tendencies the league will be keener to adjust to and attempt to exploit. “Sophomore slump” is a phrase for a reason.
They have other questions. In a lineup that needs thump, is Brice Turang’s power legit? Is Andrew Vaughn, whose pop cooled notably down the stretch, the real deal? Can the outfield stay healthy after every member of next season’s projected rotation missed appreciable time last season? Now Collins is gone on of top of that.
In the rotation, can Brandon Woodruff finally have a healthy season? Will Quinn Priester be quite as good? Who is the fifth starter? Chad Patrick? Will Peralta be there through the trade deadline?
Every team has questions, but the Brewers haven’t left themselves much margin for error. And let’s face it. Despite a magical regular season, this team wasn’t cut out to compete with stacked opponents like the Dodgers, who swept them in the NLCS. On the face of it, the front office hasn’t done much of anything to try and rewrite that script next season.
Passan concluded with a prediction all too familiar for Milwaukeeans that this team would for once open up the pocketbook. They might not be done making moves, but don’t expect anything world-altering.
“Ultimately, the Brewers will sign someone who helps because that’s what they do. They work the margins, they hunt value, they make do. And whether it’s via trade or on one-year deals, they’ll hop back on the hamster wheel and leave everyone wondering what should’ve been.”
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