The Milwaukee Brewers have added left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes to their starting rotation. He was acquired along with infield prospect Caleb Durbin in a trade that sent Devin Williams to the New York Yankees. With Cortes’ arrival, we take a further look at the state of the starting rotation.
Nestor Cortes statistics
Where does Nestor Cortes slot in the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation?
The Brewers are coming off a 2024 season in which they used 17 different starting pitchers. Among the core group that typically starts, Freddy Peralta, Aaron Civale, Tobias Myers, Aaron Ashby, D.L. Hall, and Carlos Rodriguez are all set to return. Brandon Woodruff, who missed the 2024 season, is expected to be back, along with Robert Gasser, who won’t return until the second half. Top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski could also make an impact, but the team did already add Logan Henderson, Chad Patrick, and Connor Thomas to the 40-man roster. Right now, Milwaukee’s 1-5 starting rotation may look something like this:
- RHP Freddy Peralta
- RHP Brandon Woodruff
- LHP Nestor Cortes
- RHP Tobias Myers
- RHP Aaron Civale
State of the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation after 2025
If the Brewers entered the 2025 season with this starting rotation, they would have two impending free agents in Cortes and Civale. Brandon Woodruff has a mutual option for 2026 ($20 million with a $10 million buyout) and Freddy Peralta has an $8 million club option. Tobias Myers is under team through the 2030 season.
It will be interesting to see how the Brewers navigate their starting rotation going forward. It’s possible that Aaron Civale and Nestor Cortes remain with the organization throughout all of 2025 to act as bridge players until Jacob Misiorowski and company are ready for full time starting gigs.
Follow me on X @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great up to date sports content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!. We cover the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, numerous other professional sports, and Wisconsin High School Sports. Additionally we provide the latest news coverage on the NFL, MLB, and NBA in which you can follow Gridiron Heroics, Hardwood Heroics, and Homeplate Heroics.
