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Matt Arnold
Matt Arnold
Fans and the organization alike may be riding high on the success of the 2024 Milwaukee Brewers, but the challenge the organization faces going forward may be even bigger than the ones they overcame to win the NL Central this year.
A week ago, the baseball world once again acknowledged the level to which the Brewers exceeded expectations in 2024 by naming Matt Arnold MLB Executive of the Year. Arnold is the first Brewers employee to win the award, which is voted on by all 30 teams prior to the postseason. On the day of the award the Brewers compiled a list of some of Arnold’s biggest moves over the past year, both large and small: Certainly signing Jackson Chourio to a long-term extension, trading Corbin Burnes for Joey Ortiz and DL Hall and signing Rhys Hoskins made plenty of headlines, but the path to an NL Central crown was also laid in part with moves like acquiring relievers Jared Koenig and Bryan Hudson last winter and trading for Aaron Civale in July.
Not long after accepting that award, however, Arnold turned back to what might be an even bigger puzzle: Trying to put together another contending team in 2025.
The Brewers and their fans have long known that 2024 might be Willy Adames’ final season in Milwaukee. The veteran shortstop and former team MVP is one of the sport’s top free agents this winter and it’s at best a longshot for him to return to the Brewers. MLB Trade Rumors predicts Adames will get a six-year deal worth around $160 million this winter, with all four of their experts predicting he’ll end up with the Giants. The Brewers have other candidates to play shortstop as both third baseman Joey Ortiz and Gold Glove winning second baseman Brice Turang have extensive experience at the position, but moving either will leave a different hole in the infield and losing Adames would create a big hole in the lineup.
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More Holes to Fill
In the short amount of time since the end of the MLB season, however, the Brewers have created even more holes to fill. A pitching staff that needed all the depth the front office could find in 2024 lost a bunch of it for 2025 when Joe Ross became a free agent and options for Colin Rea, Wade Miley and Frankie Montas all were not exercised. As part of that wave of transactions the Brewers also outrighted Bryse Wilson off the 40-man roster, allowing him to become a free agent.
Collectively that group started 36% of the Brewers’ games in 2024 and pitched 28% of the team’s innings. That’s a lot to replace, and that’s before considering Devin Williams’ status as one of the winter’s hottest trade targets.
Meanwhile, on the payroll side there’s nothing to indicate the Brewers are going to expand Arnold’s available resources. Late in the season the organization announced they’d had a very successful year financially, but as part of that conversation they were unwilling to commit to applying that revenue to raise payroll. The Brewers are one of several teams appearing likely to lose revenue this winter as MLB takes over their television broadcasting, so if their payroll rank moves up from the #20 spot where they spent 2024 it might only be because others move down.
With lots of holes to fill and potentially limited resources to fill them, the Brewers might be one of several teams poring over Baseball America’s list of this winter’s minor league free agents. Their ability to contend again in 2025 might depend more on their ability to strike gold on undervalued players than their opportunity to make a big splash.
This week Matt Arnold became the first Brewer ever to need room in his office for an Executive of the Year Award. If he can keep patching the holes and put the Brewers in position to contend again in 2025, he might need to make room for another one.
