The Milwaukee Brewers have been very successful despite a limited payroll, and much more success might be in their future.
Without a salary cap in Major League Baseball, the highest spenders often enjoy the most success. However, that is not always the case; certainly not for the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers are coming off a franchise-best 97-win season in which they also advanced to the National League Championship Series. Sure, they were swept by the Dodgers, but for a team who ranked 23rd among teams in payroll last season, that is not bad at all.
Here is the kicker; it might get even better for the Brewers against all odds.
Recently, Bleacher Report released a list of teams that may take control of the next half decade. Titled “MLB's Next Dynasty? The 10 Teams Best Positioned to Own the Next 5 Years,” the outlet compiled a list of ten teams who may mold a dynasty, and Milwaukee made the list.
First, Bleacher Report laid out Milwaukee’s 2026 World Series odds, its average spending from 2021-2025, its farm system ranking, and key players under team control through at least 2029. Those details are listed below:
2026 World Series Odds: +2000
2021-25 Average Spending: $148.6M (21st)
Farm System: 6th per Reuter; MLB's No. 4 (SS Jesús Made), No. 18 (SS Luis Peña), No. 56 (SS Cooper Pratt) and No. 84 (C Jeferson Quero)
Key Players Under Team Control Through at least 2029: Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, Jacob Misiorowski, Sal Frelick, Quinn Priester, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby.
“Both Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff will be free agents next winter, while William Contreras will hit the open market the following offseason,” it wrote. “Somehow, though, it just never seems to matter for Milwaukee.”
“The Brewers lost Corbin Burnes from what was a 92-win team in 2023 and won 93 games in 2024. After losing both Willy Adames and Devin Williams from that squad, Milwaukee proceeded to win an MLB-best 97 games this past season. And let's just say it's not because they've been spending big time elsewhere in free agency to replace those lost assets.”
The potential upcoming loss of Peralta will sting, and it is hard to say if Woodruff will stay healthy to justify the cost of his $22 million qualifying offer, but the Brewers are still in decent shape as far as the roster is concerned.
“Rather, they've prioritized defense and baserunning and seem to always be in possession of at least three really good relief pitchers. So, when a Tobias Myers or a Quinn Priester comes out of nowhere for a dynamite year in the rotation, it feels like the final piece of an already mostly assembled puzzle.”
“For once, though, they don't need to replace much of anything this winter and might finally make the run to the World Series that has eluded their grasp while making the playoffs in seven of the past eight seasons.”