The 2024 Milwaukee Brewers look to build on last year’s postseason appearance after being swept in two games by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Brewers have made a postseason appearance in 5 of the last 7 years and aspire to make a run in October. New manager Pat Murphy leads the 2024 Milwaukee Brewers after the previous manager left for a division rival. The Brewers will be a very young team, but that also means they will be fun to watch. The 2024 Milwaukee Brewers will be a very underrated team this season.

Where were they in 2023?

The Milwaukee Brewers, behind the Cardinals, were regarded as the second-best team in the NL Central to begin the season. The Brewers brought in players William Contreras, Brian Anderson, and Jesse Winker to help with the offense. That worked out well for them because William Contreras won a Silver Slugger in his first season with the Brewers. That with excellent pitching by Corbin Burnes and the bullpen helped the Brewers win the division by 9 games. However, the projected winner of the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals, finished dead last.

The Milwaukee Brewers made the playoffs after winning the NL Central and they were matched up with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card round. The Brewers gave the ball to Corbin Burnes in the first game, but they came up just short losing 6-3. In the second game, Freddy Peralta took the mound, and the Brewers lost 5-2 and were swept out of the playoffs. This caused some discourse among the Brewer’s community, a leader in that discourse was whether they could afford their star’s soon-to-be expiring contracts.

Key Losses:

Corbin Burnes: Burnes has been traded to the Orioles for DL Hall and Joey Ortiz. The Brewers had a tough decision and decided to trade the Cy Young pitcher with 1.5 years still left on his contract. It is a small market move to get the most out of a trade.

Brandon Woodruff: Woodruff was initially cut by the Brewers, but then resigned for two years. Woodruff is a loss for this year because he was hurt at the end of last season and will not pitch in 2024.

Key Additions:

Rhys Hoskins– Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL in his knee. The Brewer’s main need was power in the lineup, and Hoskins can bring that. He has not had a season under 18 HRs when he plays more than 41 games. He will be a big part of the Brewers making it back to the postseason.

DL Hall/ Joey Ortiz- The Brewers made a blockbuster trade this offseason, sending Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles for Hall and Ortiz. Hall is 6-2 lefty and should be a big part of the Brewer’s rotation. Ortiz is an R/R infielder who has great potential to be an everyday star for the Brewers soon. Additionally, both players are joining an already young roster that will be an exciting team to watch.

Avoiding Arbitration

The Brewers have had some big decisions this offseason, one of which was what to do with the stars. They avoided arbitration with star shortstop Willy Adames and star closer Devin Williams. The Brewers also kept their bullpen intact by signing Hoby Milner, Bryse Wilson, and Joel Payamps. By retaining these players, the Brewers should continue to have a great bullpen and veteran leadership.

Depth Chart

Opening Day Rotation: Peralta, Hall, Colin Rea, Jakob Junis, Joe Ross

Bullpen: Elvis Peguero, Payamps, Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, Milner, Thyago Vieiria, Wilson, Bryan Hudson

Pitchers Starting on IL: Williams, Taylor Clarke, and Wade Miley.

Lineup: OF Garrett Mitchell, C Contreras, DH Christian Yelich, 1B Hoskins, SS Adames, OF Sal Frelick, OF Jackson Chourio, 3B Andruw Monasterio, 2B Brice Turang

Bench: INF Ortiz, OF Blake Perkins, C Gary Sanchez, 1B Jake Bauers

Where Do They Plan to Go?

Lastly, the Milwaukee Brewers will look very different in 2024. This offseason has been tough for the Brewers from losing Craig Counsell to the Cubs, losing Brandon Woodruff for the year, trading Corbin Burnes, and Devin Williams starting the year on IL. The Brewers are known for having a strong rotation with an above-average offense. With all that has happened, the roles may be swapped this year because of the loss of two premium starters but gained some good pieces on offense. They are a young team and with #2 overall prospect Jackson Chourio, they stay very young. The success will be determined by how well the offense plays and it starts with Yelich, Hoskins, Contreras, and Adames.

Win Projection: 77-80 wins

Odds to win World Series: +9000 (via FanDuel)

Even after winning the division by 9 games, the Brewers are picked to finish third in the NL Central behind the Cubs and the Cardinals. It seems like the Brewers will again be underrated.

Like Fantom Sports on Facebook!

Check out Fantom Sports!

Follow Fantom Sports on X!