Spring training has wrapped up and the Milwaukee Brewers are set to begin the 2025 regular season at 2:05 p.m. Thursday in New York against the Yankees. Here are Journal Sentinel staff predictions for the season.
Todd Rosiak
HOW I SEE IT: There's plenty to like about the 2025 Brewers. They have a nice mix of veteran and youthful talent both on the mound and in the field, as well as some true alphas such as catcher William Contreras and the ascending Jackson Chourio. Manager Pat Murphy proved last season he can excel at doing more with less, helping Milwaukee to a cakewalk through the National League Central. For this year's group to max out, it's going to need good fortune in the form of Christian Yelich and Brandon Woodruff returning to their former selves after surgeries, and several key young players to take another step forward. But if one or more of those things don't happen – which is a definite possibility – a step back is going to be in the cards, a development that won't be welcomed with the franchise having set the bar so high (no fewer than 86 wins since 2017) over the past decade.
2025 PREDICTION: 84-78, miss playoffs for first time since 2022.
Curt Hogg
HOW I SEE IT: For a team that returns nearly all of its position player group from a 92-win team a year ago, boy, this Brewers squad sure is difficult to pin down. Not only is the one departure on offense (Willy Adames) a rather significant one, but the pitching staff looks quite different, as well. Devin Williams is gone at the back end of the bullpen, but the Brewers' group of relievers is still not as big of a question as the starting unit. Overall, a lot is going to be asked of many young players, including Joey Ortiz, Oliver Dunn, Sal Frelick and Tobias Myers.
If there's one thing we've learned about the Brewers, though, it's to not let the lack of big names on the roster fool you. They've won at least 86 games in every full season since 2017 and have eclipsed 90 wins three of the last four years. And nearly every season in that window, they have exceeded the external expectations placed upon them. I have my questions about some of the depth on offense and, on the other side of the coin, if the pitching has another top-end difference maker. But this year's club isn't constructed all that differently from others that have won a middling division in years past and also has a litany of potential breakout players on offense. That should be enough to make the playoffs again.
But, yet again, is "good enough to make the playoffs"...enough? It's the limbo, albeit a relatively fortunate one, that Brewers fans are stuck in right now. Are the constant early playoff exits merely the result of bad luck, or is there something about the team's regular-season success that simply isn't translating?
2025 PREDICTION: 88-74, NL wild-card round.
JR Radcliffe
HOW I SEE IT: I never would have predicted the 2024 Brewers to win 93 games, nor the 2023 team to win 92, so before I complain about a team that didn't show enough offseason aggressiveness, I should point out that the Brewers have achieved an alchemy that has enabled them to rise above most onlookers' expectations (certainly mine). It's just at some point, reality will catch up with them.
The National League Central remains winnable, Jackson Chourio is a budding superstar, and the Brewers have the best catcher in baseball and (knock on wood) a healthy Christian Yelich. That's a great starting point. But I'm unconvinced that the team is equipped to overcome pitching injuries (of which there are already plenty) or that they have the volume of difference makers to remain a potent regular-season team, never mind one that breaks through in the playoffs. They didn't completely sit the offseason out, but they were, charitably, passive at a time when they have some of the tools to level up from a compelling small-market storyline. I think they go backward instead.
2025 PREDICTION: 82-82, miss playoffs for first time since 2022.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Predictions for the Milwaukee Brewers 2025 season
