Even though the Brewers have regularly shaken up the MLB roster, Milwaukee has been a playoff team in every year this decade, except one (2022). Heading into 2026, the Brewers will look different, thanks to the departure of the team’s ace and versatile complementary hitters. But what the Brewers added over the winter was more young starting pitching, depth pieces, and another weapon for an already-good bullpen.

Additions

Those who watched the 2026 World Baseball Classic saw just how valuable Angel Zerpa could be for the Brewers this upcoming season.

Zerpa, acquired in a trade with the Royals, was nearly unhittable in the WBC for Venezuela, as he gave up just three hits and struck out eight over 5.1 IP. He did not allow a run for the international champions.

The new Brewer is notoriously stingy against left-handed hitters, as he comes at those on that side of the plate from an awkward, crossfire angle and can either jam hitters inside with a sinker or push them away with a slider.

Milwaukee already had two good left-handers out of the bullpen with Aaron Ashby and Jared Koenig. Now, add a third with Zerpa.

The Brewers also added two starters with upside in Kyle Harrison and Brandon Sproat, both in separate trades.

Harrison was a big prospect coming up in the Giants’ system, and the potential is still there. The left-hander misses a lot of bats, and he performed adequately in the wild landscape that is the Cactus League. Yes, he gave up four home runs in 9.2 IP, continuing a trend where walks and home runs have hurt him. However, he also struck out 15.

Sproat, meanwhile, made his MLB debut late last season. The former Florida Gator throws a hard, heavy sinker and has more of a fleshed-out arsenal than Harrison. The right-hander threw a lot of different pitches in the Minors, including a four-seam, changeup, and three breaking balls.

More infield depth was also added this spring. Speedster David Hamilton can wreak havoc on opposing catchers, while Luis Rengifo is a switch-hitter who regularly mashes against left-handed pitchers.

Gary Sanchez is back and will back up William Contreras behind the plate.

Losses

Yet again, the Brewers parted with a franchise stalwart.

Two years after the Brewers shipped Corbin Burnes to the American League, Freddy Peralta is now a Met. Peralta was traded to New York for Sproat and Jett Williams, a dynamic prospect who should have a clear path to an everyday infield role with the Brewers soon. That’s something he did not have with his old organization.

Williams is poised to be a building block for a young group of Brewers, and many of those youngsters will have to step up given the losses sustained over the winter.

Granted, not all of the losses were massive, unlike Peralta. Jose Quintana served the Brewers well last season — but Milwaukee is one of the few teams with starting pitcher depth to spare.

Isaac Collins was a fantastic find for the organization. However, with Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, and Christian Yelich as the mainstays, Collins was a piece that the Brewers could part with.

Milwaukee also traded away Caleb Durbin, who performed very well both in the field, on the basepaths, and at the plate last season.

That Durbin trade did net the Brewers Hamilton and Harrison, plus upside pitcher Shane Drohan. For those who missed it in our Blue Jays’ offseason recap, we noted that Drohan had a swing-and-miss rate above 37% on his four-seamer last season, good for third in the Triple-A circuit.

Overview

The Brewers have been able to build a sustainable winner over the past decade, a testament to strong player development and unheralded moves.

Milwaukee enters the 2026 season with a very young rotation, one that will heavily rely on Jacob Misiorowski taking the mantle as ace, and hope that the other pieces will come together in place. That also includes Brandon Woodruff, who took his qualifying offer and will stick in Wisconsin for one more year.

The offense, on paper, should be a strength. Between Yelich, Chourio, Contreras, as well as Brice Turang and Andrew Vaughn, this group has high expectations to produce a lot of runs.

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