Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Operations Head Matt Arnold arguably has one of the most difficult jobs in baseball. Every day when he enters his American Family Field office, he’s tasked with making the Brewers a playoff team with a payroll nowhere near the likes of the Mets, Dodgers, or Phillies. However, the 2025 season might’ve been his best work yet. Thanks to his shrewd moves, Milwaukee won a league and franchise-best 97 games and advanced to the NLCS for the first time since 2018.  For his efforts, Matt Arnold recently became the first Baseball Operations head ever to repeat as Executive of the Year. With the future looking bright for Milwaukee, the Brewers wouldn’t be where they are without him.

Turning Devin Williams Into Caleb Durbin Embed from Getty Images

The Brewers’ success in 2025 was built on many shrewd moves made by Matt Arnold both before and during the season. The first of these moves was Milwaukee’s trade of star closer Devin Williams to the Yankees for Caleb Durbin and Nestor Cortes. Cortes was mostly injured and later dealt to the Padres; however, Durbin finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Signing Jose Quintana Out Of Necessity Embed from Getty Images

During spring training, due to a rash of pitching injuries, the Brewers signed veteran starter Jose Quintana. Despite some injury issues and being signed late, Quintana proved to be a steady back-of-the-rotation pitcher. One could argue he outperformed expectations, going 11-7 with a 3.96 ERA, 89 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.291. While these moves made by Arnold were important, they wouldn’t be the last.

The Low Key Acquisition of Grant Anderson Embed from Getty Images

One move that Matt Arnold made before the season that doesn’t get enough attention is his trade for reliever Grant Anderson. The 28-year-old had struggled the previous two seasons with the Texas Rangers, compiling an ERA of 6.35, and had been designated for assignment. However, Milwaukee took a flier on them and gave up minor leaguer Mason Molina in exchange for Anderson. Grant Anderson emerged as a key bullpen piece during the 2025 season. In 66 games, he went 2-6 with a 3.23 ERA, 74 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.263. In the postseason, he didn’t surrender a run in his appearances in both the NLDS and NLCS. I would expect Grant Anderson to be a key piece in the bullpen next season, making this another sneaky key move for Milwaukee.

Trading For Quinn Priester Out Of Necessity Again Embed from Getty Images

Arnold’s aggressiveness to make the Brewers a postseason contender didn’t stop once the season began. In early April, thanks again to pitching injuries, the Milwaukee Brewers made another move for a pitcher. Milwaukee would acquire starter Quinn Priester from the Red Sox for prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a competitive balance draft pick, and a player to be named later. The move paid dividends almost immediately as Priester was one of Milwaukee’s better starters. In 24 starts, he went 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA, 132 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.239.

At one point, Milwaukee won a franchise record 19 straight games when he took the mound. The 25-year-old had 12 consecutive winning decisions, breaking a 33-year-old franchise record previously held by Chris Bosio and Cal Eldred. With Priester not a free agent until 2031, this move has the potential to impact the Brewers in future seasons.

The Season Defining Acquisition Of Andrew Vaughn

When the team called up top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski in June, the plan was to move Aaron Civale to the bullpen. However, Civale wanted to remain a starter and requested a trade. Milwaukee would trade Civale to the White Sox for struggling former first-round pick Andrew Vaughn. Matt Arnold’s trade for Andrew Vaughn could be the best move any team made in 2025.

After Rhys Hoskins got injured, Vaughn became the regular first baseman and never looked back. In 64 games as a Brewer, Vaughn slashed .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs and 46 RBI. He played so well that he replaced Hoskins as the regular first baseman for the rest of the season. Vaughn would also go on to hit two key home runs in the NLDS against the Cubs.

Calling Up Jacob Misiorowski At The Perfect Time Embed from Getty Images

In baseball, it is very hard to find a “perfect time” to call up a top prospect. This is especially true for a team that’s contending for a spot in the postseason. However, the Brewers managed to accomplish that when they called up Jacob Misiorowski on June 10th. He started off his career with a record 11 no hit innings. “The Miz” even controversially made the All-Star team after just five starts.

However, after coming off the injured list, Misiorowski had an inconsistent rest of the regular season. Despite his inconsistency, he was included on the postseason roster. The former Crowder College product rewarded Milwaukee’s faith by going 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 16 strikeouts. This included picking up the wins in games two and five in the NLDS. The 23-year-old has a bright future ahead of him with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Matt Arnold Was Milwaukee’s Ultimate Difference Maker In 2025

There is nobody in baseball better at building a postseason contender on a small budget than Matt Arnold. There is a reason he recently became the first person ever to repeat as MLB Executive of the Year. His shrewd moves both before and during the season are why the Brewers had so much success in 2025. The team won a league and franchise best 97 games, their third NL Central title in a row, and advanced to the NLCS. His acquisitions of Jose Quintana, Andrew Vaughn, Caleb Durbin, Grant Anderson, Quinn Priester, and calling up Jacob Misiorowski made all the difference. All these moves made by Arnold benefited Milwaukee not only last season, but in the future as well. Without Matt Arnold in charge, the Brewers wouldn’t be having this kind of success.

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