Are Brewers Real Contenders? Post-All-Star Game Milwaukee Breakdown

The 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game is now behind us and now we have to wait just a few more days before seeing the Milwaukee Brewers back in action on the field.

Milwaukee will kick off the second half of the season on Friday against the Miami Marlins. Now, of course, the Brewers have already played over 81 games. Technically, we're in the second half of the season already. Milwaukee is 59-37 on the season through 96 games played. But the stretch after the All-Star break is when things really start to heat up around the league.

We're going to see the trade deadline come and go in a few weeks and then the playoff push begins. For the Brewers, the biggest thing is going to be trying to find more pitching. When healthy, the Brewers have the best rotation in baseball. If the club could roll out a rotation featuring Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester and Brandon Sproat or Logan Henderson, they would dominate. But that's just not going to happen. Harrison, Woodruff, and Priester are all on the Injured List right now. Priester will not pitch this season and Woodruff is on the 60-Day Injured List, so it's going to be a while, at the very least.

Harrison is up in the air right now with left forearm tightness.

With the All-Star Game behind us, let's take a look at where Milwaukee is and what it needs.

What Milwaukee Needs

Jul 4, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Again, the Brewers need pitching. The Brewers have been linked to a handful of veterans in trade speculation and the front office needs to make some sort of deal happen. If the Brewers want to compete with a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, it can't stay put at the deadline when it comes to the rotation. Another veteran is a necessity.

Milwaukee In The Standings

May 26, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Milwaukee Brewers logo during warmups prior the game against the Boston Red Sox at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Brewers are in first place in the National League Central and it would take a lot for the club to lose the top spot. The Chicago Cubs are five games back and in second place right now. Milwaukee is 59-37 and has shown over and over that they know how to dominate in the regular season. The Brewers are just 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers for the best record in baseball in general.

The Brewers are real contenders in the National League. They have to be considered real contenders, especially when you have the second-best record in baseball. But there is a caveat.

The regular season is going to be just fine, but the Brewers need to start thinking about the playoffs right now. They may be able to win the NL Central with the club as is. But they won't get past the Dodgers in a playoff series with the rotation as is.

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