Brewers' Baffling Offseason Hasn't Changed Contender Status

The Brewers have had an interesting winter, but don't count them out yet.

Jun 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of the Milwaukee Brewers logo on seating within American Family Field prior to the game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have won three consecutive National League Central titles and have done so after trading notable pieces such as Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams and Freddy Peralta. There is little reason to believe that this season will be any different.

Milwaukee won 97 games last season, the most in Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, they were swept in the NLCS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to win their second consecutive World Series title.

However, the Brewers are a team that should not be counted out. Will Leitch and Mike Pietrello of MLB.com predict that they will be just fine in 2026.

Brewers should be just fine in 2026

Feb 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"They’re the three-time defending NL Central champions, and even though they went and traded away their best pitcher (Freddy Peralta) and made a confusing trade no one quite understood (the whole Caleb Durbin deal), none of that is out of step with what they do every winter, and it always seems to work. It’s going to work this year, too. They’re going to be really good."

There is no reason to expect anything less from Milwaukee. They'll have competition in the NL Central from the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates also shouldn't be counted out just yet either, but they have proven to be a model of consistency over the past several years.

They still have stars such as Brandon Woodruff, Jackson Chourio, Jacob Misiorowski, Christian Yelich and Brice Turang. The roster is still in good shape despite the Peralta trade and even landed some solid pitching from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Caleb Durbin.

There is still no reason to expect that the Brewers will fall out of contention in 2026. The team has been taking this approach for several years now, and it continues to work out in their favor.

The Brewers remain a well-oiled machine after three straight division titles. They have a solid foundation in place that should keep them at or near the top of the NL Central for yet another season.

There is still a lot to like about this team, even after making some big trades to shake up the roster and set themselves up for the future. It will be interesting to see how the Brewers fare in 2026, but they still appear to have a very solid roster to work with this year.