The Brewers, led by owner Mark Attanasio, clamp down on spending and keep winning. But for how long?

New York Times

19-02-2025

PHOENIX – Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio keeps getting away with it. His front office is that shrewd, his managers that skilled, his players that devoted to succeeding as underdogs.
Yet, as Attanasio continues to clamp down on spending, his team's margin for error keeps shrinking. And if this is the season his frugality finally costs the Brewers, he will deserve some, if not most, of the blame.
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Attanasio's approach is not unreasonable, given his team's success. The Brewers' regular-season record in his 20 seasons as owner is the fourth best in the National League. The team has reached the playoffs in six of the last seven years. But since appearing in the 2018 NLCS, the Brewers have been eliminated five times without advancing. Such disappointment seemingly should be the impetus for a stronger push.
Yet, during an offseason in which the Brewers lost shortstop Willy Adames to free agency and traded two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams, the most they spent on a free agent was $1 million. Left-hander Tyler Alexander commanded that sum, which is only $240,000 over the major-league minimum. Two other free agents, lefty reliever Grant Wolfram and righty Elvin Rodríguez signed for even less, and their deals are not fully guaranteed.
Attanasio can be judged only so harshly. To his credit, he chooses to keep the Brewers competitive rather than rebuild. He also splurges on occasion — $215 million over nine years for outfielder Christian Yelich, $82 million over eight years for outfielder Jackson Chourio. The Brewers are not to be confused with low-revenue dregs such as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins. They're more like the Tampa Bay Rays, repeatedly astonishing the industry with their ability to field contenders on limited funds.
That's the big picture.
Strictly looking at 2025, the Brewers' plan is curious at best. Attanasio, in a news conference Tuesday, said the team's payroll is approximately $5 million higher than it was at the start of last season. But at one point, according to multiple sources who were granted anonymity for their candor, he asked his front office to contemplate cost-cutting trades of right-hander Aaron Civale, who is earning $8 million, and reliever Joel Payamps, who is at $2.995 million.
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The Brewers ultimately decided against such moves, but clearly Attanasio's intent is to build a playoff team as cheaply as possible. That, of course, is his prerogative, but as general manager Matt Arnold acknowledged, 'it puts a lot of pressure on our group to operate very efficiently.' The front office relishes the challenge, Arnold said. Here's guessing the front office also would relish the money to better address third base and add to the starting rotation and bullpen.
The Brewers hosted all three of their playoff games against the New York Mets last season. Teams that reach the postseason generate additional revenue. Often they reinvest that money back into the club. Attanasio, however, said the Brewers' early elimination was more or less a financial wash. 'You really didn't make any money in the wild-card round,' he said. 'You make one or two million dollars, that's it, by the time you cover expenses.'
Might it be that the Brewers believe there is less incentive to aim for a No. 3 seed or higher as a division champion when they can spend less, sneak in as a No. 6 seed and get hot like the Mets? 'You can argue there could be, but we have never had that discussion, ever,' Attanasio said. 'You've got to shoot to win the division.'
Opening Day is still more than a month away. The Brewers still could add a free-agent starter such as left-hander José Quintana. But if you're Attanasio, and you watched your team win the NL Central by 10 games last season after losing manager Craig Counsell, trading staff ace Corbin Burnes and dealing with the prolonged absences of Yelich, Williams and right-hander Brandon Woodruff, you might be thinking, why bother?
One reason: To honor the support of fans, who since 2007 have given the Brewers the ninth-highest average home attendance in the majors, according to STATS Perform.
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Another: To reciprocate the faith of Wisconsin lawmakers, who, in Nov. 2023, approved about $500 million in public funding for renovations and maintenance of the team's home park in Milwaukee, American Family Field. As part of the deal, the team agreed to contribute $150 million and extend its lease through 2050.
The Brewers play in the game's smallest TV market. Like a number of clubs, their long-term local television outlook is uncertain. But they also are a recipient in Major League Baseball's revenue-sharing program, and let's not forget the escalating value of their franchise, which has risen from $223 million when Attanasio bought the club in 2005 to $1.605 billion in March 2024, according to Forbes.
Attanasio's rationale for the team's relative inactivity this offseason is the 'unprecedented amount' of young talent the Brewers are producing. The trade of Williams to the New York Yankees was a trademark Brewers move, enabling the team to land not only left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr., an All-Star in 2022, but also infielder Caleb Durbin, the Breakout Prospect of the Year in the Arizona Fall League. Attanasio also noted that after the Brewers parted with Williams' predecessor, Josh Hader, they ended up flipping one of the players they acquired, outfielder Esteury Ruiz, in a three-team deal that landed them catcher William Contreras, who has since made two All-Star teams.
Williams and Adames, though, were not the Brewers' only departures this offseason. The team declined a $5.5 million player option on right-hander Colin Rea, who contributed 167 2/3 innings last season and later signed with Cubs for $5 million. They also declined to bring back lefty Wade Miley, who wanted to stay while completing his recovery from elbow surgery and agreed to a minor-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds.
First base coach Quintin Berry, who oversaw the Brewers' vaunted running game, left to join Counsell's staff with the Cubs. Walker McKinven, the Brewers' highly regarded catching instructor, became the Chicago White Sox's bench coach.
'Those are big losses, there's no way around that,' Yelich said after listing each member of the group. 'That's part of what comes with playing here. You just know that's how it's going to be. We face different challenges every year, it seems like. We've (succeeded) time and time again. We've got to figure out how to do it one more time.'
The Brewers being the Brewers, it's difficult to bet against them, especially in the game's weakest division, the NL Central. The sport's leading projection systems favor the Cubs, but the Brewers face an uphill battle seemingly every year. They're everyone's favorite underdogs, even as they keep losing parts of their fabric. Even as their owner raises the degree of difficulty to new extremes.