Shrewd moves helped the Brewers become annual contenders. Here's how they got to the World Series

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Now that the World Series-bound Milwaukee Brewers finally have translated their extraordinary regular-season success into the postseason, the same question that comes up every time they clinch a playoff berth is getting repeated again.

How do they keep doing it?

The Brewers play in Major League Baseball’s smallest market. They have a payroll in the bottom half of the majors. They typically trade away their big-name players a year before they reach free agency.

Yet they posted the best record in the majors for a second straight year, earned their eighth playoff berth in nine seasons and won a fourth straight NL Central title. It’s a stunning run for a franchise that had a 25-year playoff drought from 1983-2007.

The one knock against the Brewers was their lack of postseason success. Nobody can make that criticism anymore, now that they’re in the Fall Classic for the first time since 1982 — and second time ever — after sweeping the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers out of the playoffs.

Conventional wisdom suggested this run of success would end for the Brewers after the departures of president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell. Stearns stepped down after the 2022 season and left for the New York Mets a year later. Counsell left for the NL Central rival Chicago Cubs after Milwaukee’s 2023 playoff loss.

Instead, the Brewers promoted from within and got even better with Matt Arnold as president of baseball operations and Pat Murphy as manager.

Arnold, who also made it to the World Series while working in Tampa Bay’s front office in 2008, had served as Stearns’ right-hand man before taking over for him. He has utilized Milwaukee’s outstanding farm system by signing outfielders Jackson Chourio and Luis Lara , and shortstop Cooper Pratt to long-term deals before they had ever reached the major leagues. All three have played major roles this season.

Perhaps his best move was deciding on Murphy to take over as manager after Counsell’s departure. Murphy, who had been Counsell’s bench coach since 2016, was selected as NL manager of the year each of the last two seasons.

“He’s tremendous, I think, and well-rounded in a way where he has a great way about going about his business with the push-pull,” Arnold said. “He’s good at pushing when you need it and pulling back when you need it as well. He does a fantastic job.”

Here’s a chronological look at other major moves the Brewers have made over the last several years to produce a roster capable of winning their first World Series title.

Stearns’ greatest trade was acquiring Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins in January 2018 for Lewis Brinson, Isan Díaz, Monte Harrison and Jordan Yamamoto. Yelich won the MVP in 2018, finished second in the voting in 2019 and signed a nine-year, $215 million contract in March 2020. He was named the first captain in Brewers history last month.

Brinson, Díaz and Harrison all hit below .200 in their major league careers. Yamamoto pitched in the majors from 2019-21 and posted a 6.05 ERA.

The Brewers selected Garrett Mitchell out of UCLA with the 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft. Mitchell, who has Type 1 diabetes, dealt with a multitude of injuries for much of his career but played 145 regular-season games this year and hit two homers in the NLCS.

Jacob Misiorowski had committed to LSU when the Brewers selected the hard-throwing right-hander out of Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri, in the second round of the 2022 draft. Misiorowski could have teamed up with 2025 Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes on a Tigers team that won the 2023 College World Series. He instead joined the Brewers and developed into this year’s Cy Young Award favorite.

Misiorowski isn't the only former Crowder College pitcher on Milwaukee's roster. Aaron Ashby, who has thrown 12 1/3 scoreless innings in the playoffs, also pitched for Crowder before the Brewers drafted him in the fourth round in 2018.

The Brewers led the NL Central when they dealt star closer Josh Hader to San Diego at the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for pitchers Taylor Rogers, Robert Gasser and Dinelson Lamet as well as outfielder Esteury Ruiz. This seemed at the time like the biggest misstep of Stearns’ tenure, as the Brewers faded afterward and missed the playoffs .

But after Tommy John surgery in 2024 slowed his development, Gasser developed into a major weapon late this season. The left-hander has allowed one run in nine innings in the playoffs.

This deal also indirectly led to the next move on the list, which proved much more fruitful.

William Contreras was coming off an All-Star season when Atlanta dealt him to Milwaukee as part of a December 2022 three-team trade in which the Braves also acquired Sean Murphy from the Athletics. All the Brewers had to give up was Ruiz, who went to the Athletics. Contreras has made two All-Star teams with Milwaukee and finished fifth in the 2024 MVP voting. He’s hitting .367 with a 1.157 OPS in this postseason.

Also in this deal, the Brewers acquired Joel Payamps, who played a key bullpen role for a couple of years. Ruiz, who is now with Miami, has hit .234 with 111 steals in 306 career major league games.

After the Minnesota Twins designated Trevor Megill for assignment in April 2023, the Brewers acquired the reliever for Taylor Floyd, who hasn't appeared in a major league game. Megill has recorded 81 saves over the last three seasons and was an All-Star in 2025. He has pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with four saves this postseason.

The Brewers acquired Jake Bauers from the New York Yankees for minor leaguers Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez in November 2023. Bauers returned to Milwaukee on a minor league deal in 2025 and is playing this season on a $2.7 million contract. Bauers broke through this year to post an .874 OPS in the regular season before getting named the NLCS MVP.

Avina and Sanchez haven’t yet reached the major leagues.

Corbin Burnes had one year remaining until free agency when the Brewers sent the 2021 Cy Young Award winner to the Baltimore Orioles in February 2024 for infielder Joey Ortiz and pitcher DL Hall. Ortiz hit .270 with a .730 OPS in 134 games this season while alternating between third base and shortstop. Hall has pitched 5 1/3 innings of shutout relief in the postseason.

Andrew Vaughn had slumped so badly that he’d been sent to the minors before the Brewers acquired him from the White Sox in a June 2025 trade that sent pitcher Aaron Civale to Chicago. Vaughn has posted an .849 OPS in 168 games with the Brewers over the last two seasons.

The Brewers traded third baseman Caleb Durbin and infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler to the Boston Red Sox in February after Durbin had finished third in the NL rookie of the year balloting last season. The Brewers acquired pitchers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan, and infielder David Hamilton in the deal. Harrison arguably was Milwaukee’s second-best starting pitcher before slumping late to finish 11-5 with a 4.20 ERA. Drohan was 7-5 with a 4.19 ERA. Hamilton stole 30 bases during the regular season and went 4 for 7 with a homer and three steals in the NLCS.

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