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.
asserted
they → bind → berth
How do they keep doing it?
The Brewers play in Major League Baseball’s smallest market.
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Brewers → keep → market
They have a payroll in the bottom half of the majors.
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They → have → majors
They typically trade away their big-name players a year before they reach free agency.
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they → trade → 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.
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they → post → title
It’s a stunning run for a franchise that had a 25-year playoff drought from 1983-2007.
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that → ’ → 1983
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.
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they → make → 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.
uncertain
run → suggest → Stearns
Stearns stepped down after the 2022 season and left for the New York Mets a year later.
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Stearns → step → Mets
Counsell left for the NL Central rival Chicago Cubs after Milwaukee’s 2023 playoff loss.
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Counsell → leave → loss
Instead, the Brewers promoted from within and got even better with Matt Arnold as president of baseball operations and Pat Murphy as manager.
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Brewers → promote → 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.
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who → make → 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.
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they → utilize → leagues
All three have played major roles this season.
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three → play → roles
Perhaps his best move was deciding on Murphy to take over as manager after Counsell’s departure.
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move → decide → 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.
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who → select → 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.
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Arnold → ’ → pull
“He’s good at pushing when you need it and pulling back when you need it as well.
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you → ’ → it
He does a fantastic job.”
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He → do → 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.
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Brewers → ’ → title
Trading for Christian Yelich
Stearns’ greatest trade was acquiring Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins in January 2018 for Lewis Brinson, Isan Díaz, Monte Harrison and Jordan Yamamoto.
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trade → trade → Brinson
Yelich won the MVP in 2018, finished second in the voting in 2019 and signed a nine-year, $215 million contract in March 2020.
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Yelich → win → March
He was named the first captain in Brewers history last month.
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He → name → history
Brinson, Díaz and Harrison all hit below .200 in their major league careers.
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Brinson → hit → careers
Yamamoto pitched in the majors from 2019-21 and posted a 6.05 ERA.
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Yamamoto → pitch → ERA
The Brewers selected Garrett Mitchell out of UCLA with the 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft.
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Brewers → select → 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.
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who → have → NLCS
Drafting Jacob Misiorowski
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.
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Brewers → draft → 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.
uncertain
that → team → Series
He instead joined the Brewers and developed into this year’s Cy Young Award favorite.
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He → join → favorite
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.
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Brewers → throw → 2018
Trading away Josh Hader
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.
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they → trade → Ruiz
This seemed at the time like the biggest misstep of Stearns’ tenure, as the Brewers faded afterward and missed the playoffs.
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Brewers → seem → playoffs
But after Tommy John surgery in 2024 slowed his development, Gasser developed into a major weapon late this season.
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Gasser → slow → weapon
The left-hander has allowed one run in nine innings in the playoffs.
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hander → allow → playoffs
This deal also indirectly led to the next move on the list, which proved much more fruitful.
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which → lead → list
Trading for William Contreras
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.
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Braves → come → Athletics
All the Brewers had to give up was Ruiz, who went to the Athletics.
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who → have → Athletics
Contreras has made two All-Star teams with Milwaukee and finished fifth in the 2024 MVP voting.
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Contreras → make → voting
He’s hitting .367 with a 1.157 OPS in this postseason.
asserted
He → hit → postseason
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
