3 major questions the Brewers have to answer during the 2025-26 offseason

The 2025 Milwaukee Brewers came up short in their pursuit of their first World Series title in franchise history, but the season was still marked by significant achievements. They won their first playoff series since 2018, set multiple franchise records, including 97 regular-season wins and a 14-game win streak, and watched rookie Jacob Misiorowski make history with a postseason performance that featured a record nine strikeouts.

Despite their impressive run, the Brewers were humbled in the NLCS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, failing to win a single game against the league's powerhouse. Setting aside the financial discrepancy, Milwaukee strayed from the fundamentals that fueled their regular-season success, and it ultimately cost them a chance at the pennant.

The organization's attention now turns to the offseason, and with the shift comes several questions that they must answer if they hope to return to the NLCS next season and overcome the mountainous hurdle in Los Angeles.

3 major questions the Milwaukee Brewers have to answer during the 2025-26 offseason

1) What will the starting rotation look like in 2026?

As expected, Freddy Peralta anchored the Brewers’ starting rotation in 2025. However, with a team-friendly $8 million club option for the 2026 season, the team is likely to entertain trade offers this offseason, knowing that most of the league would be interested in acquiring an ace for such a low salary. Meanwhile, options on both Brandon Woodruff and José Quintana are almost certain to be declined, signaling more potential turnover in the starting staff.

Meanwhile, Quinn Priester emerged as a promising fixture in the starting rotation and is under team control through the 2030 season. Rookies Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick played significant roles in the Brewers' 2025 success, virtually guaranteeing them spots in the 2026 rotation; despite Patrick showing promise as a reliever in the postseason, the Brewers are almost certain to return him to a starter's role for the 2026 season. Along those same lines, both Aaron Ashby and DL Hall could be stretched out into starters for next year, just as the Brewers attempted to do last spring training.

On top of that, Tobias Myers, the Brewers’ 2024 pitcher of the year who struggled out of the gates but showed his value out of the bullpen down the stretch, remains an option for the starting rotation. Finally, the unproven, but highly successful Logan Henderson and Robert Gasser, each of whom has less than eight major league starts under their belt, will both almost certainly factor into the 2026 rotation picture. And that's not even mentioning Carlos Rodriguez, who has yet to find success at the big league level, but has won the Brewers' minor league pitcher of the year award twice in his career.

Including Peralta, but not Woodruff or Quintana, that's ten viable starting options that the Brewers have under contract and already on their 40-man roster heading into the 2026 season. That said, many of the aforementioned names are unproven, and the Brewers could look to supplement their 2026 starting rotation with a few veteran arms as they did by bringing in José Quintana (and Nestor Cortes) in 2025.

2) Will Joey Ortiz be the shortstop in 2026?

Back in spring training, the battle for the starting shortstop role appeared to be tilting in Brice Turang’s favor, until an injury shifted him back to second base and opened the door for Joey Ortiz to take over. While both are strong defenders, Turang has always carried more offensive upside, a gap that only widened in 2025 as Turang enjoyed a breakout season at the plate, while Ortiz's bat took a big step backwards.

During his rookie campaign in 2024, Ortiz posted offensive numbers that, paired with his incredible defensive abilities, had Brewers fans excited about the former Baltimore Oriole, who the team acquired in the Corbin Burnes blockbuster back in February of 2024. A rookie of the month award in May and a final OPS of .727 led many to believe that Ortiz would be an important piece of the Brewers' offense in 2025, but that unfortunately wasn't the case. Ortiz's OPS dropped by more than 100 points, down to .593, while his walk rate simultaneously plummeted. As a result, Ortiz went from an exciting part of the Brewers’ future to one of the biggest question marks heading into the 2025-26 offseason.

Looking ahead to 2026, having a shortstop who can impact the game offensively more than Ortiz did in 2025 would be in the Brewers’ best interest, especially if they want to make a playoff run next year and see better results against the league’s best teams. Shifting Ortiz into a role similar to the one Andruw Monasterio previously filled could be a smart move, essentially making him a defensive replacement or fill-in when needed. However, in such a reality, the question obviously becomes: who replaces Ortiz at shortstop? Prospects Cooper Pratt and Jesús Made are surging through the Brewers' farm system, but remain roughly a year away from their MLB debuts, with 2027 being a more likely timeline for each of them.

Do the Brewers stick with Ortiz for another season, hoping that he will figure things out at the plate, or do they opt for a short-term veteran replacement to bridge the gap between now and the arrival of Pratt and/or Made?

3) Will the Brewers address their lack of power?

Leading up to the postseason, much of the conversation in regard to the Brewers' biggest weakness was centered around the idea that hitting home runs is essential to winning in October, and Milwaukee, despite leading the league in runs scored during the regular season, wasn't heavily reliant on the long ball. While homers powered the Brewers' offense through a thrilling NLDS victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Crew's power was virtually absent during the NLCS. As such, the calls for more power to be added to the Brewers' lineup will persist into the offseason, with advocates having the ability to point to Milwaukee's NLCS performance as a strong piece of evidence in favor of their argument.

Therefore, if the Brewers hope to take the next step in 2026, adding a legitimate power bat to the middle of their order should be a top priority this offseason. While their contact-heavy, aggressive baserunning approach carried them through much of the regular season, the lack of a true home run threat was glaring during the NLCS, where, when facing the Dodgers' elite starting rotation, runs were harder to manufacture. A middle-of-the-order slugger who can change the game with one swing would help balance out the lineup.

However, the question remains: at what position can the Brewers add a power bat? The outfield seems set with Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Isaac Collins, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins, and Brandon Lockridge all in the mix. Meanwhile, in the infield, Brice Turang and Andrew Vaughn seem locked into their starting roles on the right side of second base, while Caleb Durbin earned a 2026 starting role with his solid performance in his rookie season. With the defensive versatility of Durbin and Turang, the Brewers’ options remain open in regard to adding an infielder with some pop, but such a player can't be on too long of a contract, otherwise the Brewers risk blocking some of their most exciting prospects.

Despite a strong 2025 campaign, the Brewers’ shortcomings in the postseason showed that more work needs to be done. How the front office navigates these challenges will play a big role in whether Milwaukee can take the next step or not. With an excellent young core of both position players and starting pitchers already rostered, Milwaukee feels like they are just one or two moves away from building a roster that can finally take them to the promised land in 2026.