3 positions the Brewers should be asking about at the 2025 Winter Meetings

The Winter Meetings officially kicked off on Sunday, though most of the action doesn't truly start until today. While some monster moves have already been made in the early part of the MLB offseason, many view the Winter Meetings as the actual start of "Hot Stove" season.  Whether it be free agent signings or trades, or even some quietly significant moves in the Rule 5 draft, the meetings have had plenty of headline-making transactions in the recent past.

Milwaukee is sitting in a unique position. After being one of the last four teams standing in the 2025 season, during which they had a franchise best (and league-leading) 97 wins in the regular season, the notoriously frugal Brewers are sitting at a crossroads. Do they continue doing what has worked, but led to early playoff exits? Or do they finally go "all-in" and address the biggest gaps that held the team back?

The other massively looming question is what do you do with the pitching staff, particularly Freddy Peralta? Milwaukee has so many young prospects in the pitching ranks. Do you commit to Peralta long-term and extend him? Do you trade him before he potentially becomes a free agent? Or do you wait it out? It's doubtful we get our answer at the Winter Meetings, but the moves that the team does (or doesn't) make could hint at an answer to those questions.

While the moves made may not be the splashiest, there are three positions that the Brewers need to address to some extent during and shortly after the Winter Meetings, regardless of whether they decide to go "all-in" or maintain their forward-thinking status quo.

1. Infielder

This will be the splashiest, and probably most telling move that Milwaukee could make. The Brewers have a plethora of prospects in the middle infield, not to mention established MLB-level guys like Platinum Glover Brice Turang, and Rookie of the Year finalist Caleb Durbin who eventually found his way at the hot corner. Joey Ortiz took a considerable step backwards at the plate in 2025, but still provided a very good glove at short.

Milwaukee's top three prospects are all shortstops by trade, but Jesús Made and Luis Peña are both a few years out. Cooper Pratt spent all of 2025 at Double-A Biloxi and looks destined for at least another full season in the minor leagues before he makes his MLB debut. Andruw Monasterio once again proved to be serviceable as a utilityman, but really hasn't proved to be an everyday starter. So it would not appear that significant upgrades, apart from hopeful regression from Ortiz, are on the way internally any time soon.

Milwaukee could make a shocking free agent signing, agreeing to a 1-2 year deal for a strong infielder whose market doesn't unfold as they hoped it would. In such a scenario, names like Jorge Polanco, Ha-Seong Kim, and Yoán Moncada are worth keeping an eye on, as is under-the-radar KBO star Sung-mun Song, whose posting window is rapidly closing. Or the Brewers could go the trade route, with options ranging from proven veterans like Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays to shocking blockbusters like a trade that would bring CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals to Milwaukee.

With the Brewers defensive versatility among their current infield group, plenty of options remain open should they seek out an infield upgrade this winter. Though electing to take on the 2026 season with the same group that found success in 2025 is the reasoned approach, a splash acquisition could be the move Milwaukee needs to get over the hump and reach the World Series for the first time since 1982.

2. Backup catcher

As for position players, this is the most likely spot to be added during the offseason for the Brewers, and far less splashy than the idea of Milwaukee adding a new infielder to the mix before camp breaks next February. Currently, William Contreras stands as the only catcher remaining from the 2025 playoff roster, and is joined by prospect Jeferson Quero on the 40-man roster. Quero has yet to make his MLB debut, and spent a significant part of 2025 coming back from a shoulder injury that limited him to one plate appearance in 2024.

Quero did slash for a .255/.336/.412 mark with six homers once he rejoined the Nashville Sounds in 2025. Still, he may not be MLB ready to begin the 2026 campaign. It would really serve the Brewers well to add a third catcher who can productively back-up Contreras in the early parts of the season if Quero needs more time in Triple-A, and can fill in should an injury arise. Teams hardly ever enter a season with just two catchers on the 40-man roster, so one way or another Milwaukee will acquire another catcher this offseason.

In terms of their options, there are two routes Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office could take. Either, they could show a trust in Quero's ability to take over for Contreras in one or two seasons’ time and add a veteran on a one-year deal who won't impact Milwaukee's planned succession. In that case, old friend Victor Caratini, who hit for a .259 average with 12 long balls in 2025, could make some sense. Ironically, old friends Gary Sánchez and Danny Jansen, if they're willing to accept reasonable deals that Milwaukee wouldn't mind scratching if Quero proves to be MLB-ready, could also be solid acquisitions for the Brewers this offseason.

On the other hand, the Brewers could anticipate the departure of William Contreras in the near future, and add a catcher who they can pair with Quero for several years to come. The recent trade of top catching prospect Harry Ford to the Nationals exposed the price of controllable catching talent in the league right now, and it's one that likely doesn't scare the Brewers too much. Joe Mack, who is blocked by talented 2025 rookie Augustín Ramírez in Miami, and Dalton Rushing from the Los Angeles Dodgers are two less likely, but nevertheless interesting names to watch out for if such a strategy prevails.

3. Bullpen arms (with minor league options)

The Brewers have a plethora of controllable big league-ready arms. The problem, if you can call it that, is that most of Milwaukee's best young arms are starters. As a result, even if the Brewers were to move on from Freddy Peralta, there are plenty of arms for Pat Murphy to call upon, who have the luxury of being able to pitch in Triple-A if their services aren't currently needed at the big-league level because they have minor league options remaining. Pitchers like Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson, Tobias Myers, Jacob Misiorowski, DL Hall, Robert Gasser, and Carlos Rodriguez all have minor league options, meaning they can be moved back-and-forth between Triple-A and MLB without needing to go through waivers.

However, despite having roster flexibility throughout their starting options, Milwaukee doesn't enjoy this same flexibility in their current bullpen group, as keenly pointed out by Brewer Fanatic's beat reporter Jack Stern, in an article published on brewerfantatic.com last month. Stern suggested that the Brewers could use another bullpen arm who can move freely between Nashville and Milwaukee, especially given how aggressive bullpen strategy has become.

This is where often Matt Arnold does his best work. He and the Brewers' excellent team of analysts in the front office constantly find players who become high-leverage weapons after previously having lackluster careers, which is no doubt a testament to the Brewers' pitching coach staff as well. Adding someone in that same category who also has minor league options would be the ideal scenario for Arnold and his team this winter. Players like Ryan Zeferjahn of the Los Angeles Angels or Orion Kerkering of the Philadelphia Phillies would be excellent additions, each of whom has three minor league option years remaining.