3 small moves the Brewers made that are already paying off in 2025

While major blockbuster trades have been a part of recent Milwaukee Brewers offseasons, they aren't always the moves that have the biggest impact during the following season. Take for instance the Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams trades. Each trade dominated the headlines, overshadowing smaller moves that the front office was making, but the combined return from them has not had a major impact on the Brewers' 2025 roster. Starting pitchers DL Hall and Nestor Cortes both find themselves on the IL, while the infield prospects that the Brewers received, Joey Ortiz and Caleb Durbin, have been underwhelming out of the gates this season.

However, several smaller moves have netted unexpected results in 2025, holding the Brewers' roster together and contributing in ways that Brewers fans didn't anticipate. Let's take a look at three under-the-radar moves that the Brewers front office made in the past year that are already paying off in 2025.

1. Brewers acquire Nick Mears from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for prospects Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera (7/27/2024)

If you have been watching Brewers baseball this season or following along with the team on social media, you are aware of the incredible start that Nick Mears is having to the 2025 season. Not only has he posted a sub-1.00 ERA in his first 14 appearances, but he's done so, for the most part, in high-leverage situations.

A slow start to the season, due to an illness that Mears picked up towards the end of spring training, meant that Mears was slowly eased into the 2025 season. But now, just a month after he made his 2025 debut, Mears might be the most trusted reliever in Pat Murphy's bullpen.

Trading for Mears was a slight gamble on the Brewers' front office's part. For years, Mears hadn't lived up to his impressive underlying metrics, with shaky command leading to him allowing a high number of home runs. During his first few months with Milwaukee a season ago, it looked like that issue was persisting. However, Mears has been a new pitcher in 2025, and the Brewers' front office once again looks like they are one step ahead of the rest of the league.

As for what the Crew gave up, Bradley Blalock, who was the Brewers’ No. 17 prospect at the time of the trade, has shuffled between Triple-A and MLB, but has posted an ERA of 8.03 when pitching for the Rockies' big-league club. Yujanyer Herrera, a 21-year-old right-handed pitching prospect, unfortunately underwent Tommy John surgery last October and is slated to miss the entire 2025 season.

With Mears pitching like an All-Star and under team control through the 2027 season, last year's trade deadline deal is already looking like a huge win for the Brewers.

2. Brewers acquire Grant Anderson from the Texas Rangers in exchange for prospect Mason Molina (1/2/2025)

Similar to the Mears trade, this one had Brewers fans confused at the time it was made. Grant Anderson was coming off an uninspiring 2024 campaign with the Texas Rangers, in which he posted an ERA of 8.10 in 23 appearances. On the flip side, Mason Molina was an exciting young pitching prospect taken out of the University of Arkansas in the 7th round of last year's MLB Draft.

However, just over a month into the season, Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office have once again proved that they can find a high-leverage reliever in just about every corner of the league. While Anderson did get off to a slow start to begin the season, he has been a lock-down reliever for some time now. He's pitched to a 2.70 ERA in 16 appearances with the Crew this year and averaged a strikeout per inning. Additionally, he's significantly cut down on the home runs that he's allowing, which was a big issue for him a season ago.

Much of Anderson's success is due to some tinkering that the Brewers' pitching department has done with his main offspeed pitch, which was considered a slider in 2024, but is now deemed a sweeper according to several pitch tracking metrics. The pitch averaged 7.4 inches of horizontal movement a season ago, but is now averaging 14.5 inches of gloveside movement. It pairs incredibly well with Anderson's sinker, which moves nearly 18 inches in the opposite direction, according to Baseball Savant.

Meanwhile, Molina's minor league career is off to a solid, but not eye-popping start. He's posted a 4.34 ERA in his first five starts with the Rangers Low-A affiliate, the Hickory Crawdads. While it's very early on in Molina's professional career, the unexpected value that the Brewers have gotten out of Anderson has been a huge boost to the team's bullpen.

3. Brewers re-sign Jake Bauers to a minor league deal (1/6/2025)

Many fans were shocked when the Brewers brought back their 2024 backup first baseman, Jake Bauers, on a minor league deal in early January of this year. Some thought Bauers would seek out an opportunity with a new ball club, while most had already penciled in prospect Tyler Black as the team's left-handed platoon partner for everyday first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

However, despite the Brewers bringing in veteran Mark Canha to compete for the spot with Bauers and Black, the role ultimately went to Bauers, who earned it with his strong showing in spring training.

Bauers has taken advantage of the opportunity and then some, posting one of the best months of his career. He's slashing .261/.358/.500 with three home runs while appearing in 23 games this season. Not only that, but Bauers has played an important role by filling in for injured outfielders Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins, and Sal Frelick, showing his defensive versatility by manning a corner outfield position in their stead.

Bauers has even filled in for the Brewers on the mound in multiple blowout losses. It may seem like just a fun anecdote, but saving the bullpen from having to cover an extra inning when they have been overworked through the first month and a half of the season can be a huge relief. Oh, and by the way, he has yet to give up a run in his four appearances on the bump.

With Black still not back from his hand injury, and Mitchell and Perkins still weeks away from their return, the re-signing of Bauers to a minor league deal looks to be another savvy move by the Brewers' front office.