An early prediction of the Brewers' 2026 Triple-A Opening Day starting rotation

There's no denying the fact that the Milwaukee Brewers will enter the 2026 season with one of the deepest starting pitching groups in all of baseball. With a starting staff headlined by Freddy Peralta, assuming he remains a part of the Brewers' roster throughout the offseason, and Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee follows up their veteran duo with a swath of talented, albeit inexperienced, arms, most of whom have already made their MLB debuts.

However, with only so many spots available in the big-league rotation, several starting pitchers who would likely be members of other organizations' major league staffs from the onset of the 2026 campaign will begin the year with the Brewers' Triple-A squad, the Nashville Sounds. It's absolutely a good problem to have; any MLB team would love to have a Triple-A rotation that is chock-full of MLB-caliber talent, but it will make for some difficult decisions and entertaining competition during this year's Spring Training.

Though several months remain before the 2026 season arrives, meaning there's plenty of time for roster reconstruction to occur, most notable of which would be a trade of the Brewers' ace, Peralta, which has constantly been rumored throughout the offseason, as things currently stand the Sounds are set to have one of the best rotations in all of Triple-A when Opening Day arrives next March. Let's take a look at what that rotation could look like assuming no injuries or major transactions occur between now and Opening Day.

The Nashville Sounds' 2026 Opening Day will be loaded with MLB-caliber talent, serving as valuable depth for the big-league club

To make as accurate of a prediction as possible of the Sounds' 2026 Opening Day starting rotation, it's first necessary to outline who I believe will be a part of the MLB pitching staff when the regular season commences in three months' time. Starting with rotation, here is an early prediction of how the Brewers could align their major league starters come Opening Day:

MLB Opening Day starting rotation:

1. Freddy Peralta
2. Brandon Woodruff
3. Quinn Priester
4. Jacob Misiorowski
5. Chad Patrick

The fourth and fifth spots are the most "up for grabs," but after the performances that Misiorowski and Patrick each displayed in the 2025 postseason, it feels like the rotation spots are theirs to lose this spring. The argument certainly could be made that either of them are better off in the bullpen, but after Miz started 14 games last season and Patrick made 23 starts, it's clear they both have the ability to be effective big-league starters. They are far more valuable to the Brewers as starters, especially in 2027 when Peralta and Woody are both likely playing for new teams.

Given the fact that Milwaukee used several of their young starters as multi-inning relievers in 2025, it's also important to include an early prediction for the 2026 bullpen when trying to determine which players will open the season with the Nashville Sounds. As such, here are the eight relievers that are likely to open the season in Milwaukee's 'pen, again assuming no major trades or injuries occur in the coming months:

MLB Opening Day bullpen:

1. Trevor Megill
2. Abner Uribe
3. Aaron Ashby
4. Jared Koenig
5. Ángel Zerpa
6. Grant Anderson
7. DL Hall
8. Rob Zastryzny

Seeing as there are more left-handers than right-handers in that group, it's likely some shuffling is yet to occur this offseason in regard to the Brewers' 2026 relief corps, but each of the names listed above is an established big leaguer whose track record has earned them a spot in a major league bullpen.

With the big league pitching staff squared away, the attention turns to Triple-A, where the starting rotation resembles a big league staff. Assuming Sounds' manager Rick Sweet goes with a traditional five-man starting rotation, which is seldom the case in the minor leagues, Nashville could open the 2026 season with a starting staff that looks something like this:

Triple-A Opening Day starting rotation:

1. Logan Henderson
2. Robert Gasser
3. Tobias Myers
4. Carlos Rodriguez
5. Coleman Crow

Outside of Crow, every arm listed above has MLB experience; Myers, Rodriguez, and Gasser have appeared in the big leagues in each of the last two seasons, while Henderson made his debut last year. However, not only do they have MLB experience, but outside of Rodriguez, each of them has been impressively effective during their big-league stints. Gasser was nearly spotless in his five 2024 starts before sustaining an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery, Henderson had a similar experience in 2025 but was limited due to the Brewers' crowded rotation picture, and Myers was the team's pitcher of the year in 2024, which he ended by delivering a scoreless five-inning start in the playoffs against the New York Mets.

Any of Henderson, Gasser, and Myers could easily make the Brewers' Opening Day roster and are likely to be the first ones called up in case of an injury if they don't. Meanwhile, Rodriguez enters a make-or-break 2026 season that is off to a strong start in the Dominican Winter League this offseason. Then there's Crow, who is one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the Brewers' farm system; his unicorn curveball, which averages more than 3,000 rpm, has carried him to success in the minor leagues. After being added to the 40-man roster this fall, Crow is starting to knock on the door of the big leagues.

The rotation above doesn't include any of the Brewers' non-roster invitees. Both Gerson Garabito and Drew Rom, who Milwaukee added on the same day back on December 17, have starting experience and are likely to compete for a spot in the Sounds' rotation this spring as well.

It's clear Milwaukee is loaded with budding starting pitching talent, and the result, at least before injuries inevitably rear their ugly head, will be a ridiculously talented Triple-A starting rotation when the 2026 season commences. Unless, of course, Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office elect to offload some of that starting depth in a trade to improve their big-league roster elsewhere.