Brewers 2024-25 offseason primer: Free agents, arbitration, key dates and deadlines

Brewers Payroll Outlook

The budgets haven't exactly been increasing these last few years for the Brewers. It's unlikely there's any sort of big budget increase in store for 2025 as the Brewers face the loss of their local TV rights deal with Bally Sports Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee Brewers carried an approximate $116 million payroll for the 2024 season. How much room will they have in the budget this offseason before they get to a similar payroll?

Let's make some assumptions. Let's assume Rhys Hoskins opts in, all the mutual options for Miley, Sanchez, and Montas are declined, club options for Peralta, Rea, and Haase are exercised, and Devin Williams' is declined. That would give the Brewers $71.6 million in guaranteed contracts on the books for 2025.

Moving down to arbitration, let's also assume Jake Bauers and Hoby Milner are non-tendered, saving the Brewers an estimated $5 million in salary. The rest of the projected arbitration salaries for the remaining eligible players, including Devin Williams, totals up to $30.5 million, bringing the Brewers payroll obligations up to $102.1 million.

Payroll obligations for pre-arbitration eligible players in 2024 totaled around $11 million, so let's assume a similar number in 2025.

That brings the Milwaukee Brewers 2025 payroll before they add a single free agent to $113.1 million.

Keep in mind, the Brewers payroll in 2024 was $116 million, so that leaves very little room for free agent additions or even trade additions before the Brewers payroll increases from this year. Now this doesn't mean the Brewers aren't going to run a payroll higher than 2024 next year, they very well could. How much higher could they go? Only Mark Attanasio knows.

What this does mean, however, is that the Brewers are likely to be active on the trade market once again as a way to improve the club and shift around payroll. One obvious candidate is Devin Williams, who carries a projected $7.7 million arbitration salary or a $10.5 million club option.

It's likely to be another offseason with limited payroll flexibility for the Brewers, and also limited roster flexibility as six players will come off the 60 day IL and back onto the 40 man roster and only five appear headed to free agency out of the gate. Flexibility will need to be created and the Brewers are gong to have to get creative to do it.