Brewers' calculated offseason earns the respect of a former big league GM

Following the Milwaukee Brewers' appearance in the 2025 National League Championship Series, part of the fanbase was expecting an offseason of aggressive moves that would get the Crew over the hump and back to the World Series for the first time since 1982. Another part of the fanbase was expecting an offseason that mirrored past winters, during which the Brewers made a series of calculated moves to keep their competitive window open and extend it farther down the line.

On the cusp of spring training, the Brewers' front office, headed by back-to-back MLB Executive of the Year Matt Arnold, elected for a mixture of both strategies. Fans might be quick to forget that the Brewers dished out the largest single season salary for a starting pitcher in franchise history when they extended the qualifying offer to Brandon Woodruff at the beginning of the offseason. That move certainly doesn't adhere to a passive approach that many fans are accusing Milwaukee's front office of taking this winter.

That said, outside of the Woodruff deal, it has been another calculated offseason for Arnold and company. They sold high on Isaac Collins and Nick Mears, turning them into the electric left arm of Ángel Zerpa in a trade with the Kansas City Royals. Shortly before that trade, Milwaukee signed bounce-back candidate Akil Baddoo to a split contract, which certainly doesn't fall into the category of "aggressive." And then, in mid-January, the big move came, but once again, it was a calculated move rather than an aggressive one; Milwaukee sold high on Freddy Peralta, knowing they wouldn't be able to retain him past the 2026 campaign, and received two MLB-ready Top 100 prospects in Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams in return.

Looking back on the last three months, the Brewers once again found the balance between maintaining a competitive roster for the upcoming season and not making moves that jeopardize their ability to be competitive in the future. Though the national media generally looks down on such a strategy, citing the Brewers' lack of spending as a reason to knock their offseason strategy despite the fact that Milwaukee is simply adjusting to a league in which they are disadvantaged, one former GM turned MLB insider acknowledged the brilliance of the Brewers' front office and gave them the respect they deserve.

MLB insider Jim Bowden gives Brewers respectful B+ grade for their offseason moves

Jim Bowden served as the general manager of the Cincinnati Reds from 1992 to 2003 and later as the GM of the Washington Nationals from 2004 to 2009, but now, he works as an MLB insider for The Athletic. Though his takes can be controversial, Bowden's background in MLB front offices gives him an understanding of the game that many other analysts don't have. This morning, he published his grades of every MLB team's offseason, which is bound to lead to at least some controversy among fans.

Bowden’s 2026 MLB report card: Offseason grades, takeaways, predictions for all 30 teams

However, when it came to the Brewers, Bowden showed respect to a front office that has done nothing but win in the last eight years. Arnold's calculated offseason earned him and his team a B+ from Bowden, which is much better than the grades other publications have been giving the Brewers for their offseason moves.

Even still, the kind grade from Bowden is likely to ruffle a few feathers among Brewers fans who wanted the team to be more aggressive this offseason. Fans who were expecting a steep increase in payroll or a blockbuster that brought an All-Star into Milwaukee rather than send one away likely disagree with Bowden's grade. But, as frustrating as it can sometimes be, this is just how the Brewers do business, and it's hard to argue with a back-to-back Executive of the Year who has led his team to three-straight NL Central titles and the best farm system in baseball while playing in the smallest TV market in MLB.

While I agree with Bowden's grade, one aspect of his analysis did stick out as something that could be refuted. In regard to Arnold being the defending back-to-back Executive of the Year, Bowden wrote, "don’t expect a three-peat with both Andrew Friedman of the Dodgers and David Stearns of the Mets having excellent offseasons." First of all, handing the Executive of the Year Award to the GM of one of the two teams with seemingly unlimited budgets seems unfair. Yes, both Friedman and Stearns still have to sign the right players, but when you have a checkbook full of blank checks, that process becomes much easier. Secondly, the Executive of the Year Award is not handed out on Opening Day. Arnold won the award last year in large part due to the incredible moves that he made during the season -- most notably the acquisitions of Quinn Priester and Andrew Vaughn. So let's pump the brakes on saying that a three-peat isn't possible.

Overall, it's fair to be frustrated that the Brewers didn't spend more money this offseason, but that's a gripe that should be taken up with MLB, not Milwaukee's front office. The Brewers' inability to compete with the Dodgers and Mets for the top free agents in baseball is not the result of a "cheap ownership group" or a calculated front office, but rather the immense financial disparity that exists in baseball. With the resources available to them, the Brewers' front office is doing exactly what they need to in order to field a consistently competitive team in the smallest market in MLB, and that's thankfully reflected in Bowden's offseason grade.