6 players who are entering their final days on the Brewers

The 2024 campaign has been a fun ride for the Milwaukee Brewers. Up to this point, they have maintained a healthy lead in the NL Central (one that is currently 8.5 games above the Cubs) and continued to be one of the more consistent clubs in all of baseball.

As a matter of fact, the Crew remains the only team in the game without a four-game losing streak this season. If that doesn't point to consistency, I don't know what does.

The Brewers are currently fifth in the NL in runs scored, third in stolen bases, first in walk percentage, fifth in batting average, third in OBP and sixth in wRC+. They are not exactly the best in the league on offense, but again, they remain consistent in their rankings. This is playoff-caliber offense.

Milwaukee's pitching staff has been even better. Brewers pitchers rank second in the NL in ERA and they're also the top dog when it comes to strand rate. The bullpen has carried these stats throughout the year, but the starting rotation has stepped up in the second half - outside of Colin Rea's complete implosion against the Giants on Wednesday.

The overall point here is that the Brewers have been rolling all year long. However, the roster is certain to look quite a bit different once 2025 rolls around. From a handful of players underperforming this year to some unrestricted free agents and obvious option decisions, there are some Brewers that are entering their final days on the club.

Let's dive into the list and identify the (top) six players who are winding down their time in Milwaukee as we speak.

Jake Bauers

While Adames has excelled, Bauers has faltered in what will likely be his only year on the Brewers. The five-year veteran has filled a necessary role on the club this year, but he hasn't exactly done anything at an above-average clip.

Bauers, 28, has 11 home runs and 40 RBI through 102 games played this year. He's gotten more playing time this season than he ever has before but he's largely failed to do anything noteworthy with the additional leash. His .194 average is easily the lowest on the team and his 85 OPS+ puts him 15 percent below league-average at the plate.

For a Brewers club destined for the postseason this year and next, production like this is simply not going to cut it. This year, only seven players in the NL (min. 200 PA) have a lower batting average than Bauers and his wRC+ is also comfortably in the bottom half of the league.

The fact of the matter is that the Brewers should easily be able to find a replacement at first base/corner outfield in the offseason. Even if they don't have a ton of money to play with, finding an upgrade (even if it's internal in the form of a Tyler Black promotion) to fill this role is not going to be too difficult for them.

Frankie Montas

One of the Brewers' top trade deadline adds, Montas has done an excellent job on his new club. The right-hander has made seven starts for the Crew and has improved his numbers across the board. His 3.92 ERA is over a full run lower than it was in 19 starts for the Reds, while he's raised his strikeouts per nine by two full punchouts, lowered his walk rate and is allowing almost two hits less per nine innings than he was in Cincinnati.

The results have been great, and he's been a welcomed presence in this rotation. The aforementioned second-half successes from Brewers starters has a lot to do with Montas's performance and he should be celebrated for that.

However, his $20M mutual option for next season is a rather significant chunk of change for the Brewers. While Montas has been solid for the club, is he ultimately going to be worth that much money on a small-market team?

In the upcoming free agent pool, there's going to be quite a bit of high-end starting pitching available, as the likes of Shane Bieber, Walker Buehler, old friend Corbin Burnes, Yusei Kikuchi, Jack Flaherty, Charlie Morton, Max Scherzer, Blake Snell and Nathan Eovaldi all could be available. This is without mentioning 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole, who has an opt-out this offseason as well.

The pitching market is going to be full of options, but few have excelled the way Montas has this year, especially for the Brewers. He, like Adames, is pricing himself out of Milwaukee by the start.

Hoby Milner

Over the past few seasons, Milner has been one of the top feel-good stories for the Brewers. He's a prime example of a player who couldn't get it done in other organizations coming over to Milwaukee and finding his way.

Before landing on the Brewers, the quirky left-hander made 74 appearances for the Rays, Phillies and Angels but had never done much of note outside of a strong 37-game rookie showing back in 2017.

In a total of 159 games as a Brewer before this year, Milner had a 3.17 ERA, 3.54 FIP and 133 ERA+ across 150.2 innings of work. He was particularly outstanding last year when he made it into 73 contests and had a sparkling 1.82 ERA while lowering his walks and hits per nine from the year prior.

Unfortunately, the wheels have fallen off for him this season and now he's in legitimate danger of being non-tendered. The 33-year-old is arbitration-eligible and while his current $2.05M salary isn't exactly taking up a ton of room on the Brewers' payroll, it doesn't make much sense for them to keep him around when he's no longer contributing the way he once was.

This season, Milner has 54 outings under his belt, which means he's still been one of the more oft-used options out of the Brewers' bullpen. Unlike years past, the vast majority of his appearances haven't been pretty. In 55.1 innings of work, he's got a 4.88 ERA and 86 ERA+ while seeing a concerning rise in walks, home runs and hits.

Milner is a crafty reliever who very recently had experienced quite a bit of success at the big league level. There's a job on a major league roster out there for him somewhere next year, but it's not going to be on the Brewers, as they simply can't afford to have a weak link in their bullpen during this competitive window.

Joe Ross

Ross has filled an important multi-inning swingman role for the Brewers this year and has been a productive member of this strong pitching staff. The seven-year veteran has made a return to the big leagues after being out of action for the past three seasons. To his credit, he's performed admirably.

In 19 outings (10 starts), Ross has a 3.74 ERA and 113 ERA+ in 65 innings. He's been money as a relief pitcher, though, which could be his role going forward if he is willing to make that change.

In 18 relief innings this year, the right-hander has a miniscule 0.50 ERA. He's allowed just one run all year on 11 hits, striking out 16 and walking one. Outside of the 2019 season, this is the first time he's had an extended look as a reliever and this time around the move has paid dividends.

It's unclear where Ross's fit on next year's team is, but he's going to be an unrestricted free agent once this season comes to a close and it's a lot likelier that another team brings him aboard on a low-cost, two-year deal as a reliever than the Brewers.

Gary Sanchez

Sanchez is another player that has filled his respective role admirably, but there's no real need to bring him back in 2025. He's been an oft-used backup catcher this season and has rewarded the Brewers with 10 home runs and 35 RBI in 78 games, posting a .721 OPS and 99 OPS+ along the way.

The long-time Yankees backstop was very strong for the 2023 Padres but hasn't been able to replicate that production in Milwaukee this season. He's got a mutual option tied to his name as well, but the Brewers probably won't want to bring him back and can find a cheaper alternate elsewhere, maybe even in the form of Jeferson Quero.