Predicting the Brewers' 2026 bullpen after the addition of Ángel Zerpa

Over the weekend, the Milwaukee Brewers added electric, left-handed reliever Ángel Zerpa to their pitching staff. The acquisition didn't come without a steep cost -- Milwaukee sent outfielder Isaac Collins and reliever Nick Mears to the Kansas City Royals, both of whom were integral pieces to the Brewers' record-breaking 2025 season. However, what happens before a trade is agreed to matters not; what matters is the performance of the players after the trade occurs, and there are reasons to believe Zerpa is due for positive regression in 2026, whereas the two players Milwaukee sent to Kansas City are expected to regress negatively next season.

While the underlying metics are optimistic that Zerpa will be an impactful pitcher for the Brew Crew in 2026, it's not yet official in what role the recent trade acquisition will pitch next year. For the last three seasons, Zerpa has operated as a short-stint reliever, but throughout his minor league career, he worked as a starting pitcher. That said, a return to the starting rotation would involve a significant overhaul of Zerpa's repertoire of pitches. The talented southpaw gets by with a lethal sinker-slider combo in the bullpen, but if he wants to face lineups multiple times through, Zerpa will need to develop a more effective changeup and likely another fastball shape, which the Brewers have emphasized in the recent past.

Given the Brewers' plethora of starting pitching options, especially if they decide to retain Freddy Peralta for the 2026 season, and the changes that would need to occur for Zerpa to transform back into a starter, it's far more likely that Milwaukee elects to keep the former Royal in the bullpen, where he provides a versatile arm for Pat Murphy and the Brewers' coaching staff.

Therefore, the following prediction is a reflection of both Zerpa remaining in the bullpen and Abner Uribe taking over as the team's closer in 2026 after the Trevor Megill trade rumors come to fruition. It should also be noted that the Brewers' bullpen is a fluid situation, one that takes advantage of the depth that the organization holds at the Triple-A level. As a result, while the following prediction offers a snapshot of what Milwaukee's bullpen could look like at its best, it's almost a certainty that several more relievers will impact the big-league 'pen at some point in 2026.

Early prediction of the Milwaukee Brewers' 2026 bullpen

Closer: Abner Uribe

As previously mentioned, this prediction assumes that the Brewers will sell high on Megill, moving him after his All-Star 2025 season and replacing him at the back end of the bullpen with Uribe. The predicted move is a result of the Brewers taking advantage of an expensive free agent relief pitcher market, shedding Megill's growing arbitration salary, and knowing that they have a viable replacement at home in Uribe. The 25-year-old Uribe took over for Megill during the month of September, when the latter went down with a flexor strain injury. Uribe not only impressed in the final month of the regular season, but he also assumed the closing duties in the postseason and delivered a spotless performance in the NLDS.

Set-up men: Jared Koenig and Ángel Zerpa

Two lefties setting up Uribe is a perfect situation for the back-end of the Brewers' bullpen. Regardless of whether Pat Murphy turns to Koenig or Zerpa, either pitcher offers a unique look from the Brewers' plethora of right-handed starting pitchers and their right-handed closer. Both Zerpa and Koenig pitch from a roughly 30 degree arm slot and each has the ability to cover more than three outs if needed. In addition to the high expectations Brewers fans should have for Zerpa, Koenig and his consecutive seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA deserves more recognition as the elite high-leverage weapon he's become.

Middle relief: Grant Anderson, Craig Yoho, Rob Zastryzny

The Brewers' middle relief group is where their pitching depth really shines. Each of Anderson, Yoho, and Zastryzny offers a unique skillset that provides a new look to opposing hitters in the middle of the games. Anderson with his unique slider, Yoho with his unicorn changeup, and Zastryzny with his ability to mow down left-handed batters form a formidable trio that can bridge the gap from Milwaukee's talented rotation to their lights-out back-end of the bullpen.

Swiss-army knives: Aaron Ashby and DL Hall

This prediction assumes that the Brewers roll with a starting rotation of Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, and Chad Patrick to start the 2026 season. Such a rotation, paired with the eight relievers listed above, means Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, and Tobias Myers will all start the 2026 campaign in Triple-A. That leaves Aaron Ashby and DL Hall as the team's two versatile relievers. Both Ashby and Hall can open games, provide multiple innings of relief, or serve as one-inning, high-leverage relievers in the Brewers 'pen, giving Murphy plenty of versatility in his pitching staff. The Brewers will likely try to stretch both Ashby and Hall into starters during Spring Training, but with Milwaukee's swath of starting pitching talent, they should keep both of them in the bullpen when Opening Day rolls around.

As previously mentioned, this prediction offers just a snapshot of Milwaukee's bullpen in 2026. The Brewers' bullpen, and their starting rotation for that matter, is likely to include a revolving door of minor league option-holding pitchers, who will shuttle back-and-forth between Triple-A and MLB. However, if the Brewers elect to hold on to Freddy Peralta and deal Trevor Megill this offseason, a reality that is far from guaranteed, expect their bullpen to include the eight names listed above when regular season play begins next March.