Reds owner's plea shows why Brewers are the gold standard and everyone else has to catch up

The Milwaukee Brewers have achieved an unprecedented level of success over the last decade. About to embark on their eighth postseason appearance of the last nine years, on the heels of their fourth consecutive NL Central division title, and with four chances to achieve 100 wins for the first time in franchise history, there's no denying that the Brewers are in the midst of their franchise's "Golden Age."

However, it's not just a comparison to their franchise's history that makes the Brewers' stretch of sustained success impressive; Milwaukee's current status as a perennial contender is truly unique for any small-market organization. Whereas an extended window of contention is frequently attainable for a large-market player, who can restock their roster with top free agents each winter, to accomplish what the Brewers have over the last decade in the smallest TV market in baseball, with a payroll that consistently ranks in the bottom half of the league, is quite frankly astonishing.

Milwaukee's success unsurprisingly has other small-market teams asking themselves why they too can't follow the formula that has transformed the Brewers into a postseason staple. That question was the basis of Ken Rosenthal and C. Trent Rosecrans' must-read story about the relationship between the Cincinnati Reds' ownership group, specifically principal owner Bob Castellini, and president of baseball operations Nick Krall, who has led Cincinnati's front office since October of 2020. According to the piece, published by The Athletic, Castellini asked the Reds' top officials, including Krall, "Why aren't we the Brewers?"

Krall's response, which is eloquently supported by The Athletic's duo, was essentially that the front office hasn't been awarded the freedom to act as they must in order to build a perennial contender in Cincinnati. Examples such as being turned down by ownership when they wanted to trade players at their peak value or being pushed to sign more entertaining free agents, like slugger Eugenio Suárez, even when they didn't fit the team's needs were cited. Castellini holds an irrational dedication to "winning now" rather than delaying short-term success for substantial long-term improvements, and pushes for short-term improvements that don't truly help the Reds succeed before questioning why his team isn't among the best in baseball.

The ownership isn't all to blame, a point that Rosenthal and Rosecrans make sure to address in their article, but their arrogance, their belief that they know how to construct a successful roster better than the front office, is undoubtedly the leading cause for the Reds' frustrating streak of mediocrity. Their failure to acknowledge that they are a small market club, and therefore have to operate differently than their large market counterparts, leaves them losing a game they never had a chance to win. In MLB's broken financial landscape, a small market team simply won't succeed by trying to play the same game as the league's high rollers.

That's where the Brewers come into play.

The Brewers' ownership group doesn't get enough credit for their unwavering trust in the organization's front office

Milwaukee's ownership group, led by principal owner Mark Attanasio, who purchased the Brewers back in 2004, is often scrutinized by the fanbase for not investing more in the team. To some extent, these are fair critiques -- a more aggressive ownership group may spend $10-20 million more on payroll each year, which is by no means insignificant. However, where Milwaukee's ownership group excels is how they influence, or rather don't influence, the front office's proven roster construction strategy.

On a number of occasions throughout the Brewers' period of sustained success, Milwaukee's front office has made a move that was immediately unpopular in the eyes of the fanbase before it was proven to be the right decision in the long run; moves like the Corbin Burnes trade, which caused ill-informed criticism of the Brewers' ownership group that claimed Milwaukee had to trade their ace because they couldn't afford his 2023 salary. Attanasio endorsed that move knowing it would cause consternation among the fanbase and the baseball world, but just three years later, it's paying off handsomely as DL Hall and Joey Ortiz, both of whom were acquired in the trade, are key contributors on the Brewers' record-breaking 2026 squad.

Milwaukee's 2026 roster is filled with players who fit this same categorization. Robert Gasser was acquired in the widely unpopular Josh Hader trade, and the Brewers used another piece of their return in that deal, outfielder Esteury Ruiz, to acquire All-Star catcher William Contreras. The Brewers' controversial trade of Devin Williams netted them Caleb Durbin, which in turn, after another somewhat unpopular deal, netted them Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison. One could even argue that the Brewers' decision not to pay fan favorite Willy Adames a massive contract as his production faded is the reason they were able to afford long-term deals for Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara.

In the moment, a lot of these moves were understandably unpopular in the eyes of the fanbase and resulted in scrutiny of Milwaukee's ownership group. For a team knocking on the door of their first World Series championship, trading away star players is never going to be a popular decision. However, these types of moves are the exact reason why the Brewers' ownership group aren't the ones asking themselves "Why aren't we the Reds?" or "Why aren't we more successful?" That's a difficult question to ask when you've been the best team in baseball for two years in a row.

There's a certain self-awareness that is required to be the owner of a small-market team in Major League Baseball. Small-market owners who acknowledge the fact that their team must operate differently if they want to be successful are the ones who field more competitive teams. It's not just the Brewers who fall into this category; the Tampa Bay Rays, who currently have the best record in the American League, also make unpopular short-term decisions knowing they will have substantial long-term effects.

More often than not, this reality is understood by small market front office executives who are constantly dealing with the realities of operating with a certain payroll and are keeping one eye on their future roster. However, owners, who are much more directly affected by attendance and therefore immediate success, are blinded by the fear of having to endure a lost season, even if it means more success down the road. As a result, it's the owners who trust their front offices and don't impart their often narrow-minded wisdom too frequently that tend to have the most success.

Attanasio and the Brewers' ownership group trust the organization's front office and, more often than not, endorse their decisions regardless of how unpopular they may be. The result of that trust is one of the most successful runs by a small-market team in the history of Major League Baseball.

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