Why the Brewers’ bullpen looks playoff-ready right now

The Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen has been one of the strengths of the team this year, and thanks to the rest earned from their first-round playoff bye, the unit should be armed and ready for October.

Of course, the bullpen is getting back some big arms prior to the NLDS, the most notable being Trevor Megill. DL Hall also returned for the regular season finale, but it remains to be seen whether he will be on the NLDS roster or not. That said, besides trade acquisition Shelby Miller — who was really good in Milwaukee prior to suffering a season-ending elbow injury — the entire group is available for the postseason, which bodes well for Pat Murphy, especially given that the statuses of starters Brandon Woodruff and José Quintana remain unclear.

There should be no doubt that this unit is ready to carry the Crew far in the playoffs.

Healthy, rested Brewers bullpen has recipe for October success

The Brewers' bullpen ranked sixth in the majors in ERA (3.63) this season, which improved to fourth (2.91) in September.

In fact, in the final month of the regular season, that unit ranked 10th in strikeout rate (24.1%), fifth in FIP (3.47), fourth in hard-hit rate (29.6%), and ninth in groundball rate (44.6%). And again, that was without Megill, Hall, Nick Mears, and Grant Anderson for most of the month.

Abner Uribe was stellar in the second half, recording a scant 0.62 ERA while striking out 27.0% of hitters. Aaron Ashby, arguably the unsung hero of the relief corps in 2025, was just as good in September, allowing just three runs in 16 innings.

The group is on a heater, which is also a good way of describing their velocity. Megill and Uribe can both hit triple digits, and all of Ashby, Jared Koenig, and Mears average more than 95 mph on their fastballs. If Jacob Misiorowski makes his way onto the roster, the unit is going to have a veritable cavalry of flamethrowers at Murphy's disposal.

Given the way the Chicago Cubs hit against the San Diego Padres' high-velocity relievers (read: not well), it's a promising sign for the Brewers heading into the NLDS.

Of course, a great playoff bullpen only gets the chance to be great if the starting rotation can hold up its end of the bargain. Insofar as this Brewers team having any outstanding question marks, it's probably there, given the uncertainty surrounding Woodruff and Quintana.

However, if Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester, and Chad Patrick can deliver when it matters most, there's a good chance that Milwaukee's bullpen can slam the door and propel this team to the promised land.