Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy made history recently, becoming the first manager in Brewers history to win Manager of the Year.
At the start of the 2024 season, the Brewers were projected to finish in the lower half of the NL Central. But the Brewers far exceeded expectations, finishing 93-69 and tying the third-highest win total in franchise history. The 10-game division lead over the Chicago Cubs marked the largest margin in team history for a first-place team.
After Murphy’s strong first year, expectations for 2025 are high, and the pressure for the team to go deeper in the playoffs is mounting.Â
Here are four areas where Murphy should focus this season:
1. Keep rolling if Willy Adames departs
Following the strongest season of his career, leading the Brewers with 32 home runs and 112 RBI, Adames is free agent. With his value rising, he likely will not return to small-market Milwaukee in 2025. He recently declined the team’s $21M qualifying offer.
Though the departure of fan-favorite Adames would be significant, it is up to Murphy to ensure Milwaukee remains competitive.
With some of the best young talent in baseball — including OF Jackson Chourio (20), OF Sal Frelick (24), 2B Brice Turang (25), infielder Joey Ortiz (26) and pitcher Tobais Myers (26) — and a roster brimming with depth, Murphy must find the right lineup combination to keep Milwaukee in playoff contention.
2. Establish a stable lineup
With depth being a significant advantage for Milwaukee, Murphy must find a consistent lineup. Last season, he frequently juggled lineup combinations.Â
Murphy has five excellent choices for the outfield: Christian Yelich, Chourio, Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins. Yelich and Chourio have been instrumental to the team’s offensive success, while the defense from Frelick, Mitchell and Perkins cannot be overlooked. They were a key factor in Milwaukee securing the National League Gold Glove Team award for the second consecutive season.
Frelick, coming off his first Gold Glove award, is especially versatile, having played third base in spring training. If Adames doesn’t return, as expected, many pieces will be shifted around in the infield.
Offensively, Yelich and Chourio are the standout options, with Yelich leading the team with a .315 batting average before his injury and Chourio boasting the second highest at .275. Although the designated- hitter role offers flexibility, it’s challenging for Murphy to incorporate all five players into a single lineup. Finding the optimal combination will be crucial for success.
3. Claim a top-two seeding in the National League
A key reason in the Brewers’ playoff struggles is seeding. Over the past six seasons, Milwaukee has reached the postseason five times, with four of those appearances being in the wild-card round even though it won the NL Central the past two seasons.
In 2024,  the Brewers fell short of a top seed — which would give them a bye to the divisional series — by finishing two games behind second-seeded Philadelphia and five games behind top-seeded Los Angeles by five.Â
The last time the Brewers secured the No.1 seed in the National League was in 2018, a season in which they advanced to the NL Championship Series and fell just one game short of reaching the World Series. A similar season in 2025 would be ideal for a club eager to recapture that level of success.
4. Break the cycle of playoff disappointment
Yes, this is easier said than done. No manager snaps his fingers and magically advances through the postseason.
While the regular season showcased many high points, Murphy faces a critical challenge: fixing Milwaukee’s postseason struggles. With the loss to the New York Mets in the 2024 wild-card round, the Brewers extended their streak of not winning one round in the playoffs to five consecutive appearances.
Against the Mets in Game 3 of the best-of-three series, Murphy’s decision-making appeared flawless. The Brewers had a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth and closer Devin Williams taking the mound. While in the ideal situation, Williams gave up four runs, ending the Brewers’ season.
As JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted in October, “What Milwaukee hasn’t had in the postseason is a complete team.”
Added Radcliffe, “In 2024, [the Brewers] built around defense and pitching with a patchwork starting rotation and an offense that was consistent but lacked power.”
To elevate its lineup to be more competitive in the playoffs, Milwaukee should make a run at young middle infielders Ha-Seong Kim and Gleyber Torres, both free agents. Milwaukee might also be interested in free-agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, the 2022 NL MVP.
Any addiiton from the aforementioned group would be an enhancement who could help Murphy lead the Brewers to a deep playoff run.