The Milwaukee Brewers are back from the All-Star break with plenty to like and even more reason for outside observers to start thinking big.
Milwaukee opens its second-half schedule Friday night against the Miami Marlins, sitting at 59-37 and firmly in charge of the NL Central. The Brewers entered Thursday five games clear of the second-place Chicago Cubs, and they were also just 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball.
That kind of position has naturally fueled some bigger-picture talk. The Brewers have piled up division titles - three straight and five over the last eight seasons - but the trophy case still has one glaring omission. Milwaukee has never won a World Series and hasn’t reached the Fall Classic since 1982.
This year’s club has given plenty of people a reason to believe that drought could finally end. Jacob Misiorowski has looked like arguably the best pitcher in the game, and an injury scare around him appears to be behind the team. Milwaukee is also expecting help back in the rotation with Kyle Harrison and Brandon Woodruff on the injured list.
Then came another aggressive move from general manager Matt Arnold. On Wednesday, the Brewers landed former Houston Astros All-Star starter and two-time World Series champion Lance McCullers Jr. in a deal that also brought in promising left-handed minor league pitcher Colton Gordon.
The lineup has its own punch, too, with All-Star snub Brice Turang and star outfielder Jackson Chourio helping drive the offense. Put it all together, and multiple MLB writers are starting to wonder whether Milwaukee has the right mix to knock off the Dodgers this fall.
Los Angeles remains the team to beat, even with a pile of talent on the injured list. The Dodgers still can roll out stars like Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which is why they’re the two-time defending champions and the standard everyone else is chasing.
Still, ESPN’s Todd Zola sees a path for Milwaukee.
"The Los Angeles Dodgers are the prohibitive favorite to make it three in a row, and continue to 'ruin baseball' by buying another championship. Well, two years ago the San Diego Padres had them on the ropes.
Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays were literally within inches of winning it all," Zola wrote. "The Dodgers' pitching is not assured to work out exactly as needed (Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell) and the Brewers have the front-line pitching and bullpen for a long playoff run.
They also have a deep farm system and have shown the willingness to make moves when they are competitive. There will be no three-peat this season."
Milwaukee also has a manager with championship experience guiding the way. Pat Murphy, a two-time winner, was named NL Manager of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, and he has the Brewers positioned for another postseason push.
MLB.com’s Will Leitch also believes this could be the year Milwaukee finally breaks through.
"The Brewers look well on their way to their fourth straight NL Central title, but the way things are going for this team, especially with those aces atop their rotation, it may be time to dream a little bigger," MLB.com's Will Leitch said. "This might be the best chance for these Brewers to finally break through and reach their first World Series since 1982."
In Other News...
Brewers Just Got Another Big Reminder They Nailed The Andrew Vaughn Trade
More than a year after Milwaukee sent Aaron Civale to the White Sox for Andrew Vaughn, the trade keeps looking better for the Brewers. Vaughn has settled in at first base and given the lineup the kind of steady production the club was hoping for, with his offensive work showing both consistency and real value in the middle of the order.
Civale, meanwhile, has kept trending the other way, which only sharpens the contrast in what was once a straightforward swap. Milwaukee does not need a reminder that Vaughn has been the more dependable piece, but the latest turn in Civales career makes the return look even stronger and leaves the Brewers with another example of a deal that has aged well in their favor. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Got A Costly New Reality On Jacob Misiorowski
Chase Burns new deal in Cincinnati has quietly changed the conversation for Milwaukee, because it gives the Brewers a fresh measuring stick if they want to lock up Jacob Misiorowski. The right-hander has been one of the most electric arms in the game this season, and his emergence has only sharpened the question of how aggressive the Brewers will need to be to keep him in place long term.
Misiorowskis rise has put him in a different class of extension candidate, and the timing matters because the market for young pitchers keeps moving. Milwaukee has not yet gotten into extension talks with him, but the Burns contract makes clear that any serious effort to buy out Misiorowskis future is going to come with a hefty price tag and a lot more urgency than it might have just a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Civale's Exit From Milwaukee Keeps Looking Worse
Aaron Civales path since asking out of Milwaukee last June has only gotten bumpier. The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Athletics after 16 appearances and a 5.82 ERA, another rough stop for a pitcher who once looked like a useful rotation piece and has instead spent the last year bouncing from one roster crunch to the next.
The latest move also brings back an uncomfortable pattern for the Brewers to watch from afar. Civale was DFAd by the White Sox last summer after the trade out of Milwaukee, and this is the third time in a little over a year that he has landed in DFA limbo, a striking turn for a veteran who has already worn six big league uniforms in eight seasons. [Read more 🡒]