Milwaukee Brewers embrace underdog status in 2025 amid payroll disparities
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee Brewers find themselves in a familiar position heading into the 2025 MLB season: underdogs. The main reason is simple: money.
According to Forbes, the Brewers ranked 18th in MLB in 2024 with a payroll of $162,786,812, significantly trailing behind financial powerhouses like the Los Angeles Dodgers ($353,015,360), New York Mets ($347,650,554), and New York Yankees ($316,192,828). If spending trends hold, the gap may only widen in 2025, making it even tougher for small-market teams like Milwaukee to compete. Despite these financial challenges, the Brewers have consistently remained competitive, making the postseason in five of the last six seasons.
The financial gap became even more apparent this offseason when a report from Sports Illustrated noted that the New York Mets spent more on one player, Juan Soto, than 22 other MLB teams—including the Brewers—combined in free agency.
General Manager Matt Arnold and the front office have continued the franchise’s long-standing philosophy of smart spending, shrewd trades, and player development. Rather than splurging on high-priced free agents, Milwaukee has focused on extending core players, developing homegrown talent, and finding undervalued contributors who fit into manager Pat Murphy’s system.
Looking ahead to 2025, the Brewers have had to navigate key departures, including star shortstop Willy Adames, who moved on in free agency. While the loss stings, Milwaukee remains confident in its ability to compete with a mix of young arms and veteran leadership.
Indeed, the Brewers have thrived in the role of scrappy overachievers. Despite being consistently outspent by division rivals like the St. Louis Cardinals ($207,746,783) and Chicago Cubs ($239,851,546) in 2024, Milwaukee has won multiple NL Central titles in recent years and has built a reputation as one of the league’s most well-run small-market franchises.
Brewers fan and national sports radio host Bart Winkler doesn't like the economics of baseball. “It’s like 7 or 8 rich teams taking advantage of the poorer teams,” Winkler said.
But Winkler also doesn't expect it to change, in part because it is putting more money in MLB players' pockets. “I’m a middle reliever, I just signed for four years, $72 million— I don’t want that to be capped in half so that some of these other teams have a chance to win.”
He also offered a unique perspective on baseball’s financial system: “We need to root for the Dodgers to win seven World Series in a row… we need the system to become so broken.”
Even some Brewers players recognize the advantages of spending big. Outfielder Christian Yelich recently acknowledged the Dodgers' aggressive offseason moves on the Flippin' Bats podcast, stating, “They got better, it looks like from last year. If you're a fan of the team or you're on the team, you're obviously super excited about it.”
Yelich also emphasized that spending money doesn’t guarantee anything. “You never know what can happen, you still gotta play the games, you still gotta win the games,” he said.
Of course, the financial gap presents challenges. While teams with deeper pockets can afford to absorb mistakes, the Brewers must get nearly every move right to stay competitive.
While big-market teams continue to flex their financial muscle, the Brewers are once again proving that payroll doesn’t have to define success. Winkler thinks that while a World Series remains a longshot, fans can still appreciate how Milwaukee puts up a fight: “You have to be thankful for the way they are operating," he said, "there are plenty of other teams that are not trying to win."