3 Milwaukee Brewers on Thin Ice this Offseason

Colin Rea

Colin Rea found himself in Milwaukee’s rotation by necessity, filling in as a back-end starter amid injuries and roster changes.

While he had his moments, his overall performance left much to be desired. Rea went 12-6 in 27 starts. However, his 4.29 ERA was one of the worst among the Brewers' starters as was his 98 ERA+ (100 is considered league average).

Rea saw his strikeout rate nearly fall off a cliff. After striking out more than 20.8 percent of his batters in each of the last two seasons, that fell to 18.9 percent in 2024. Opponents also had a tremendous amount of success getting on base and hitting the ball hard against him.

All of this left Milwaukee’s rotation vulnerable during his outings. For a team looking to fortify its starting rotation in 2025 and beyond, Rea’s inconsistency makes him a candidate for a reduced role—or no role at all.

Milwaukee has several young arms pushing for rotation spots and the return of Brandon Woodruff looming. Rea’s lack of overpowering stuff makes him a tough sell compared to those options. The Brewers could look to bolster their rotation via trade or free agency, potentially bumping Rea out of the picture altogether.

He has a $5.5 million club option for 2025 and we'll see if that gets picked up. Milwaukee will have to weigh whether his production justifies a spot on the roster at that price point.

If Rea wants to stay in Milwaukee, he’ll need to make a strong case this offseason, possibly shifting into a swingman or long-relief role. But as it stands, his future in the Brewers’ rotation is far from guaranteed.

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