5 Brewers Leaving Milwaukee in the New Year
The Milwaukee Brewers know heartbreak all too well. As a small-market team in a league dominated by deep-pocketed owners and wealthy franchises, they’ve become painfully familiar with losing stars in their primes.
This vicious cycle has been relentless in recent years. Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, and Willy Adames have all been traded within the last calendar year, victims of the Brewers’ attempt to extract value before losing them for nothing. Unfortunately, the trend doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.
While not every player on this list is guaranteed to be traded, here are five Brewers who could be wearing different uniforms in 2025.
1. Aaron Civale
Make no mistake: the Brewers are desperate for starting pitching. Freddy Peralta is poised to take over as the ace of the rotation, but after him, the depth chart is riddled with question marks.
Will Brandon Woodruff return to form after injury setbacks? Can Tobias Meyers replicate his breakout 2024 season? Will Robert Gasser or Nestor Cortes lock down spots in the rotation?
Amid this uncertainty, Aaron Civale appears to be one of Milwaukee’s more dependable arms heading into 2025.
Acquired in a July trade, Civale gave the Brewers 14 solid starts down the stretch, logging 74 innings with a 119 ERA+ and a 1.216 WHIP. Those numbers suggest he could be a stabilizing presence in the rotation next season.
Unfortunately, Civale is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. For a team like Milwaukee, which must constantly weigh short-term competitiveness against long-term sustainability, that’s a ticking clock.
The Brewers may look to flip Civale before the trade deadline for pitching talent under longer team control. It’s a brutal reality for small-market teams—they must often trade from their strengths, even when those strengths are desperately needed.
Civale’s situation encapsulates the Brewers’ challenge. He’s reliable, consistent, and exactly the kind of pitcher they need to compete in 2025. Yet, the prospect of losing him for nothing after the season may force their hand.