3 more Milwaukee Brewers who won’t be back and why after MLB Playoffs defeat

The Milwaukee Brewers saw quite an incredible fall from grace at the tail end of the 2024 season. Their entire season ended with a go-ahead home run from Mets slugger, Pete Alonso.

Now, headed into the offseason, the Brewers are primed to make some changes, whether it be in staff, on the field, or in both aspects of the game. There are some serious changes to be made in Milwaukee over the Winter months.

FanSided's Mark Powell has already named Willy Adames, Rhys Hoskins and Frankie Montas as three players that won't be back with Milwaukee in 2025. But there could be more roster changes than just those three. Who else could join that trio on the chopping block in Milwaukee this offseason?

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3. Reliever Hoby Milner won't be back in Milwaukee in 2025

The Milwaukee bullpen has been a strength for quite some time now. They're headlined by Devin Williams, who is almost always incredible, but also cost them their season by allowing the Alonso home run. But Williams is still incredible, as is the rest of the Brewers pitching staff.

But late inning reliever, Hoby Milner, was quite a let down this season. Milner was seen as one of the more relied on relief pitchers in Milwaukee's bullpen, accounting for 64.2 innings across 62 appearances this year. He posted a 4.73 ERA and some very average per nine numbers across the board. Across his entire time in Milwaukee, Milner is often just average. In 2023, he was great, posting a sub-2.00 ERA, though his FIP was the same as it was in 2024 and 2022, when he posted bad ERAs.

Milner has the opportunity to be successful, but entering his final year of arbitration, the number will have to be a low one for the Brewers to bring him back. If the number is expensive whatsoever, the Brewers would be better off letting him go. He lands at number three on this list because there's a chance that Milwaukee still sees the good in him from 2023 and brings him back.

2. Veteran starting pitcher Wade Miley will be let go this offseason

Out of the three names on this list, this one is bound to be the most obvious player that the Brewers won't be bringing back. The three names that Powell had discussed are all upcoming free agents that don't fit the plan moving forward. Veteran starter, Wade Miley, has a mutual option worth $12 million that the Brewers will absolutely be declining this offseason.

Miley has put together a respectable career up until this point, but he was a net negative in two starts before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Miley is going to be 38 years old by the time 2025's Opening Day rolls around and there's just no world where the Brewers bring him back.

Milwaukee has been incredible about growing and developing pitching talent. They have done this with plenty of arms that nobody had heard of, quickly turning them into household names in one season working with the Brewers. Jacob Misiorowski will be up in the big leagues soon and Robert Gasser will be returning from injury at some point in the next year. Both of these two are great options for the Brewers, as well as some of the top free agent arms this season.

1. The Brewers will need to upgrade from Gary Sanchez this offseason

The Brewers need more production out of their lineup, period. But for them to have an everyday designated hitter that posts an OPS below the league average is just embarrassing. Gary Sanchez isn't a bad hitter, don't get me wrong, but the Brewers can't use him as a DH if he isn't going to hit better than he did in 2024.

Sanchez, 31, is likely to decline his $1 million mutual option, which would send him to free agency, where he would look to get more money than a few million a season.

On the season, Sanchez slashed .220/.307/.392, seeing his slugging percentage drop by 100 points compared to 2023. That kind of drop in slugging is enough of a fall off that the team would have to reconsider their decision to roster him.

The Brewers need more bats that can do damage in their lineup. While Sanchez showed this ability in 2023, he didn't perform up to par in 2024. With him entering free agency, after a disappointing season, the Brewers would be smarter to just use their money elsewhere rather than bringing Sanchez back to Milwaukee.