Our Milwaukee Brewers roll into the 2025 season as a team caught between defiance and reinvention. After another National League Central title in 2024—their third in four years—the Crew’s postseason flameout against the Mets left a bitter taste of a promise unfulfilled.

Now, with spring training underway at American Family Fields of Phoenix, the Brewers face a pivotal year defined by seismic personnel shifts and a roster once again itching to prove it can still contend without many familiar faces.

Here’s what’s at stake as the snow melts and the bats start cracking.

The Big Losses: Adames and Williams Exit Stage Left

Let’s not sugarcoat it: losing Willy Adames and Devin Williams stings. The former much more so than the latter. Adames, the heartbeat of the infield, took his 32 home runs and swagger to San Francisco in free agency, leaving a gaping hole at shortstop. He wasn’t just a power bat—he was a leader, a tone-setter, and a clutch performer who made the Brewers’ lineup deeper than Green Lake. Meanwhile, Williams, the two-time All-Star closer with a fastball that could rearrange your spine, got shipped to the Yankees in a December trade. His departure disrupts a bullpen that’s been the NL’s second-best in ERA for two straight years. But the Brewers believed both Williams and the team would benefit from a change.

So that’s 32 dingers and 47 saves walking out the door—and they weren’t the only losses.

The New Faces: Cortes, Durbin, and a Few Wild Cards

General manager Matt Arnold didn’t make any big acquisitions, but he also didn’t sit idle after the Williams trade. In return, he snagged Nestor Cortes, a crafty lefty starter from New York, and Caleb Durbin, a scrappy infield prospect with a knack for contact. Cortes, a 2022 All-Star, brings a funky delivery and a 3.77 career ERA to a rotation that’s desperate for stability after losing Corbin Burnes a year ago. He’s no ace, but if he can eat innings and keep games close, he’s a win. Durbin, meanwhile, profiles as a high-floor, low-ceiling guy—think Brice Turang with less flash but solid fundamentals. He’s in the mix to plug a gap, though where remains a question.

Elsewhere, the Brewers added depth with low-key, budget-friendly signings like Tyler Alexander and Grant Anderson, both pitchers with upside but spotty track records. Alexander’s a swingman who could stretch out as a starter, while Anderson’s minor-league numbers (2.93 ERA in Triple-A) hint at potential if he can tame his big-league jitters. These aren’t splashy moves, but Milwaukee’s rarely been about glitz—the roster building focuses on grinding out value.

Spring Training To-Do List: Shortstop, Third Base, and a Bullpen Reboot

Spring training is where the Brewers’ 2025 identity takes shape, and they’ve got some knotty problems to untangle. First up: who plays shortstop? Adames’ exit opens the door for Joey Ortiz or Brice Turang. Ortiz, acquired in the Burnes deal, flashed gold glove-caliber defense at third last year and has the arm for short and appears the early favorite to make the move. Turang, the 2024 NL Platinum Glove winner at second, could slide over to his natural position, but that risks disrupting a keystone that worked like clockwork. Although owner Mark Attanasio has said Oritiz is the new shortstop, Manager Pat Murphy’s been coy, saying it’s “still to be determined,” so expect a close watch on both guys’ glove work and bats this spring. If Ortiz grabs short, third base becomes a free-for-all—Durbin, Oliver Dunn, Tyler Black, or even Andruw Monasterio could stake a claim, though none scream “everyday player” yet. Then again, out of nowhere, Vinny Capra wallops a 6 RBI-game in the spring training opener against a split squad Reds team, so we need to add his name into the mix at third as well.

The bullpen’s another puzzle. Without Williams, the ninth inning’s up for grabs. Trevor Megill’s got the raw stuff—think high-90s heat and a filthy curve—but his command’s a coin flip. Joel Payamps and Abner Uribe are in the mix too, though Uribe’s got a suspension to serve first. Spring will be a proving ground for these arms, with Murphy likely auditioning multiple closers-by-committee before settling on a pecking order. The rotation’s less dire, with Freddy Peralta locked in as the Opening Day starter and Brandon Woodruff eyeing a comeback from shoulder surgery. If Woodruff’s healthy by summer, that’s a coup—but spring’s about gauging how close he really is.

The Big Picture: Can the Core Carry On?

The Brewers aren’t rebuilding; they’re reloading. Christian Yelich, post-back surgery, says he’ll be ready for Opening Day on March 27 against the Yankees. A healthy Yelich, paired with Jackson Chourio’s budding stardom (22 steals as a rookie) and William Contreras’ emergence as an elite catcher, gives this lineup teeth. Blake Perkins suffered a fractured shin off a foul ball this weekend, and he’ll be on the shelf for at least a month.

The pitching staff, even minusWilliams, has depth—think Tobias Myers, who came out of nowhere to win Brewers MVP honors in 2024, or Aaron Ashby, who found his groove late last year. The goal? Stay in the hunt until the trade deadline, where Arnold’s historically pounced on upgrades.

Spring training’s about finding answers. There are a lot of seeming interchangeable puzzle pieces, and it’s up to Murphy and his staff to combine the right components to solve the puzzle, on a tight budget. Again.

Can Ortiz or Turang lock down short? Will the bullpen hold without its anchor? Is Woodruff’s return to form a pipe dream or a reality? The Brewers don’t need to dominate the Cactus League—they just need clarity. Answers. Because in Milwaukee, it has to be about more than just star power; it’s about a roster that collectively says, “We dare you to count us out.”

In recent years, the roster has found a way. It started by answering questions in February and March in Arizona.

And so the search for answers begins. Again.