By Eric Katz
Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Operations Head Matt Arnold arguably has one of the most
difficult jobs in baseball. Every day when he enters his American Family Field office, he’s tasked
with making the Brewers a playoff team with a payroll nowhere near the likes of the Mets,
Dodgers, or Phillies. However, the 2025 season might’ve been his best work yet. Thanks to his
shrewd moves, Milwaukee won a league and franchise-best 97 games and advanced to the
NLCS for the first time since 2018. For his efforts, Matt Arnold recently became the first
Baseball Operations head ever to repeat as Executive of the Year. With the future looking bright
for Milwaukee, the Brewers wouldn’t be where they are without him.
The Brewers’ success in 2025 was built on many shrewd moves made by Matt Arnold both
before and during the season. The first of these moves was Milwaukee’s trade of star closer
Devin Williams to the Yankees for Caleb Durbin and Nestor Cortes. Cortes was mostly injured
and later dealt to the Padres; however, Durbin finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
During spring training, due to a rash of pitching injuries, the Brewers signed veteran starter Jose
Quintana. Despite some injury issues and being signed late, Quintana proved to be a steady
back-of-the-rotation pitcher. One could argue he outperformed expectations, going 11-7 with a
3.96 ERA, 89 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.291. While these moves made by Arnold were
important, they wouldn’t be the last.
One move that Matt Arnold made before the season that doesn’t get enough attention is his
trade for reliever Grant Anderson. The 28-year-old had struggled the previous two seasons with
the Texas Rangers, compiling an ERA of 6.35, and had been designated for assignment.
However, Milwaukee took a flier on them and gave up minor leaguer Mason Molina in
exchange for Anderson. Grant Anderson emerged as a key bullpen piece during the 2025
season. In 66 games, he went 2-6 with a 3.23 ERA, 74 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.263. In the
postseason, he didn’t surrender a run in his appearances in both the NLDS and NLCS. I would
expect Grant Anderson to be a key piece in the bullpen next season, making this another
sneaky key move for Milwaukee.
Arnold’s aggressiveness to make the Brewers a postseason contender didn’t stop once the
season began. In early April, thanks again to pitching injuries, the Milwaukee Brewers made
another move for a pitcher. Milwaukee would acquire starter Quinn Priester from the Red Sox
for prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a competitive balance draft pick, and a player to be named
later. The move paid dividends almost immediately as Priester was one of Milwaukee’s better
starters. In 24 starts, he went 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA, 132 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.239.
At one point, Milwaukee won a franchise record 19 straight games when he took the mound.
The 25-year-old had 12 consecutive winning decisions, breaking a 33-year-old franchise record
previously held by Chris Bosio and Cal Eldred. With Priester not a free agent until 2031, this
move has the potential to impact the Brewers in future seasons.
When the team called up top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski in June, the plan was to
move Aaron Civale to the bullpen. However, Civale wanted to remain a starter and requested a
trade. Milwaukee would trade Civale to the White Sox for struggling former first-round pick
Andrew Vaughn. Matt Arnold’s trade for Andrew Vaughn could be the best move any team
made in 2025.
After Rhys Hoskins got injured, Vaughn became the regular first baseman and never looked
back. In 64 games as a Brewer, Vaughn slashed .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs and 46 RBI.
He played so well that he replaced Hoskins as the regular first baseman for the rest of the
season. Vaughn would also go on to hit two key home runs in the NLDS against the Cubs.
In baseball, it is very hard to find a “perfect time” to call up a top prospect. This is especially
true for a team that’s contending for a spot in the postseason. However, the Brewers managed
to accomplish that when they called up Jacob Misiorowski on June 10 th . “The Miz” even
controversially made the All-Star team after just five starts.
However, after coming off the injured list, Misiorowski had an inconsistent rest of the regular
season. Despite his inconsistency, he was included on the postseason roster. The former
Crowder College product rewarded Milwaukee’s faith by going 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 16
strikeouts. This included picking up the wins in games two and five in the NLDS. The 23-year-old
has a bright future ahead of him with the Milwaukee Brewers.
There is nobody in baseball better at building a postseason contender on a small budget than
Matt Arnold. There is a reason he recently became the first person ever to repeat as MLB
Executive of the Year. His shrewd moves both before and during the season are why the
Brewers had so much success in 2025. The team won a league and franchise best 97 games,
their third NL Central title in a row, and advanced to the NLCS. His acquisitions of Jose
Quintana, Andrew Vaughn, Caleb Durbin, Grant Anderson, Quinn Priester, and calling up Jacob
Misiorowski made all the difference. All these moves made by Arnold benefited Milwaukee not
only last season, but in the future as well. Without Matt Arnold in charge, the Brewers wouldn’t
be having this kind of success.
