Considering a best bet for the Milwaukee Brewers 2020 win total

Last season was one of massive disappointment for the Milwaukee Brewers, who couldn’t catch the Cardinals in the NL Central and thus were forced to play the Nationals in the Wild Card game. They would fall by a score of 4-3 after a miscue in the outfield by Trent Grisham led to three runs scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning. It’s part of the potential cruelty of playing in a Wild Card game, after winning 89 games during the regular season to have your season end in on a simple error. The Brewers were very busy this offseason making a number of moves to once again be a force in the NL Central.

Additions

SP Brett Anderson
SP Eric Lauer
SP Josh Lindblom
RP Eric Yardley
C Omar Narvaez
1B Justin Smoak
2B Eric Sogard
2B Jedd Gyorko
INF Luis Urías
OF Avisaíl García

Subtractions

SP Chase Anderson
SP Jordan Lyles
SP Gio Gonzalez
SP Zach Davies
RP Drew Pomeranz
RP Junior Guerra
C Yasmani Grandal
OF Mike Moustakas
OF Eric Thames
OF Trent Grisham

Offseason news

One of the Brewers biggest needs depth in their rotation. They somewhat addressed this in the offseason. After trading Chase Anderson and Zach Davies, the team acquired Eric Lauer, who was the Opening Day starter for the Padres last year, and signed Brett Anderson and Josh Lindblom. They’ll join Brandon Woodruff and Adrian Houser in the rotation which is serviceable but once again will not be the team’s strength.

The biggest departure from the Brewers came early in the offseason, when Yasmani Grandal took his talents to Chicago to join the White Sox. Despite having James McCann, the White Sox signed Grandal to a four-year $73 million contract. Replacing 28 home runs and 77 RBI from the catcher position certainly isn’t easy but they did grab Omar Narvaez via trade from the Mariners. While he’s not the same player, he will keep some pop at this position after belting 22 home runs through 132 games last season. He’ll likely platoon with Manny Pina, who’ll draw starts against lefties.

Avisail Garica is a name to watch on this team. He’s one of the most underrated outfielders in the game and his presence will allow Ryan Braun to shift more of his playing time at first base, especially with Eric Thames no longer in the mix. Garcia slashed .282/.332/.464 with 20 home runs, 72 RBI and 10 stolen bases through 125 games with the Rays in 2019. While it wasn’t a “big name” get, Brewers fans will quickly know who he is and will help ease the burden of having lost Mike Moustakas to the Reds.

Finally, a name to keep an eye on is Luis Urias, who was the big name heading to the Brewers in the trade that saw them ship out Trent Grisham and Zach Davies. While Urias hasn’t shown the promise we’ve seen from him in the minors, he’s still only 22-years-old. In his final stop at Triple-A, Urias slashed .315/.398/.600 with 19 home runs in 73 games. For a team that is boasting some impressive power to being with and a prospect whose potential has yet to be fully tapped into, he could be a difference-maker.

Best bet

Even with the number of losses they endured from their active roster, the Brewers did quite a commendable job at rebuilding their roster to be extremely competitive. Their pitching staff will give them problems, no doubt. However, I think the NL Central isn’t going to be as strong as we’ve seen in the past and the Brewers, amongst the other four teams, look to be one of the better-built teams. Currently set at 82.5 wins on DraftKings Sportsbook, I’ll be looking to take the over on their win total.

Brewers OVER 82.5 wins

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA) or 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN) or 1-800-522-4700 (NH). NH/NJ/WV/IN/PA only. 21+ (18+ NH). Eligibility Restrictions Apply. See website for details.