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Pain and heartbreak have been the story of baseball in Milwaukee for decades.

Going back to 1958, when the Milwaukee Braves lost the World Series to the New York Yankees, preventing a back-to-back title run. Then, a few years later, the Braves franchise picked up and left for Atlanta. For those old enough to remember, it was devastating. Milwaukee was left heartbroken.

A few years later, in 1970, through the extraordinary efforts of Bud Selig, baseball returned to Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Brewers were born. But for years, the team was terrible. Then young players like Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Gorman Thomas came up through the system and developed into stars.

In 1982, the Brewers finally made the World Series for the first time. They had a great team with multiple Hall of Famers and a 3-2 series lead. But they couldn’t quite finish the job that year. Surely they would be back soon, though, right? Nope. They never made it back. They didn’t even make the playoffs again with that group.

For years, all any Brewers fans have heard about is 1982. The 1982 team gets celebrated consistently; they are the constant historical reminder, the one thing of nostalgia for this franchise to lean on. And that group fell short of bringing that title home, which Yount himself has said he will never get over.

Until now.

The painful journey to get here

They say, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey”.

The ultimate destination has remained the same. The journey, however, has been long, winding, and painful.

After 1982, the Brewers were stuck in a 26-year playoff drought that finally ended in 2008. That 2008 season ended with heartbreak, though, in four games against the eventual champion Phillies. Then 2011, a dramatic walk-off win in the NLDS against the Diamondbacks put the Brewers one step away from the World Series. Then, more heartbreak as the Brewers lost in six games to their hated division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, who also went on to win the World Series. That was the last run with Prince Fielder, and that was the last run for a while.

Collapse in 2014. A rebuild in 2015. Mediocrity all mixed in between.

Then, a new era began in 2018. There was hope, at long last. But that hope just made the heartbreak that much more painful.

Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain were brought in. The Brewers won the NL Central for just the second time ever. They made it to Game 7 of the NLCS, and it was at home. One win away from making it to the World Series. So close you could taste it. Then, the heart gets ripped out. The Dodgers. Chris Taylor. Cody Bellinger. Yasiel Puig.

Then in 2019, Yelich breaks his kneecap, and you have the Trent Grisham heartbreak in Washington, who went on to win the World Series. Then the 2020 Ryon Healy cleanup experience against the Dodgers, who won and went on to win the World Series. Then in 2021, Devin Williams punches a wall, the offense goes cold in Atlanta, and they lose in four to the Braves, who go on to win the World Series. In 2022, a disastrous trade deadline devastates the clubhouse, and they miss the postseason altogether. In 2023, Brandon Woodruff’s shoulder gives out, and they fall in the playoffs to Arizona, who make a run to the World Series. For a time, every single team that eliminated the Brewers in the postseason went on to make or win the World Series.

Then, manager Craig Counsell commits the ultimate betrayal and joins the Cubs after another disappointing postseason. The front office leader David Stearns bolts for New York. The stewards of this organization, who brought it sustained success, were leaving for greener pastures.

In 2024, the heartbreak and gut punch of Pete Alonso will never be forgotten and may have been the worst of them all. It was Bob Uecker’s final call, and his death a few months later made the sting all the more painful.

In 2025, the Brewers felt like they could be a team of destiny. Another NL Central title, an emotional defeat of Counsell and the Cubs in the NLDS, but they got smacked down by the Goliath Dodgers in the NLCS in a sweep. Yet again, more heartbreak.

That journey, that long, painful journey, has steeled this team and this fanbase and is what makes this World Series title the ultimate satisfaction.

A World Series that means everything

“We have arrived at a moment we will talk about for a lifetime.”

Those are the words from Brewers play-by-play voice Brian Anderson in a hype video put together by the team before Game 1. This team, these players, these moments, we will talk about for the rest of our lives. These are the moments we will tell our children and grandchildren about. Like our parents and grandparents told us about 1982.

After a lifetime of hearing stories about Cecil Cooper, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Jim Gantner, Gorman Thomas, Don Sutton, and Ted Simmons. We will now get to tell the stories about Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, Jacob Misiorowski, Robert Gasser, Aaron Ashby, and Cooper Pratt.

Years of mediocrity. A 100-loss season, being desperate just for a .500 ballclub, going 12 straight years without one. Desperate for any sign of a positive direction.

Homegrown stars have come and gone, in search of bigger paychecks. A few have stayed, but most leave in free agency or are traded before they can do so. Fan favorites gone in the blink of an eye.

Despite all of that, Brewers fans stood by their team, waiting, trusting that this day would finally come. Keep taking bites at the apple, we were told, and one year, that whole apple would be ours. That one day we would wake up, and the Brewers would be World Series champions.

A lifetime of being told that we’re not good enough, not big enough, not rich enough to deserve a World Series. Years of being bullied by large-market teams like the Dodgers, being little-brothered by the Cubs, being taken out by the Cardinals.

This is a lifetime of fandom resulting in one moment where finally, our team is at the top. A lifetime of heartbreak, searching for the right one, the right team that will take us to the mountaintop. To baseball nirvana. To baseball immortality. At long last, that moment is here.

Pain and heartbreak have been all we’ve ever known as Brewers fans.

Not anymore.

At long last, the pain and heartbreak have led to joy and exuberance. At long last, the suffering on the journey has finally led to the destination. At long last, we’ve bitten the whole apple.

At long last, the Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions.

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished the season with an 82-80 record. The highlight from this year’s team was the offense but the starting pitching was still solid this season. The question is should the Pirates add a veteran free agent arm for next season?

The answer in my mind is yes, Pittsburgh absolutely needs to add experience and depth to that starting rotation. This is still a mostly young rotation with Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler. Mitch Keller is one of the older starters on the club at 30 years old, so this is a very young group. 

Ashcraft was arguably the top pitcher for the Bucs with a 14-6 record and a 3.65 ERA. While Skenes finished with a 10-11 record 3.82 ERA. While both Keller and Jones missed serious time with injuries. 

The first veteran pitcher I think the Pirates should look at is Nick Martinez from the Tampa Bay Rays. Martinez helped lead the Rays to the World Series, where he had a 3.10 ERA over 31 starts while earning his first career All-Star nod in 2026. He doesn’t miss a ton of bats, but he averaged an MLB-low 1.30 walks per nine innings this year. 

 The 36-year-old Martinez has a $20 million mutual option for 2027, but he seems likely to decline it and pursue a multi-year deal in free agency this offseason.

Another Pitcher is Michael King from the San Diego Padres. King might be a little pricy, but I think he is worth it. The 31-year-old veteran is widely expected to opt out of the three-year, $75 million contract he signed with the Padres last December and re-enter free agency this winter. King struggled to stay healthy in 2025, but he bounced back to post a 3.21 ERA over 32 starts for San Diego this season.

There are other names like Freddy Peralta and Tarik Skubal, but those guys will probably be the most expensive starters on the market. The Bucs do have a good starting rotation, but if they add these names or another veteran arm I think it will improve that unit and the team. 

I understand some of these pitchers might be a little expensive, but this needs to be the offseason where the front office spends money. There is a lot of young potential with this club, and you don’t want to waste it 

The Athletic | Jim Bowden ($): Bowden gives us his picks for the top 40 free agents’ landing spots, and most interestingly he projects NPB’s Teruaki Sato as likely to sign with either the Yankees or Red Sox after his posting. Sato, 27, is coming off a .991 OPS with the Hanshin Tigers, launching 39 home runs and probably being a better option at third base than Ryan McMahon. The Yankees don’t have the best track record when it comes to signing Japanese stars lately, but a successful pursuit of Sato would be a big boost.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: We’re going to hear a lot of whinging about “competitive balance” as owners and the MLBPA battle out a contentious CBA negotiation this winter. Despite the fact that two of baseball’s smallest markets are facing each other in the World Series, we’ll still be told that baseball’s a game you pay to win, and therefore we need a salary cap. The other great counter to this argument is what’s perennially the toughest division in baseball to win, the AL East. In the last three seasons three different teams have taken the division, with the Rays atop this year, the Blue Jays winning the tiebreaker over the Yankees in 2025, and the Yankees winning outright the season before. If the meat grinder in the east can stay “balanced” without an existing cap, why can’t the rest of baseball?

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees are once again in the position of having a few too many first base/DH types on the roster, with Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, Luis García Jr., Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton all under contract for next year and all expected to get time at one or both of those positions. One way to unstick some of these knots is if García Jr. can play a competent second base. He was quite bad at the position in 2025, not playing an inning there this year, but he’s strong enough coming in and going to his left that perhaps pairing him with someone like George Lombard Jr. at shortstop could hide some of those other weaknesses.

The Milwaukee Brewers have won the World Series for the first time in the franchise's 57-year history.

They beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in game five in Florida on Wednesday to clinch a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven Fall Classic.

The Brewers, whose only previous appearance in the World Series came in 1982, are based in Major League Baseball's smallest market and this year had the 19th highest payroll of its 30 teams.

But for the second straight year, the Brewers finished the regular season with MLB's best record and they then proved their class with a dominant run in the play-offs.

They avenged last season's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series by sweeping the two-time defending champions.

That secured a spot in the 123rd World Series, where the Brewers became MLB champions with 11 wins from 13 games in the postseason.

Milwaukee's William Contreras was named the World Series' most valuable player, with the 28-year-old becoming the eighth catcher to win the award and the third Venezuelan.

The Brewers won the first two games in Wisconsin and then the first in Florida, before the Rays, who were the American League's top seed, took it to game five.

Milwaukee went ahead at the top of the second inning as a single from Cooper Pratt sent Brice Turang home, before they added another run in the fifth off a David Hamilton hit.

The Brewers doubled their lead in their next at-bat through a double from Contreras and Pratt's sacrifice fly.

Milwaukee starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski left the game in the sixth inning and the Rays finally got on the scoreboard in the ninth as Chandler Simpson sent Liam Hicks home off a double.

The Brewers entered MLB in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, but the franchise moved to Milwaukee after only one season.

• Fastest pitch in World Series history as Brewers win opener

Phillies' rotation is set, but they can't procrastinate on adding depth originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

When the Phillies optioned Andrew Painter to Triple-A in June, they did not simply create an opening in their starting rotation.

They exposed what sat behind it.

Alan Rangel received the first opportunity, occasionally working behind an opener before making three starts of his own. Brian Keller made his major-league debut as the bulk pitcher behind Tim Mayza.

Across the 16 games not started by Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola or Painter, the Phillies went 2-14.

Nine of those games began with Mayza, Zach Pop, Tanner Banks or Kyle Backhus serving as an opener, making average innings per start a misleading comparison. The pitchers used in the starting slot still combined for a 7.01 ERA and 1.85 WHIP.

The arrangement placed additional strain on a bullpen that already lacked enough dependable arms.

The situation stabilized when Painter returned July 31. He posted a 3.65 ERA over his final 11 starts, including a 3.27 mark with 44 strikeouts in 41⅓ innings across his final seven.

Painter’s finish, along with Nola’s second-half rebound, gives the Phillies a complete projected rotation entering 2027. Nola followed a 5.75 first-half ERA with a 3.34 ERA after the All-Star break.

“I’m not sure there are too many clubs in baseball that like their starting rotation better than ours,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said at the Phillies’ end-of-season press conference. “That’s a very good place to start.”

The Phillies do not need another pitcher who requires a permanent rotation spot. They need someone who can begin the season in the bullpen, cover multiple innings and make a start without requiring several weeks to build up.

Spencer Turnbull filled that role in 2024 after signing a one-year, $2 million contract. He replaced an injured Taijuan Walker in the rotation and recorded a 1.67 ERA over six starts before returning to the bullpen.

A shoulder injury ended Turnbull’s season, but the construction of the signing worked. The Phillies used one roster spot to cover two areas of their pitching staff.

When Wheeler’s 2025 season ended because of venous thoracic outlet syndrome, the Phillies signed Walker Buehler to a minor-league contract two days after the Red Sox released him. He joined the rotation in September and pitched well, recording a 0.66 ERA over 13⅔ innings between two starts and one relief appearance.

The Phillies returned to the same late-season market in 2026 after not adding comparable depth over the winter.

They signed Nestor Cortes on Aug. 19 even though the veteran left-hander had not pitched in a professional game all year. Cortes eventually made three appearances for Lehigh Valley but never reached the majors.

After Luzardo went on the injured list with shoulder inflammation in September, the Phillies claimed José Urquidy off waivers from the White Sox. He provided 7⅓ innings over two appearances but was ineligible for the postseason.

For the second straight year, the Phillies were searching for rotation help in the middle of a playoff race.

Dombrowski made the distinction when discussing the club’s offseason priorities.

“It’s not starting pitching. It’s starting-pitching depth,” he said. “We’ll get some more starting-pitching depth.”

The upper-level alternatives Philadelphia used last season offered little reassurance.

Rangel finished with a 5.88 ERA over 26 major-league innings and a 5.58 ERA at Triple-A. Keller allowed one run over three innings in his lone appearance for Philadelphia but posted a 6.62 ERA in 17 starts for Lehigh Valley.

Chuck King was the only IronPigs pitcher to make at least 10 starts and finish with an ERA below 5.00. Tucker Davidson, Drake Fellows, Ryan Cusick, Bryse Wilson and Keller each finished above that mark.

What about their top pitching prospect?

Gage Wood should not be the immediate answer

Gage Wood could change the organization’s pitching depth during the season, but his development should not be rushed.

The Phillies’ 2025 first-round selection finished his first full professional season with a 4.36 ERA and 139 strikeouts over 95 innings. He began with Single-A Clearwater, skipped High-A and finished with the Double-A Reading club.

Wood has made only 26 professional starts and has never pitched at Triple-A.

His strikeout and walk numbers remained impressive during the second half, but his results became less consistent. Wood posted a 5.05 ERA over his final 12 starts, allowing opponents a .768 OPS. He also struck out 74 and walked only 13 in 51⅔ innings.

Painter’s season showed why the Phillies need room to make development decisions without weakening their major-league staff. His six weeks with Lehigh Valley allowed him to correct his delivery and rediscover his fastball, but the demotion left Philadelphia scrambling for innings.

Adding a veteran would allow Wood’s performance to determine when he reaches the majors.

So, who’s out there?

Four possible fits

Ryan Yarbrough offers the clearest low-cost fit.

The left-hander, who turns 35 in December, made 38 appearances for the Yankees in 2026 and finished with a 3.69 ERA over 63⅓ innings. He started twice, recorded three saves and regularly worked more than three outs.

Yarbrough’s fastball velocity ranked near the bottom of the league, but opponents produced a 25 percent hard-hit rate against him, the lowest rate in the majors. His 3.39 expected ERA was also lower than his actual mark.

He has made 78 career starts and earned $2.5 million last season. Another one-year contract between $3 million and $5 million would represent a reasonable estimate after his 2026 performance. He also has considerable postseason experience, making eight appearances in October.

Cal Quantrill would carry the strongest recent results and the largest price.

After recording a 4.98 ERA in 2024 and a 6.04 ERA in 2025, Quantrill returned to Texas on a minor-league contract. He went 9-5 with a 2.86 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 110 innings, posting a 2.47 ERA in 15 starts and a 3.78 ERA across 17 relief appearances.

A lat strain ended his season in September, but his performance should produce opportunities that were unavailable last winter. Quantrill may receive a guaranteed rotation spot elsewhere, and a one-year contract in the mid-to-high single-digit millions — or a multiyear offer at a similar annual value — appears possible.

Erick Fedde handled the most balanced workload of the group.

The right-hander threw 141 innings for the White Sox, nearly dividing them between 15 starts and 18 relief appearances. He posted a 3.86 ERA from the rotation and a 3.80 mark out of the bullpen.

Fedde earned $1.5 million last season. His workload should lead to a raise, although a 4.79 expected ERA and 16.3 percent strikeout rate could limit his market. A one-year deal between $4 million and $7 million would reflect the value of his versatility without pricing him as an established starter.

Drew Anderson would be the most expensive option, if he becomes available.

Originally selected by the Phillies in the 21st round of the 2012 draft, Anderson appeared in the majors for Philadelphia during parts of three seasons from 2017-19. After spending two years in Japan and then two in Korea, the right-hander returned to the majors with Detroit and posted a 3.67 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 114 strikeouts over 108 innings. He made 49 appearances, including 11 starts, and recorded two saves.

Anderson was particularly effective when the Tigers moved him into the rotation, posting a 2.61 ERA over 51⅔ innings as a starter. His 4.46 FIP in those games and 11 percent walk rate provide some reason for caution, but he missed more bats than the other pitchers in this group.

Detroit holds a $10 million club option for 2027 after paying Anderson $7 million last season. His performance gives the Tigers a strong reason to exercise it. If they decline, Anderson’s ability to start, pitch in relief and generate strikeouts would likely place his price closer to the option value than the lower-cost tier occupied by Yarbrough and Fedde.

The Phillies have more expensive needs this winter. Their offense needs another right-handed hitter, their bullpen requires multiple additions and the infield could look different by Opening Day.

A pitcher from this group would give Don Mattingly a multi-inning option when the rotation is intact and a traditional starter when it is not.

After spending the last two stretch runs searching for available innings, the Phillies should address that job before another injury forces them back into the market.