Brewers showing Pirates how to execute perfect plan with minuscule payroll

As two National League Central rivals battle it out in the NLDS matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates are left to sit and watch from the sidelines. Again.

But as painful as it might be to watch, the Brewers are providing a sort of blueprint for how a small-market, modest-payroll club can punch above its weight and offering plenty of lessons to the Pirates in the process.

When you look at Milwaukee’s success, it’s not a fluke; it’s a confluence of intentional strategy, strong execution and embracing constraints. The Brewers’ luxury-tax payroll in 2025 is around $117 million, which puts them at 23rd in MLB. But while their payroll is lean, weighing in at a fraction of heavy spenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Brewers allocate their money wisely and exhibit strong spending discipline.

The Brewers are also aggressive and creative in trade/deadline markets, acquiring players who are undervalued elsewhere and turning them into contributors. One of the greatest examples of this is former Pirates pitcher Quinn Priester, whom the Brewers acquired via the Boston Red Sox and tweaked his approach to turn him into a solid starter.

Andrew Vaughn was also underperforming with the Chicago White Sox, but he was moved and immediately began producing in Milwaukee. Additionally, relief pitchers like Trevor Megill, Joel Payamps and Nick Mears were all acquired through under-the-radar moves and have become important bullpen pieces for Milwaukee.

The Brewers have a clear identity: play fast, put pressure on the defense and do the little things (infield hits, base running, etc.) well. They lean into defense, speed and zone control – facets of baseball that don’t necessarily require big contracts for slugging stars, but are harder to mess up.

Milwaukee places emphasis on metrics like outs above average and strong defensive indicators – areas where good scouting and coaching can yield big returns without needing mega contracts. Their offense is not predicated on overwhelming power; in fact, they were low in slugging metrics early in the year, but still managed to score a lot via other means like infield hits, strong base running and even making their own luck at times.

The Brewers don’t treat their market size or limitations as excuses but as design constraints. Instead of chasing big free agents always, they focus on process improvement, execution, and marginal edges. They have sometimes lost star players (to free agency or trades) but have attempted to make the organization robust enough that losing a name doesn’t collapse the structure.

Pirates hiding behind budget constraints is holding them back from being a playoff team like the Brewers

The Brewers' model presents lessons for the Pirates, perhaps the most important being not to hide behind a low budget. The Pirates already operate with lower payrolls than many teams (indeed, over the past seven years, the Pirates have spent about $200 million less in payroll than the Brewers did in that same span). But the Brewers’ example shows that constraints don’t have to be a ceiling; they can be a framework for clever design.

If Pittsburgh has not yet fully integrated farm system instruction with the major league philosophy – and it's clear they haven't, given the high number of prospects that either regress or stall out at the Major League level – that’s another area where the Pirates can improve.

The Pirates can also scout and acquire undervalued players aggressively. They might already do this to some extent, but Milwaukee’s success underscores how well it can pay off – finding pitchers or hitters that others have given up on, or tweaking their mechanics or pitch mix, can add wins at low cost.

On the field, Pittsburgh can also lean more into small-ball, base running, infield hits, speed, defense – areas that are less about spending and more about coaching, instincts and execution. Off the field, they can be less afraid to cut or move on from underperforming players. Milwaukee shows that maintaining flexibility is important: if someone isn’t contributing, move them for better fits. You can’t let sunk cost dictate roster rigidity.

Ultimately, Milwaukee is showing that a minuscule payroll isn’t a guarantee of mediocrity. If you build the right process, emphasize undervalued skills and maintain organizational alignment, you can compete. The Pirates can get there, but they will continue to stand in their own way unless they adopt many of these best practices, avoid complacency and build with both realism and ambition.