Reds fans are watching their rival master the plan Cincinnati can’t crack

This past weekend, the Milwaukee Brewers, a group of “average Joes,” swept the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers on the march to the best record in baseball as of July 23. The David vs. Goliath battle was even more impressive when you consider that L.A.’s payroll is literally triple Milwaukee’s and that $30 million of the Brewers’ roughly $113 million payroll is currently on the injured list. As the Brewers surge toward their fourth division title in five seasons, the Cincinnati Reds can only sit back and observe.

Both Milwaukee and Cincinnati are considered small-market clubs. While the Reds’ front office seems to consider that an Achilles’ heel, the Brewers’ brass finds ways to win. The key difference is in their approach to player acquisition.

While the Reds lean heavily on their farm system, which has led to some success, the Brewers have been content to make shrewd deals and part ways with both prospects and established vets.

The small-market Reds need to take a cue from the bold and aggressive Brewers

Much of this philosophy comes from former general manager David Stearns. He engineered the Christian Yelich deal and traded former first rounder Trent Grisham to bring in Luis Urías and Eric Lauer. Matt Arnold, who followed Stearns as GM and later president of baseball operations, continued the successful deals by organizing the trades that brought William Contreras and Caleb Durbin, now key pieces, into the fold.

When the Crew has run into a talented homegrown addition, the team has been quick to invest. Jackson Chourio, Aaron Ashby, Freddy Peralta, and even Ryan Braun inked long-term deals within a year or so of their MLB debut. In fact, Chourio signed on before he played a major league game.

The Brewers are hoping to continue the trend with breakout rookie Jacob Misoriowski. These signings represent tremendous savings; Peralta, whose market value is $22 million AAV according to Spotrac, is making just $8.1 million this season with another $8 million club option for 2026.

There’s nothing preventing the Reds from using a similar strategy to build a contender. They have a wealth of high-level prospects to entice other clubs into trades, and a number of their homegrown stars are great extension candidates. These approaches, though, would require Nick Krall to be bold, something he has been loath to do.

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