If you’re going to consistently win in baseball with a below-average payroll, you’re going to have to be smart. And both the Brewers and Rays are very smart.
Both have also had excellent farm systems for several years. The Rays ranked first in BA’s midseason farm system talent rankings, while the Brewers ranked third. Tampa Bay has been top 10 in the farm system rankings for the past eight seasons. Milwaukee has ranked second, eighth and second in the past three years.
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Now, these two successful clubs are set to match up in the 2026 World Series beginning Friday night. But the ways they have each gotten there are very different. Both teams build from within, yes, but their approaches to doing so are actually quite varied.
Brewers: Homegrown With Help
The Brewers are the epitome of how a team can succeed with a homegrown core, supplemented by savvy trades. Six of the team’s top 10 position players this postseason were either drafted by the Brewers or originally signed by them internationally.
Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and Brice Turang were all first-round picks. And Cooper Pratt (2023, sixth round), Aaron Ashby (2018, fourth round), Logan Henderson (2021, fourth round) and Jacob Misiorowski (2022, second round) were relatively high picks, as well.
But they weren’t all traditional. Pratt was a rare sixth-round high school draftee—one of only four in the sixth round that year. Meanwhile, Henderson, Ashby and Misiorowski were all drafted out of junior colleges, a path that fewer teams are tapping in the draft these days.
The Brewers’ international scouting and development has been just as impressive. Abner Uribe (a 2018 international signee), Jackson Chourio (2021 signee) and Luis Lara (2022 signee) are all key parts of the team. And with international signee Jesús Made ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball, there is more on the way.
But the Brewers have also done extremely well in trades. Somehow, Milwaukee managed to insert itself into the Braves-Athletics trade that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta and three pitching prospects (Kyle Muller, Royber Salinas and Freddy Tarnok) to the A’s. By sending outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz to the A’s, the Brewers landed William Contreras from the Braves.
Contreras benefited from the Brewers’ excellent work at improving catcher defense. He quickly became one of the best catchers in the National League and has made three all-star teams. Ruiz, the prospect the Brewers gave up, stole 67 bases for the A’s in 2023, but he has been a below-zero WAR player for his MLB career.
Similarly, Christian Yelich came from the Marlins for four prospects, none of whom panned out for Miami.
Rays: Always Making Moves
The Rays’ approach has been somewhat different. Tampa Bay consistently has a top-tier farm system in part because they are always churning veterans off the roster and replacing them with younger (and less expensive) prospects.
Of the 14 Rays hitters on the roster this postseason, only shortstop Taylor Walls, first baseman Jonathan Aranda and outfielder Chandler Simpson originally signed with the organization. Ian Seymour is the only member of the Rays’ postseason pitching staff who was drafted or signed originally by the club.
But the Rays’ willingness to continually make moves and take risks in deals can pay off big.
Liam Hicks was a relatively significant trade acquisition at the deadline, as the Rays sent three prospects to Miami. Drew Rasmussen was part of a big swap when Willy Adames was sent to the Brewers. The Griffin Jax–Taj Bradley trade also was a relative blockbuster.
This Rays belief in their ability to develop players at the MLB level played a role in the Freddy Peralta trade at the deadline this year, too. Because he had struggled so much with the Mets, the Rays were able to acquire him for three solid, but non-top 10 prospects. Peralta continued to struggle for his first four starts with the Rays, but since then, he’s been one of the best starters in the league and went on to be named the ALCS MVP.
Ultimately, much of this Tampa Bay World Series roster was acquired in trades that seemed modest at the time but turned into quite significant acquisitions.
The Rays acquired Junior Caminero in a 40-man roster logjam deal that sent Tobias Meyers to the Guardians. Caminero had yet to play in the U.S. at the time, and the success rate for acquiring Dominican Summer League prospects is quite low, so there wasn’t much to expect. But in Caminero’s case, it has paid off in the largest way possible.
Yandy Diaz was acquired from the Guardians for now-Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers. Closer Brian Baker came from the Orioles for a competitive balance draft pick. Ryan Vilade was a simple cash deal with the Reds as Cincinnati cleared a roster spot. Victor Mesa Jr. was acquired from the Marlins in a minor deal after Miami designated him for assignment.
Something In Common
Clearly, these two teams approach roster building through different lenses despite being lumped together often for being small-market clubs. But the Brewers and Rays do have something in common when it comes to roster construction: MLB free agency does not play a significant role in how they find talent.
Catcher Gary Sánchez is the only MLB free agent on Milwaukee’s roster. On the other side, outfielder Cedric Mullins, lefthander Steven Matz and righthander Nick Martinez are the only Rays who were signed as MLB free agents.
Both the Brewers and Rays are astute, savvy clubs when it comes to how they build their rosters. They may do it in different ways, but it’s their shared ability to spot hidden talent and develop it that has them playing for a World Series championship.
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