SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Bucks.
The end of the road in the playoffs, the playoffs earned by the former coach and then squandered away by his replacement. What a staggering difference coaching can make as the ignominious end to this season proved. What is the next bone-headed move to be made by the ownership of this great team? A team of staggering talent and sluggish coaching…and that’s putting it mildly if simply reviewing the results.
Milwaukee Brewers.
What’s the Milwaukee Brewers payroll for this 2024 season? It’s just over a hundred million. The Brewers payroll is a constant point of discussion among many in the fanbase. Some say it’s too low, some say it’s just fine, but no matter what your thought is, it’s going to draw some strong reactions. Throughout the offseason, the Brewers made some major changes to their payroll. They traded away some of their top contracts and overall cut payroll, but payroll isn’t everything in baseball, and the Brewers have proven that in recent years. They rarely have a payroll in the top half of the league and are still regularly competitive. However, this year will be one of their leanest in several years. The Brewers ran a payroll of around $126 million for their roster last season and that payroll has dropped for 2024 to just over the $100 million mark. That’s the lowest since 2017. While the true payroll is subject to change with in-season additions, especially trade deadline acquisitions, the rough estimate at this point is pretty clear.
Only three players will make over $10 million, and only six players will exceed the $5 million mark. While that does match the 2023 season, the bigger change is in the lower end. Last season, the Brewers had 13 players making $3 million or more on the roster during the season. This season, they will start with just nine. They can still compete, but the margin for error may be smaller than usual. However, a lean payroll also means they have room to make in-season moves if the season is a successful one. Christian Yelich is still the highest-paid Brewers player. He’s earning $26MM this year as he will every year on the remainder of his contract, which runs through 2028. The next highest-paid Brewer is Willy Adames with a $12.25MM salary in his 3rd and final year of arbitration. Adames will reach free agency after the 2024 season, where he is expected to land a lucrative long-term contract elsewhere. Rhys Hoskins is the 3rd highest-paid Brewers player. He signed a two-year, $34MM deal this winter that carries a $12MM salary in 2024. Hopefully, with the new coach and lighter payroll, the Brewers can bring home a championship.
The Packers. Really? As the youngest team in the NFL, the pack just got younger with its choices in the draft. For the first time in NFL history, the team will average under 25 years of age on its roster. 23 of the 53 starters are rookies, making that the highest percentage in the NFL. Pretty soon the Packers will be recruiting from high schools around the state, if not the nation.
