So, to put numbers on it, do you see 84 wins (like the 2025 Reds) as “competitive”? If not, what is the number?
As a reminder, the Cards won 83 in 2024 and we didn’t feel they were competitive, right?
This year, the Brewers won 97. The years before, it was 93 and 92 to win the division. So it seems clear that 90+ is needed to be competitive to win the division.
Lower than that and you are not even competitive enough to win the NLC. It is just more .500-ish Wild Card maneuvering.
I am weary of years of them being in the middle, not really committed to a direction. The messaging for years has been reset/reload/revamp/re-whatever but still try to win. They were not committed enough to making the team better for the long haul. Maybe now that they realize they cannot fool the fans into coming despite a mediocre roster, they will make some tough decisions.
I might even take 71 wins in 2026 (like they did in 2023) if I could see 85 or 90 in 2027 and beyond. After all, they won just 78 this year. 71 vs. 78 is simply the difference between fourth and fifth place. Neither is acceptable.
FWIW, I don’t know where 60 wins came from. That is not likely without a complete blowup, which is not what they said they are doing.
If they can make substantive moves to try to improve and can still be Wild Card competitive, fine, but I am not counting on it. Any moves can’t just be for 2026. Or we’re back to Lynn and Gibson and Monty and Fedde, which helped the team in the last three years but neither got them into the playoffs nor did anything for the long-term health of the franchise.