It has been a long time since there was this much optimism surrounding the Milwaukee Brewers. The last time the franchise made the playoffs was in 2011 after an offseason that included the significant additions of Shawn Marcum and Zack Greinke. That team went on to win a club-record 96 games, defeated the Diamondbacks in a five-game NLDS on a walk-off hit in the deciding contest, and came within two games of making the World Series.
Fans around Milwaukee had been lulled into a rebuilding slumber during the 2015 and 2016 seasons as the club won 68 and 73 games and openly tore apart the MLB roster.