NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS BREWERS

October 2, 2026

Matt Arnold

Mark Attanasio

American Family Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Mark, could you reflect on what your feelings are, your expectations are going into a postseason series like this one, versus the first time, almost 20 years ago?

MARK ATTANASIO: Yeah, the first time was against the Phillies in 2008. And, look, I was just thrilled to be there in 2008 -- thrilled. We had not been in a playoff since, I think, '82, in 26 years.

So this is very different. So there's a higher expectation -- well, there is an expectation; I'm not sure we had an expectation.

And, by the way, if Mike Cameron didn't slip on a wet field in center field in Philadelphia Phillies, we might have had a different ending.

We always say, we're having champagne dumped on our heads it doesn't get tiring. And I'll say also the anxiety does not go away. I was very relaxed here on Monday and a little more on edge today.

Q. You talked about the higher expectations. Just for either one of you, what is different about this particular team from your perspective than maybe just the last few teams that have gone to the playoffs from here?

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, I think we have a, there's a different edge to this team -- I was talking to Jason Shawger about this yesterday a little bit. He's been here a long time. He's the director of equipment; best in the business.

He has been here for a long time and just being around these types of teams forever. And he's been doing this for a long time.

For me, it's just that different edge that this team has in a unique way. They're bonded together in a really unique way, they're well-balanced in a unique way. And I think they'll be ready.

Q. What have you seen specifically from Kyle Harrison in these last few outings and then this week? And what are sort of the more difficult roster decisions you've had to make or already made?

MATT ARNOLD: I had a bunch of meetings today the last couple of days with Murph and the other guys.

With Harrison on particular, he's had ups and downs this year, certainly. I think what we've seen in the last couple of outings is really good stuff, maybe not the best results at times. But honestly, I think, some really encouraging signs from him, for sure.

And as far as the roster goes, still working through that. We don't have to make that decision until tomorrow morning, but we'll continue to have meetings tonight about that.

Q. When you think about Miz and the conversation around him last year of putting him on the postseason roster and what he did for you, obviously the conversation's really different now. But when you think back to that and what he showed you and just his growth overall, kind of what has that shown of his development and the confidence you guys all have him now?

MATT ARNOLD: I think honestly one off the things that we saw him emerge last year in the playoffs. There were ups and downs as well as a young pitcher, making the All-Star team early at a historically early spot in his career.

And then to emerge the way he did in the playoffs last year I thought was really special. And it really was a platform for him to emerge into what he's become this year. And it's a really special arm. I'm excited to see him in Game 1.

Q. Matt, can you talk about the challenges of bringing in two 21-year-old rookies midseason into very important pieces of the lineup and just having them get acclimated to the big-league level without the team really skipping a beat?

MATT ARNOLD: That's a team effort. Whether it's getting the extensions done on those guys from the start to finish, the draft, the acquisition process to where they are today.

And it takes a long onramp for those things to happen smoothly. That's a credit to those guys both here that created the environment for them to thrive and also our guys in the minor leagues that got them ready. And then also the players doing it themselves.

I think when you put young guys into a position to succeed, they need to be surrounded by good teammates and have a good support staff. I think from the coaches to the players, I think everybody's done a great job getting them assimilated and ready to go.

Q. Matt, will Dustin May be on the NLDS roster?

MATT ARNOLD: We're not done having those conversations. I would say that he's been a big part of what we've been doing here. He's had some good success against the Padres. We'll have that conversation finalized by the end of the day.

Q. Mark, on Opening Day, you said that the organization had sustained a $20 million negative surprise because of the FanDuel more or less going out of business, and you had to pivot your TV program. Looks like Brewers.TV has been very successful this year. So how would you say things worked out net-net?

MARK ATTANASIO: First and most importantly, relative to the fan experience watching it, it was terrific. There wasn't a hitch. I think that starts with Major League Baseball having put a platform in place for all the clubs that about half of us now have had to migrate to our own platform.

Separately, Brian Anderson and the team and everybody in the production truck have always looked to do things better. So we've got drone shots over the ballpark. We've got Dirt Cams, things that -- I'm not used to either view, so that was special.

And our business group has done a terrific job. We've onboarded more streaming clients or customers than we expected. So we didn't have as large a gap as we had projected.

And finally, we were awarded with having a number one rating, I believe, for local of any Major League team. So I guess you'd say lemonade from lemons.

Q. Mark, looking ahead a little bit to this offseason, the league and the owners have been pretty adamant that a salary cap is needed for competitive balance, for teams to feel like they have a chance. When you look at the playoffs, the 1 seeds in both leagues, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee, I think the two smallest markets in baseball. How do you as the owner of the Brewers square those two things when there's clearly a system in place that works for the Brewers at least in the regular season and the league pushing a salary cap?

MARK ATTANASIO: I think Commissioner Manfred's better at addressing the macro in this better than I am. We've always tried to compete here. And, by the way, I believe Tampa has also. But we're into a new season now, so regular season, all good. We'll see how we do in this new season.

Q. Matt, we hear a lot of conversation around this time of year about how the playoffs can be random because it's smaller samples than the regular season. How much randomness do you guys believe there is in these kinds of environments? And do you think there's anything that a team or players or staff can do to cut into that randomness a little bit and give themselves a better shot at success?

MATT ARNOLD: Honestly, I do think there's a good amount of randomness. But also there's an old quote, "Luck is a residue of design." So I feel like we're spending a lot of minutes trying to create our own luck and create processes to make sure that we're putting ourselves in a good position to have success.

So I certainly think you can control some of it, but also it's baseball, and anything can happen.

Q. Matt, William Contreras was not exactly unknown when you signed him. He made the All-Star team in Atlanta when you signed him or when you traded for him. But how did that trade come into focus? Was he a guy that you had targeted for a while? Just take me through how you were able to get a catcher with five years of control who is this good.

MATT ARNOLD: It feels like a long time ago actually. It does. It wasn't that long ago.

But William was a guy that we had targeted for a while. At the time we were targeting catching, and obviously a talented guy that was behind others, and I would say he was on that Braves team, won a World Series, wasn't the regular on the team.

So once we found out there were some things going on there with Oakland and trying to lock in Esteury Ruiz there to the extent that we could, we were just working on what else we could build around, that we were able to access some other pieces even with William.

But, again, that was something that's a credit to the people involved. None of those are just one person. But I think that William has done a tremendous job for us, and I'm thrilled to have him.

MARK ATTANASIO: From an ownership perspective, I think when we first, talking about trading for William, he was somewhat bat-first and I think mostly even a DH maybe in Atlanta. And he's turned into a terrific catcher, by every observable metric -- runners you throw out, even I think he's got the most calls that he's overturned this year. And catches virtually every game. Unbelievable work ethic.

Q. Matt, you're here so often that everything has to go right in the postseason to win a World Series. With that in mind, when you're putting together a postseason roster, are you thinking more about raising the ceiling or raising the floor of the roster? In other words are you kind of trusting potential and stuff knowing it might come with volatility, or do you go for a more kind of consistent reliable player?

MATT ARNOLD: Trying to do both, if you can. Not easy. But I think there are certainly trade-offs, whether it's with decisions you want to make on the roster or in game. There's always trade-offs. And I think we're walking through a lot of different scenarios and seeing what that looks like, versus both in terms of upside and downside and still working through all of them. So it's something that was certainly in the front of our minds, for sure.

Q. Matt, you guys have often had some of the younger rosters in Major League Baseball. When you live in that space like you guys tend to, how do you ensure that from year to year you guys don't excel in the way in the regular season and the postseason the way you guys have?

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, the young players are a ton of fun to have around. I think that's part of our lifeblood is draft, develop, international, whatever that is. We love the acquisition development piece of this.

And Murph does an incredible job making sure that that momentum from the minor leagues comes up to the Big Leagues.

Certainly getting them ready for the big environments is a challenge, but Murph is the right guy to do that for us, and puts them in a spot to succeed. Obviously you want to protect those guys to the extent you can. But on this stage it's really tough.

But from our development group to the big-league coaches and the types of players we have, I think we have a really strong group around them.

Q. Mark, rather than focusing on the macro, I wonder what you think a salary cap would do for the Brewers specifically and how it would help them or hurt them or change the way you guys go about business?

MARK ATTANASIO: The things that I think Matt and I talk about all the time is dealing with the reality of what situation we have. And it's pretty much a full-time job to just deal with the system we have now.

The system has evolved over the past few CBAs. And Matt and his group have done an outstanding job adapting. So we're just focused on the here and now and really haven't thought about -- let's see whatever comes out of that, and then we'll figure out how to address it.

Q. Obviously a great year for you, 103 wins, franchise record. You've been through this playoff run these last few years. What excites you the most about this team? And what's different from this team going into the postseason from your eyes as an owner?

MARK ATTANASIO: So Matt addressed a little of what's different. I'd say now you can see the caliber of the celebrations. This is hard to believe, four division titles in a row, and every year the celebration's gotten a little less festive -- still spirited, but a little less like it's a big surprise.

And I think also the players this year -- Christian Yelich told me when we were in Pittsburgh celebrating that the team is not as, quote, worn out as it was. And some of that is I think we have a young roster that's still on the right side of the aging curve that's aging into what it takes to get through a 162-game season. And I think the guys are more mentally and physically ready this year than they were last year. But my guess is the Padres are, too.

Q. When you think about when Jake Bauers first came into the organization and where he is now, just what comes to mind as far as the journey he has and the year he is having for you guys?

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, really special story, honestly. A credit to the work that he's put in and what he's overcome, because he's been in some dark spots in his career. And I just love the fact that he's having success. Because he deserves it. He really does.

He's put in the work and he's a great guy and deserves all the credit. You could argue he's our team MVP this year. He's done a fantastic job.

Q. I think it's kind of crazy that I don't think we've really talked about Jackson Chourio all day today. Is he just wise beyond his years? He's produced in the playoffs already. What do you see in this guy that just screams superstar or whatever you want to say?

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, in big moments, he shines. I think we all probably have a different story of watching him and doing his thing, and it's really special. For what he's doing at his age is incredible to see what he's doing. And I'm pumped that he's with us.

MARK ATTANASIO: Comes in with a smile every day. Every day.

Q. I want to ask you both about your opponent in this series, the Padres, and you've sort of been on parallel tracks. You're always kind of in the mix every year. They obviously have a bigger payroll, but they've kind of grown into this same area that you are trying to get into the World Series. What do you, I guess, admire about the way that they've been built, and what kind of challenge do they present?

MARK ATTANASIO: You're the architect.

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, I would say they're well-built for sure. They've had a lot of sustained success, and they've done a really good job over there. They continue to put out a juggernaut of a team, in a division -- for them going against the Dodgers is tough, similar to what we have to face in our division as well.

So I do agree with you there. There's certainly a lot of parallels between the two organizations.

Q. Mark, from where you stand, how have you seen them evolve over the years?

MARK ATTANASIO: I look at it most from a business standpoint, from a baseball standpoint and more like a fan, they just went to being a very athletic, dynamic team.

From a business standpoint, Petco used to be half full when we would go, and now it's full every night. I think Peter Seidler really had a vision that he was able to execute on as they were the only team in town to brand -- it's like going to a Broadway show and seeing stars. A brilliant business vision. And sadly, I was friendly with him. I miss him.

Q. Matt, we've seen flashes of Garrett Mitchell over the years, in 2024 had the big home run in Game 2. But haven't had him available consistently. This year obviously making it all the way through. What can you say about the efforts that you guys have made to keep him healthy, the efforts he's made to be healthy this year and the impact he's had on this team?

MATT ARNOLD: Yeah, Garrett doing what he's doing right now is awesome to see. I think it's something he's had to overcome a lot in his career with health.

But great kid that works his tail off and has run into some bad luck over the course of his career. And to see him finally be able to put it together the way he has this year and play regularly has been fantastic.

Q. Mark, do you believe a salary cap would be good for baseball?

MARK ATTANASIO: I'm really going to leave all the macro salary cap questions to Rob because that's above my pay grade here. We're just trying to get to the World Series.

Q. Mark, Matt doesn't claim the spotlight sometimes. I don't know how much he likes to be in the spotlight. So we'll put him there right now. What do you like about, besides the success that he's built, what do you like about the process and the way he does his job since he's ascended to the top spot?

MARK ATTANASIO: We can give Adam a commission here.

(Laughter).

So the results of 103 wins and not only the four division titles in a row but all the banners that you see up there is the result of an incredible man of hard work in building a team, communicating well within that team.

The group of folks in baseball operations all work cohesively as a group, and that goes top to bottom. Not just the analytics people and the research and development people, but how they coordinate with our player development and field staff, all the way down to the lowest level of minor leagues.

From how we train in the Dominican Republic to how we train here, there's a continuity. And just every year, incredible man of hard work and trying to be better.

You can't hang a banner for that. We can all celebrate 103 wins the other night. And we can't hang a banner that says Matt Arnold and baseball ops group have worked tirelessly in player development to get here.

But you don't have the one without the other. It's process and commitment, integrity, work ethic and good communication skills.

He's done an exemplary job of building his staff, and in part by putting people in the best spot to succeed, rather than, if someone's sort of topped out in one area, he thinks about what their best skill set is and repositions them and just keeps building. And I could go on for another 20 minutes on this and would be happy to offline.

Really, from a management standpoint, at Crescent, a firm I built, we invested in well over a thousand companies, and as a manager and executive, Matt's exemplary.

Q. On the note of putting people in the right position to succeed, Pat Murphy's done an exceptional job. What is it about his managerial style that yields such success year after year for you guys?

MARK ATTANASIO: I'll start with, you know, Murph -- we knew him as an exemplary bench coach. He went through a rigorous process that Matt led to decide, okay, is that going to translate? And then what you find is not only did the interviews go extremely well, but having the benefit of his now being here for 10 years, he'll be up here for -- by the way, he's as humble as Matt. He doesn't want us to talk about the shot at getting three Manager of the Year awards. But that's a result of 10 years of hard work here and a career before that, oftentimes developing the kind of young players he's developing here.

So you see him talking to Luis Lara, and you see him talking even to Robert Gasser, who's a little older, and encouraging on the pitching mound, he's basically telling these young players that he has confidence in them and they can do it. And he can say that in a much more effective way than I can.

Also, when it's time to send some tough love, it looks like he's pretty good at that, too. Look, it's certainly worked here.

MATT ARNOLD: Not really much to add to that. He's tremendous, I think, and well rounded in a way where he has a great way about going about his business with the push-pull. He's good at you pushing when you need it and pulling back when you need it as well. He does a fantastic job.