3 Solutions to Milwaukee Brewers' Biggest Trade Deadline Need

[Jake McKibbin]

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The bullpen has been a source of pride for the Milwaukee Brewers across their recent run of division dominance. Since 2018, they've had Corey Knebel, Josh Hader, Devin Williams, Jeremy Jeffress, Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe for long stretches of team control, and it's made Milwaukee one of the toughest teams in the league against which to come from behind. This season, however, things are looking shakier.

Aaron Ashby is finding the strike zone less than ever. Chad Patrick has lost the feel for his cutter. Jared Koenig has lost his velocity—and his very place on the roster. Grant Anderson has held his own, but is more of a middle-relief arm than a truly dominant one. The Brewers are lacking one or two playoff-calibre arms for (perhaps) the first time since 2018, and that could hurt them in October.

They're one injury to Trevor Megill or Abner Uribe away from having very little reliable quality in the bullpen; that's something they should be looking to address this month. While typically the Brewers dab around the edges at the deadline, often gambling on health (which hasn't worked out so well of late) or taking more middling arms, they should be looking for an arm they can trust in a big-game situation. They should target someone who wouldn't be out of place covering multiple roles, but who has upside akin to what Megill, Uribe, and the best version of Ashby offer.

They may have to get comfortable with a slight overpay in this situation. The market is condensed; few teams view themselves as truly out of contention. As of right now, only seven teams are 6 or more games back of the Wild Card spots in each league:

• Cincinnati Reds
• San Francisco Giants
• Colorado Rockies
• New York Mets
• Los Angeles Angels
• Oakland/Sacramento/Wherever-they-are-now A's
• Kansas City Royals

None of these teams have gotten where they are today with extremely effective pitching departments, but that doesn't mean there aren't some very interesting candidates. More options may emerge should the race for the playoffs gain more separation, with teams like the Padres, Astros, Blue Jays and Tigers all in limbo at the moment, and with some bigger pieces to covet. For now, though, let's take a look at the biggest relievers available from the seven teams realistically out of playoff contention.

1. Luke Weaver - New York Mets
On all the teams definitely in trade mode, Luke Weaver is the biggest available prize. He's pitched in big playoff games for the Yankees, putting up a 1.76 ERA in 15 innings during their 2024 run to the World Series, and he's been lights-out this season. 

Using a high release point, Weaver averages 19" of induced vertical break on his four-seam fastball, though that's about average for his slot. The plus point is his command of the pitch, which approaches elite territory, and hitters have slugged just .242 against it this year. He complements the 95-MPH fastball with a 90-MPH cutter/slider and an 88-MPH changeup that's the prize of the bunch. Both secondaries have 30%+ whiff rates this season, with diverse movement that allows him to be essentially platoon-neutral.

The 0.82 WHIP says it all. This is a 2.02 ERA that's well-earned, and Weaver is very comfortable producing in October. He is under club control next year as well, and won't come cheap, but the Brewers could do with additional bullpen reinforcement next year, too. Overall, of any pitchers on the market, this is the one who screams "closer" in October. Tough to hit, limits free passes, and swing-and-miss when he wants it: he's a reliable arm that can immediately turn the Brewers pen from "okay" to "Okayyyyyyyyyy!"

2. Antonio Senzatela - Colorado Rockies
It's about time people stopped referring to Senzatela as "under-the-radar". Everyone in baseball has seen how effective the Rockies' former starter has been this year, and more so, he's doing it in a very Brewers-y way. Senzatela has added a harder cutter to his repertoire, which has removed some of the pressure on his four-seamer. As a result, his three-fastball mix has overpowered hitters, and that's all coming while pitching half of his game in Coors Field.

If you want someone with a big fastball, capable of covering multiple innings while also looking comfortable closing out games, Senzatela might be the most coveted asset on the market. Using PitchProfiler's comparison graphic, we can see just how much his pitch usage has changed since last year:

Having even close to average fastball stuff+ ratings is impressive, given where he's pitching, but the cutter has been more than just a swing-and-miss pitch. It's missed barrels repeatedly; the average exit velocity against it of just 84.4 mph is telling. Senzatela's contract contains a club option for next year—albeit an expensive one, at $14 million. 

The other interesting part of this is the Rockies front office. Not the strongest outfit in terms of analytics, what they search for in a return may be less rational or explainable. Each front office will evaluate a player differently, and this is a new group that seems to be a bit more competent than its predecessor, but the Rockies are still on any list of the handful of teams you'd most like to trade with, all else being equal.

Senzatela will be traded this season. He looks primed for a big role in the postseason. Will it be with the Milwaukee Brewers?

3. Matt Strahm - Kansas City Royals
For the final pick, in the absence of truly top-shelf relievers among the teams who are out of contention, why not look at someone with depleted value at present but with stronger underlying metrics and a history of performance that belies his first half this year? Former Phillies reliever Matt Strahm has a fun ERA of 7.24 with the Royals this season, but while he's lost a tick of velocity on the fastball, it's not enough to suggest this level of regression. Unlike Weaver and Senzatela, Strahm represents more of a rebound candidate than a finished product,

The four-seamer/slider combo from a low left-handed arm slot would add something new to the Brewers pen. They lack a left-handed sidearmer akin to Grant Anderson. Strahm also gets real outlier movement on the fastball from his release height, and it was one of the best fastballs from a relief pitcher by run value from 2023-2025. Losing a tick of velocity shouldn't have made it regress this much; this feels salvegeable.

In metric form, he's averaging 17" of induced vertical break and 13.5" of run from a 29° arm slot, which is almost unheard of. That combination creates unusually difficult angles for hitters, particularly against left-handed batters, and results in a lot of hitters getting underneath the ball and/or getting jammed. He's still managing contact well on the four-seamer and generating swing-and-miss when he wants it, and there's been no change in how often he finds the strike zone, but his slider has regressed. There may be an obvious reason why. Again, we're using Jeremy Maschino's pitcher comparison model:

In 2025, Strahm was using his cutter often as a bridge pitch, and barely threw his changeup. It made his slider more difficult to pick out of the hand compared with the cutter, and both pitches did a great job of managing contact. This season, with the addition of the changeup, Strahm's fastball is playing better, but the slider has been hit hard.

There is a location element to this, too. Strahm has left a lot of sliders up and over the middle of the plate compared to last season, when he dotted the outside corner to right-handers almost with impunity. Command will play as big a role as any pitch change, and I should point out that while Strahm has an ERA of 7.24, his expected ERA is below 4.00, so there has been an element of bad luck in there.

Strahm would be more of a bet on past performance, but his funky release point, deceptive delivery and ability to mitigate hard contact could be invaluable in the playoffs—especially against dangerous left-handed hitters. Could he be a good buy-low option for the Brewers?

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What do you think of my rankings? Would you have added any other players from these seven teams that fit the criteria of a trusted October arm? let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Also, do check out our 2026 trade deadline symposium of potentially available players here!

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[tmwiese55]

Weaver seems a perfect fit other than the contract, not exactly something MKE usually does.  However, you could probably talk yourself into a logic of getting him and keeping him for next year could open up trading Megill in the offseason if the return is right.  I'd just keep both in that scenario since at the next deadline you'll just be looking for someone like Megill anyway, but its not my money.  I suppose lockout concerns could be a factor on how they handle either of these contracts but I don't know enough details.  You do free up Woodys 22ish mil for next year though. 

Perhaps to increase prospect return from us they can talk the Mets into chipping in some money 

[MilwaukeeBeers]

Bullpen arms are just so finicky and we have had terrible luck with our acquisitions since Drew Pomeranz. Call me a prospect hugger but I do not want to trade anyone with the top ten this deadline unless it is for a controllable impact bat. 

Matt Strahm interests me in the fact that he is pitching much better than results have shown. He would most likely be a pure salary dump for the Royals at this point and not require a top 40 org prospect. 

[Brewcrew82]

I like Senzatela, but really feels like he runs a bit too coterminous with Patrick. 

I would lean more towards a one inning type of guy that you can use in the late innings alongside Uribe and Megill. Preferably a lefty. AJ Minter perhaps? 

Of course, Luke Weaver may not be a lefty but he would definitely form a shutdown trio with Uribe and Megill. 

[Trax]

With any incoming player it all comes down to comp for me.

 

I don't like giving up top prospects and I am not an all in for a rental guy unless the cost is reasonable.

[Jake McKibbin]

4 hours ago, MilwaukeeBeers said:

Bullpen arms are just so finicky and we have had terrible luck with our acquisitions since Drew Pomeranz. Call me a prospect hugger but I do not want to trade anyone with the top ten this deadline unless it is for a controllable impact bat. 

Matt Strahm interests me in the fact that he is pitching much better than results have shown. He would most likely be a pure salary dump for the Royals at this point and not require a top 40 org prospect. 

Absolutely, he's a real buy low candidate with a proven track record, he adds something different to the rest of the Brewers pen and I don't think I've heard anyone else mentioning him.

His last few games haven't gone to plan, but the under the radar-ness screams 2023-2025  Brewers trade deadline 

3 hours ago, Trax said:

With any incoming player it all comes down to comp for me.

 

I don't like giving up top prospects and I am not an all in for a rental guy unless the cost is reasonable.

I don't think for a reliever any of these guys will be top prospect cost, but Weaver will probably be a fringe top 100 arm to acquire, and maybe an organisational 8/12/20 sort of trade? That's not specific to those players, but just  general idea as to what he's maybe cost given the control next year, but obviously at $11m too

[wiguy94]

I still think a vet SP is the biggest need and if you add one of those it also makes the bullpen look stronger with one of Gasser, Drohan, or Sproat shifting into the pen.

[Jake McKibbin]

16 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

I still think a vet SP is the biggest need and if you add one of those it also makes the bullpen look stronger with one of Gasser, Drohan, or Sproat shifting into the pen.

It depends the type of vet. I'm really sold on the idea of someone you feel comfortable with in the playoffs, and if everyone stays healthy, two of those three guys will be in the pen at least in a playoff series.

If it's a vet you feel comfortable in a win or go home playoff game, absolutely!

[Harold Hutchison]

I'm reluctant to deal for a top reliever as well.

First, Craig Yoho's looked better in this latest stint, and only got lit up when he went out for a second inning against the Marlins. So, we have one potential in-house solution. Second, I think McCullers might also help out as a multi-inning arm (Eckersley reinvented as a closer, so did Smoltz).

Finally, there are some starters the Brewers could bring up to bolster the bullpen (Burnes/Woodruff in 2018, Misiorowski in 2025, etc.).

I might pick up the phone to see what bringing Freddy Peralta back from the Mets might cost (Dylan O'Rae and Brock Wilken would be a good package to offer, maybe throw in a rookie-league pitcher or two). Bolster the rotation, move Drohan back to the pen (where he dominated).

[Jake McKibbin]

11 hours ago, Harold Hutchison said:

I'm reluctant to deal for a top reliever as well.

First, Craig Yoho's looked better in this latest stint, and only got lit up when he went out for a second inning against the Marlins. So, we have one potential in-house solution. Second, I think McCullers might also help out as a multi-inning arm (Eckersley reinvented as a closer, so did Smoltz).

Finally, there are some starters the Brewers could bring up to bolster the bullpen (Burnes/Woodruff in 2018, Misiorowski in 2025, etc.).

I might pick up the phone to see what bringing Freddy Peralta back from the Mets might cost (Dylan O'Rae and Brock Wilken would be a good package to offer, maybe throw in a rookie-league pitcher or two). Bolster the rotation, move Drohan back to the pen (where he dominated).

I can understand most of this Harold, fair point! I would suggest perhaps looking at trades for starting pitchers last year, even ones with prior pedigree struggling in year, as Wilken and O'Rae just aren't going to cut it without another bigger prospect in there, but they could be 2/3 pieces in a deal.

I'm also not sure on Peralta. The smaller strike zone at the top I initially thought had really impacted him, but the fastball has actually played quite well despite that. his pitch usage has hardly changed in % terms, in fact its nearly identical which is impressive, but the re's been a lot of hard contact on those breaking pitches which have been far too often over the heart of the plate, and the changeup has had a little less whiff.

I just can't work out if he's been unlucky or taken a real step back under the new rules