Brewers Have Touched Base In Tarik Skubal & Mason Miller Trade Interest

According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, the Brewers are aiming high before the trade deadline on August 3. They've reportedly reached out to the Detroit Tigers about ace pitcher and perhaps the best pitcher in the American League, Tarik Skubal. They've also reached out to the San Diego Padres about their closer extraordinaire, Mason Miller.

Skubal is playing this season on an expiring contract. He won his arbitration hearing in February, receiving a record $32 million salary after the Tigers filed at $19 million, and said the Tigers made no long-term offer this offseason. He's expected to command roughly $400 million as the top 2026-27 free agent. On the mound, he posted a 2.70 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over seven starts before a left elbow injury sidelined him in early May; he's since returned, and now sits at 6-5 with a 2.83 ERA and 98 strikeouts across 14 appearances.

Miller's situation is the opposite of Skubal's: cheap and controlled. He signed a one-year, $4 million deal to avoid arbitration in his first arbitration-eligible year, and remains under team control through 2029. He has expressed interest in a Padres extension, though no talks have occurred. Performance-wise, he's been dominant as San Diego's closer, with a 0.86 ERA, 25 saves, and 78 strikeouts against 15 walks this season. With the Padres coming under new ownership, it's almost impossible to predict the actions of their already-maverick president of baseball operations AJ Preller.

What do you think of this news? Are the Brewers aiming for a level higher than they have at previous deadlines, or is this just due diligence?