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While it isn't a huge name, the Milwaukee Brewers have added a veteran to their starting rotation while also bringing in a key bullpen arm.
The Brewers have acquired pitchers Dustin May, a right-handed starter, and JoJo Romero, a left-handed reliever, from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Milwaukee is sending two rising prospects to their NL Central rival, with outfielders Josiah Ragsdale and Alexander Frias going to the Cardinals, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Ragsdale, who was at High-A Wisconsin, is Brewer Fanatic's No. 16 prospect, while Frias, who was at Double-A, was not in our Top 20.
After losing out on a quest to land back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, May becomes a fallback option, still with a chance to add another key starter before the 5 p.m. CT deadline hits. Romero is currently in the 15-day injured list following an appendectomy and should be ready to come back soon. The Brewers will have to create space on their 26-man and 40-man rosters for both players.
May is making $12.5 million this year with a mutual option for 2027 (mutual options are most always declined), while Romero is earning $4.26 million and is a free agent after the year. Between the two, the Brewers will owe just under $5 million to the pair. May and Romero were two of the top three highest-paid players on the Cardinals' roster.
May is having a bounce-back season in his first year with the Cardinals, which was the 28-year-old's goal when he signed this deal. He has a 3.14 FIP (4.38 ERA) in 21 starts and 109 innings with a 7.6% walk rate and 23.1% strikeout rate this season. He began last season with the Dodgers and was shipped to the Boston Red Sox at the 2025 deadline to create room for other players coming to L.A. Between the two, May had a 4.88 FIP (4.96 ERA) in 25 games, all but two starts, over 132⅓ innings with a 9.6% walk rate and 21.1% strikeout rate.
The 29-year-old Romero figures to alleviate some of the workload on the Brewers' top left-handed reliever, Aaron Ashby. The Brewers lost Angel Zerpa to Tommy John surgery, which could sideline him most of 2027. Romero has made 44 appearances this year, pitching 43 innings, with an 8.6% walk rate and 23.1% strikeout rate this year. Romero had a tremendous 2025 with a 3.28 FIP (2.07 ERA), although that included an 11.6% walk rate and 21.6% strikeout rate.
The Brewers are currently stacked with young outfielders at the major-league level (Jackson Chourio, Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and Brandon Lockridge), with others prospects including Josh Adamczewski and Braylon Payne ahead of Ragsdale and Frias.
Thanks to @ImissDougMelvin for posting this in the forums first.
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