The Brewers Should Take Advantage of Another Dodgers 40-Man Roster Crunch

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been nothing short of wild this offseason, signing Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Teoscar Hernández, Hyeseong Kim, Michael Conforto and Tommy Edman. It’s an embarrassment of riches in their rotation and their bullpen now, to add to an already incredible, World Series-winning lineup. They have 40-man roster depth in spades across a multitude of positions, but they are beginning to run out of space.

Last season, the Dodgers made two trades that assisted them in making room. They sent Michael Busch and Yency Almonte to the Chicago Cubs for Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris, both of whom are consensus top-100 prospects. Hope, in particular, has produced some remarkable batted-ball data. They then traded Byran Hudson to the Brewers in return for Justin Chambers, a 2023 draftee who got 4th-round bonus money.

The Dodgers' returns in these trades give an insight into their goal when making such deals: to acquire high-upside, unproven talent in exchange for MLB-ready pieces they don't strictly need. Often a tactic for teams struggling to contend, the Dodgers' version of trading from the big-league roster for far-off prospects keeps a pipeline of homegrown talent flowing while they dominate the league with expensive stars.

The Milwaukee Brewers' farm system isn’t ranked as highly this offseason by many publications as they were last year, after the graduation of Jackson Chourio, but that’s not so much down to the lack of overall talent as to the dearth of projected impact players at the upper levels. The lower levels of their farm system are absolutely flooded with talent, giving them the tools to make such a deal with the Dodgers. 

Of all the talents on the Dodgers' 40 man roster, there are two who may fit the Brewers to a T:

Dustin May - SP
May has struggled with injury in recent seasons, most recently with a torn esophagus (ouch!), but his underlying stuff is among the best in the league. In his final season before free agency, this is a big year for May.

Dustin May’s arsenal is fantastic, with all five pitches missing barrels in the zone and all of them (although not quite so much in 2023) able to generate prolific swing-and-miss. The Brewers have recently been intrigued by pitchers with three fastball variations, and May has an above-average sinker, four-seamer and cutter. The 18 inches of horizontal break on his two-seamer is monstrous, and this was a year in which May was struggling to control the zone. 

A low release height and big extension are cues for success amongst fastballs, and that’s no different for May. His pitches all tunnel beautifully together as well, per Jeremy Maschino's model:

His injury history is horrible; he's pitched over 50 innings just once. However, his upside is massive. Projected by Steamer for a 3.65 ERA in just 87 innings this season, this would be a gamble on the Brewers’ part, but it may be one they need to take to truly move forward in a division that will be hotly contended from a variety of directions in 2025.

Bobby Miller - SP
As well as May, this is one other name the Brewers may be intrigued in. Miller struggled mightily in 2024 but has, again, ace-like upside, while being controllable for several more years. The Dodgers are unlikely to sell low on him, because his fastball shape is among the best in baseball to complement an electric changeup and curveball, but the depth they have in their rotation and the strength of the Brewers' lower minor-league talent may allow a deal to be made based on his upside.

Miller has all the tools to be successful, but his location did let him down in 2024. It’s fair to say a portion of that was injury-related, though, given he had no such problems in his short MLB stint in 2023

That total pitching score is one of the most impressive I’ve seen in Jeremy Maschino’s model, and if the Brewers have any chance of acquiring this type of arm—even if the cost is a youngster with big, real upside—that could be entirely worth it.

I suspect May is more available than Miller, as things stand, due to the team control and injury history of each. At the very least, we can say that May would be much cheaper to acquire. While I have long been intrigued as to whether the Brewers can move on Miller this offseason, the chances are much slimmer there. The Dodgers won't feel any inherent rush to move either of these players, specifically, but they almost have to move someone who belongs to that class of player. The Brewers might as well be proactive and try to be the team with whom they partner. Given even halfway decent health for the Los Angeles pitching staff, Miller is likely to start the season in the minor leagues, which defies logic in many ways. They have a surplus of rostered talent, and moving it with the Brewers could make sense for all parties involved.

Can you see any other players from the Dodgers' 40-man roster who would fit well with the Brewers? Would you go after either May or Miller? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!