TRADE: Brewers Get Creative in Adding Bullpen Help, Acquiring Shelby Miller From Arizona Diamondbacks

News of another Brewers trade came trickling in after the deadline buzzer, as Milwaukee has acquired reliever Shelby Miller and injured starter Jordan Montgomery from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

The Brewers wanted to add bullpen help at the deadline but faced steep prices for relievers. That would be a tough pill to swallow for a front office that is typically stingy in holding onto its prospects, so they took a chunk of an injured pitcher's salary to acquire a late-inning arm.

The 34-year-old Miller has pitched to a 1.98 ERA and 3.12 FIP with a 28% strikeout rate. He's served as Arizona's closer for much of the season, picking up a career-high 10 saves. A right forearm strain has sidelined him for most of July, but he has recently resumed throwing and is expected to return soon. That injury has limited him to 37 appearances this year, so he should be fresher than Abner Uribe, Nick Mears, Jared Koenig, and Grant Anderson for the stretch run.

This will technically be Miller's third stint with the Brewers, as he signed separate minor-league deals with the organization in 2019 and 2020. He pitched for their Triple-A affiliate that first year but opted out during the COVID-19 pandemic the following season.

Montgomery signed a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks during the 2024 season and exercised his $22.5 million player option for 2025 after a career-worst season. He has missed the entire campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery during the season's first full week. He won't pitch for the Brewers and is part of the deal purely for salary reasons, with Steve Gilbert reporting that Milwaukee will cover $2 million of his remaining pay.

The move is a creative attempt by Matt Arnold and company to work around the demands throughout the rest of the reliever market while still adding some bullpen help.

To clear 40-man roster spots for Miller and Brandon Lockridge, acquired from the San Diego Padres for Nestor Cortes, the Brewers designated relievers Bryan Hudson and Elvis Peguero for assignment. Once mainstays in the big-league bullpen, both pitchers looked like DFA candidates after inconsistent performance with Triple-A Nashville this year.