Why The Brewers Should Target One of These Three Rental Starters

While some teams will be forced to decide between being a buyer or a seller over the next two weeks, the Brewers have given themselves enough of a cushion to be comfortably in the playoff picture. With a 5.5-game lead over the second-place Cardinals and a record of 54-39, things are looking pretty rosy. However, being invited to the postseason dance and actually being able to stay long enough to hear “Cha Cha Slide” are two different things. Milwaukee hasn’t won a playoff series since their 2018 run to the NLCS, despite making it to October four out of the past five years.

Therefore, when it comes to the trade deadline, the overall directive seems pretty clear: bolster the roster for a deep playoff run. The best way to do so might be to focus on repairing the team’s tattered starting rotation. Let’s do a quick injury rundown, shall we?

Having both received Tommy John surgery this season, Wade Miley and Robert Gasser are still a long ways away from returning to the active roster. Brandon Woodruff is closer, but still not close enough to be a factor for the 2024 season. DL Hall was looking good on a rehab assignment with the Nashville Sounds, but a hard comebacker led him to be shut down for another 3-10 days, pushing his eventual return even further down the line.

Last but not least (in fact, kind of last but first?), Joe Ross just made the second outing of his rehab assignment, pitching 3 ⅔ scoreless innings with three strikeouts in Triple-A. He’ll likely be the first one to return to the team.

While there are many ways to strengthen a rotation, the best bet for Milwaukee might be to get a short-term rental starter for the postseason. Why is this better than acquiring someone with more long-term potential? Because the Brewers might not need it.

Assuming no one else runs into additional freak injuries (Jakob Junis-style), Woodruff should be back to help the rotation in 2025, followed by Gasser and Miley around the second half. Jacob Misiorowski might also be major-league ready next year, another potential X-factor. Aaron Ashby is also alive. The Brewers really just need an arm to hold them over for the remainder of this injury-marred season and give them a little more confidence in this one postseason, so anything more would just increase the price for not a whole lot of useful return.

Who matches the description of a reliable rental starter? Jack Flaherty comes to mind. He’s been shoving for the Detroit Tigers, posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 89 innings pitched. He’s signed on a one-year, $14-million deal and will test free agency for a second time in 2025. At 14 games behind the Guardians and seven games back from a Wild Card spot, it would make a ton of sense for Detroit to sell Flaherty for someone with more team control, especially given their current young core.

Michael Lorenzen is another potential target, although a frustrating one, because he could have been had this winter for less than the Crew paid Junis. He has pitched to a 3.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 92 innings with the Rangers this year. He’s on an even cheaper one-year, $4.5 million deal, and the Rangers are 6.5 games back from the division, seven games back from a Wild Card spot.

If the team wants to add a lefty to the mix, Andrew Heaney could be a serviceable option. He’s got a 3.80 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 90 innings pitched, and will also become a free agent after his two-year, $25 million contract runs out this year. He’s a bit more expensive than Lorenzen, but still a viable option, boasting an excellent chase rate (32.8%) and better-than-average walk rate (6.2%).

Shopping for a rental starter good enough to make a feasible postseason impact is kind of like finding a great movie at the bottom of the bargain bin. There aren’t a ton of great options, but the feeling of finding a diamond in the rough is one of unmatched satisfaction. So while you look for the latest Steven Seagal DVD, Milwaukee should be looking for the final piece of their 2024 puzzle.