Matt

Yes, the team the Brewers will most likely have to face again in the playoffs.

I mean, the offense has been. When you have, at worst, a top two staff in just about every category of pitching while the offense in terms of runs (5th), total bases, (10th), hits (7th), strikeouts (6th), slugging (11th), and OPS (6th)...yes, the offense has been lagging behind. It's been held up almost entirely on walks (2nd), contributing to their OBP (3rd). When they get to the playoffs and face pitchers with better command, we're going to see the same result we've seen in the last decade. A bad offense and another early exit.

I don't want to have another argument about how the Brewers style doesn't work in the playoffs. But when you're dead last in MLB in home runs, there's by default no other thing that they needed more of at the deadline.

The Brewers have, at worst, the second best staff in the NL. Their offense has been lagging behind all season, and in some key areas it's downright awful. Saying they got what they needed at the deadline seems...not true.

Are the Brewers really losers if the Tigers were only ever going to deal with the Dodgers? Why aren't the Braves, Yankees, or Cubs losers for missing out on Skubal?

McCalvy confirmed that Pena was in the offer for Skubal, along with two more hitters, at least one being Top 100. Speculation/deduction has it being either Jett or Adamczewski, with the third hitter being on another top 100 or just outside it. If true, and no reason to believe it's not, the Tigers were always only dealing with the Dodgers. That the deal got done days before the deadline only adds fuel to that fire. Media screaming and scolding about the Brewers not landing him can go kick rocks.

To everyone saying Ragsdale is overperforming: this is only his first full season of pro ball and he's done nothing but perform exceptionally well. This could be him just scratching the surface of what he's capable of. The Brewers shouldn't be in the business of trading guys like him years before they need to.

They should have just gotten Skubal if they're giving up that much.

I'm on Team Stand-pat, but if there were moves that shifted the odds 20% I'd sign up immediately.

They didn't get Emmet. Bowden was stealing from someone else who got it wrong. I'm breathing a sigh of relief the Brewers didn't give up that equivalent.

I made a mistake on that grift last year.

If Pena is the price, and history says it is, then I'm passing.

Truly insane takes.

Every year I'm accused of being a prospect hugger, which is true, but I haven't seen a single idea that's even given me pause. Like, go to Detroit Tigers reddit. They don't even think they're getting half of what people here are proposing.

What are we even doing with some of these guys still in Biloxi.

Would it? With Mitchell, Chourio, and Lara? Obviously Abrams' bat has been ridiculous but I think it's a stretch to think he'd move to CF with no experience in his whole professional career.

I would be 100% behind sitting Yeli if it's between him and Bauers. But given Yeli's contract and status in the organization I don't think it's realistic to believe he gets benched.

If there's someone whose playing time should take a hit, it's Bauers. He should never see the OF.

The Chourio miss is entirely on the coaches. It's their job to make sure the players are aware of the situation and whether or not they should be challenging anything close.

Fangraphs update 1 - Made Made, who was still 18 when the season began, isn’t obliterating the Southern League or anything; instead, he has “merely” posted a slightly above-average line. He still has electric hand speed from both sides of the plate and is currently athletic enough to play shortstop despite the occasional arm accuracy hiccup. Made is a big kid and likely won’t remain at short in perpetuity, but he’s progressing through the minors quickly enough as a hitter that we think he’ll be able to debut there, as his agility for his size is remarkable. Neither his measurable peak power nor his feel for airborne contact has taken a step forward this season, even though he’s visibly larger, but the twitch in Made’s hands and the way he’s been tough for crafty Double-A pitchers to strike out (14.6% K%) are both really exciting. He continues to project as a 30-homer infielder. 25 - Pena Peña hasn’t played much because of a prolonged absence after he collapsed in the dugout due to dehydration earlier in the season. His ability to pull the ball has evaporated this year, but we’re chalking that up to timing issues resulting from the layoff. 42 - Frias Frias is a freak with crazy bat speed and physical projection, the guy on the list with the best shot to have a Junior Caminero type of rise. 63 - Brady Abel Even though Ebel is one of the younger players on the list, his feel for the game is advanced. He has an almost mesmerizing ability to get himself a clean hop on defense. 88 - Hardin Forret and Hardin are some of the best bets in the upper minors to develop plus command or better, and Hardin in particular has taken major strides toward that outcome over the last 18 months. 106 - Quero Quero’s combination of relative youth, athleticism and power keeps us on him even though he has been just fair (a .320 xwOBA) across 140 games at Triple-A since he returned from a labrum tear and hamstring injury that caused him to miss basically all of 2024 and the first six weeks of 2025.

Law's updated top 70: #2 - Made (Cade Anderson, P, is #1) #22 - Pena (one spot behind #1 overall Roch Cholowsky) #69 - Alexander Frias

I haven't seen anything about a minor league draft and, really, that would be pretty outrageous. I wouldn't operate assuming anything like that coming down the pike. But I think if anything they'll look to move on from guys at the highest levels. Jett and Adams are pretty obvious choices. No reason to move anyone with four or five years left in the system.

I bet they'd give Miller away for nothing if they could get off that Bogaerts deal. To think they signed him to an 11 year deal as a 30 year old. Just insanity.

Here's your Misiorowski extension baseline.

Death, taxes, and Bob Nightengale getting things wrong.