Jake McKibbin

Image courtesy of © Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Shelby Miller isn't a sexy addition like some of the Brewers' National League rivals have acquired on a wild trade deadline day. Still, he fits exactly what the Brewers needed: another arm capable of getting outs at the back end of the bullpen. Miller has shown himself a really tough arm to get on top of this season, with some significant upticks in movement and velocity leading to a 1.98 ERA. Miller relies heavily on his four-seam fastball, with almost 65% usage this season, to get outs, and it features an intriguing shape. Using Jeremy Machino's model that compares expected movement of each pitch with how much a pitcher actually obtains, we can see it garners a little more rise and a lot more horizontal movement than expected, allowing it to miss a lot of barrels. What we can tell from the above graph is that Miller gets more horizontal break on both his splitter and his four-seamer than hitters would expect from his three-quarters release point. A lot of this comes from seam orientation on the baseball, and is a key factor in surprising hitters. Quinn Priester's sinker is a great example of this; it doesn't look particularly special on the surface, but when factoring in his arm slot, it drops a ton more than hitters expect, creating a lot of ground balls. Although Miller got more induced vertical break while he was with Detroit in 2024, he actually got slightly less rise vs expectation last season and a lot less horizontal movement on his fastball. The whole arsenal has kicked into gear, as you can see from Thomas Nestico's stuff model comparison: Shelby Miller is now getting more movement both horizontally and vertically than we saw in 2024, where his walk problems and some home run misfortune hit hard. This season, he's managed to curtail the walks quite effectively by getting more swing and miss, and less overall damage because he's able to put away hitters. The more pitches you throw in an at-bat, the more likely you are to leave a mistake pitch over the plate. The improvement in sheer stuff is added to by the new sweeper that has more or less replaced the hard cutter from 2024. It's very much a pitch used to get quick outs and weak contact when that's required, often in favorable counts, but its strong glove side movement adds a wrinkle that helps both the four-seamer and splitter play up even more. Shelby Miller is better in 2025 than he's ever been. He's getting more chases, fewer swings inside the strike zone, and considerably more swings and misses this season. He's been dominant in 2025 and should allow the Brewers more maneuverability and options when they reach the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings of a tight ball game. All of that for merely absorbing $2 million of Jordan Montgomery's salary and either cash or a player to be named later. The Brewers found value in a market of excessive overpays and have reinforced an area of their roster that had shown some shakiness around Jared Koenig of late. Miller projects to return sometime next week after a short rehab assignment, and they should expect him to hit the ground running. View full article

He might mean Montgomery! But the kicker is, Montgomery is just a cash dump for the Diamondbacks. Honestly the Arizona owner after his comments last season would probably have paid a hefty price just to kick him out. I guess that's what they did given the relief pitching market and how little they'll get back for Miller

I can't verify this but .. the Brewers wouldn't take kindly to that if true

Ha-Seong Kim would have been an ideal addition for the Brewers earlier in the season, albeit he has spent a lot of the year on the injured list. Capable of pull side power, Kim's fantastic swing decisions and low strikeout rate would mesh well with the Brewers while also showcasing great defensive grades over the last three seasons. Kim is being linked with the New York Yankees, who are concerned by the defensive performances of Anthony Volpe in 2025. He's a base-stealing threat and one of the smoothest shortstops in the league, who provides a consistent ~ .700 OPS that marks a substantial upgrade on the output from Joey Ortiz thus far. He has back tightness at present, and has struggled with injuries this year, which should lower the cost but does present some risk to any acquisition. How much would you give to see the versatile former Padre in the six hole through August and September? View full rumor

Oh. My. Lord. Well, those Padres sure are something

I wonder if there's a clause in Mike Trout's contract that they have to try every year

Unfortunately the Angels seem to believe they'll win the world series every season, including this one. They wouldn't trade Neto

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images After all the deliberation over cost, Eugenio Suárez didn't command nearly the value that some fans expected. Part of this is because, as the deadline approaches, both sides of the negotiating table are more likely to compromise, coming toward the middle from their initial, outlying positions. That being said, the Brewers may have missed a trick, given what it actually cost for the premier rental bat on the market. The Trade In return for Suárez, the Arizona Diamondbacks received: Tyler Locklear (1B): With burgeoning power and solid swing decisions, Locklear has a propensity to put the ball on the ground more often than you would like, but when he elevates, he does so with authority. He possesses a .316/.400/.542 slash line at Triple A this season and is ready for the majors, with plus raw power if the hit tool can play against the best pitchers in the world. Hunter Cranton (RHP): Looking like a bullpen arm, Cranton has a big fastball in the upper 90s, with a tight gyro slider. He has some command issues, but isn't projected to start games for a big-league club. He's already been kept out of the bullpen in High A, with only 18 professional innings under his belt. Juan Burgos (RHP): Another arm who doesn't project to start games, but has pitched more in the pros than Cranton has. He's pitched 6 2/3 innings out of the pen for the Mariners in 2025 and had a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings at Triple A in 2025. With a heavy sinker, a high-80s cutter and a sweepy slider, he's an effective arm who should avoid the long ball but has limited upside in terms of missing bats. All in all, Locklear is the big piece for the Diamondbacks here, looking to solidify first base for their future rather than address their pitching concerns, as was reported to be the priority. Even in this case, the Brewers had a lot of ammunition to throw at a trade, with a plethora of powerful corner infield prospects (Luke Adams, Brock Wilken and Blake Burke, to name but a few). Yes, they may have been slightly further off than Locklear, but by combining with them with a more impactful arm, the Brewers could have made this push with relative ease. Additionally, with Andrew Fischer joining that corner infield group shortly, it's fair to say that may even have cleared a logjam at first base within the Brewers farm system. Pairing (say) Wilken with a Chad Patrick-type arm would be considered an improvement on the value the Diamondbacks received in this trade. It would have been a steep cost, but we are looking at the most powerful rental bat on the market right now, for a team that has struggled to produce consistent home run threats in 2025. The Brewers may have had some concerns about the recent spate of hand injuries Suárez has suffered since the All-Star Game. Over his last seven outings, Suarez is slashing .120/.207/.160 and, as a rental, you can't afford for him to need a month to recover from any lingering injuries. Hand problems, if they do exist, are particularly power-sapping and take time to heal effectively. Still, the Brewers had the ammunition to fire on Suárez, but may have chosen not to take that shot for one reason or another. Perhaps it's injury-related; perhaps they prefer their strong defensive set-up over a streaky hitter; or maybe the price the Diamondbacks demanded was more punitive on the Brewers (this can happen, as teams have different player evaluation rankings than those we see publicly). Either way, the biggest move the Brewers could make is now gone. Do The Brewers Need To Fortify Their Roster? Meanwhile, there have been a flurry of trades from the four other top teams in the National League: Chicago Cubs: acquired Michael Soroka and Andrew Kittredge Philadelphia Phillies: acquired Jhoan Duran New York Mets: acquired Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley Los Angeles Dodgers: added Ben Rortvedt, Adam Serwinowski and Paul Gervase (depth bullpen pieces with high strikeout stuff) All of this has gone on while the Brewers have stayed still. The resurgence of Andrew Vaughn may have cooled their hand on Ryan O'Hearn, but they still require more depth on the hitting front and have excess pitching in their rotation that they might use to improve their bullpen. The first baseman is the most "Brewers-y" hitter on the market, and would help them cover for Jackson Chourio should their young star require an IL stint with his hamstring strain. On the Mayor's Office Podcast with Sean Casey, Pat Murphy said the trade deadline "wasn't the Brewers thing" and they don't like to get involved in the melee of assets being transferred and the standard overpricing of acquisitions. Danny Jansen was a pickup on the margins, fortifying their catching depth in case William Contreras should lose an entire limb (short of that, he's not going on the IL, for love nor money), while adding a bench bat that could be useful in some situations but isn't what you would consider a needle-mover in October. Some might credit the pickups of Vaughn and Quinn Priester as the Brewers' "big trades" this year, but my view of it would suggest that only one of these deserves unanimous credit from the front office. It's not entirely fair to say that Vaughn was a big trade, despite the impact he's had. The Brewers effectively got him as a depth piece as his salary closely matched Aaron Civale's, with the main reason for the trade being to honor and respect Civale's wishes. We can't give the front office too much credit for that move, as if it grew from a "go for it" mentality. The Priester trade was a big move, and it's worked out phenomenally, trading a competitive balance pick and a top-10 MLB Pipeline organizational prospect for what looks like a long-term piece of the starting rotation. Still, in the position they sit now (with everyone around them fortifying their rosters), the Brewers need to keep in touch. Staying still may not be a viable option, with more moves still to come on trade deadline day. Will the Milwaukee Brewers push their chips into the middle? Or will they wait too long for "value", and miss out? View full article

Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Jose Quintana has been reliable on the surface for the Milwaukee Brewers, posting a solid 3.50 ERA, which, from the fifth member of a rotation, is a remarkably impressive number. That being said, the eye test and his underlying metrics are suggesting a significant regression, and it's one the Brewers can ill afford in the divisional race of the NL Central. Quintana has always been a player outperforming his peripherals, mainly because those peripherals are predicated on a pitcher's controllables - strikeouts and walks. Quintana doesn't target swing and miss often, and he's content with walking hitters. His entire game, due to his low grading in "stuff," is predicated upon getting hitters to chase and make weak contact when they do. He knows he can get ground balls to eliminate runners and has a variety of pitches that move just enough to avoid barrels. The problem we're seeing in 2025 is that, although Quintana's performance by runs allowed has been good, his peripheral numbers are worse than ever: For someone whose success is about limiting damage and engendering chase, he's showing the lowest chase rates of the 2020s this season. Hitters are forcing him into the strike zone more often, and with stuff grades like those below from TJStats, that just won't play for the veteran hurler: Quintana has made a career out of teasing hitters away from their comfort zone, garnering uncomfortable swings and letting his defense work behind him. With his stuff no longer playing well enough for him to get enticing chase swings, Quintana is getting hit harder, striking out less, and being barrelled up considerably more often than at any other point since 2022. There's also the rationale that, thanks to his clearer injury history and a track record in 2025 (unlike Cortes), Quintana may bring back additional value at the deadline. That being said, the Brewers should be focused on the performance over the return at this juncture. Is Nestor Cortes A Better Pitcher? In short, yes. While Quintana and Cortes can get grouped as back-end starting pitchers, both of whom use deception and guile to flummox hitters, there is a noticeable improvement in raw stuff and upper-level performance from Nasty Nestor. You merely have to look at this stretch from 2021-22: For Triple A Nashville Sounds this season during his rehab starts, Cortes has rifled through hitters with aplomb, possessing above average swing and miss on his four seamer and cutter (fitting well with the Brewers love of multiple fastballs) and a saucy sweeper to boot. He has swing and miss that Quintana just doesn't while possessing a similar level of command and deception to elevate his performance. He's not a ground ball pitcher, but then neither has Quintana showcased that either in 2025. He doesn't walk hitters, and lives around the edges of the strike zone to miss barrels. All in all, Nestor Cortes is undeniably a better pitcher when healthy than Jose Quintana. he's more likely to produce down the stretch for the Brewers. That has to be the focal point for this decision, where every marginal edge is an advantage. What do you think fanatics? Who would you rather see traded at the deadline? Or should neither player be moved? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! View full article

Notes from Lance Brozdowski after Shota's last start

That and, should Contreras pick up a different injury that does actually force him out, the Brewers have a catcher they're happy getting regular reps in October. That was evidently not the case with Haase

Absolutely, though while I may disagree I would love for him to be proven right! Always good to have some diverse opinions, especially the optimists

There's a strong possibility none of those players have a four WAR season in their future Wichrowski still has a lot of work-ons, Lara isn't showing the ability to elevate his hardest contact and Henderson is a two pitch guy still learning a glove side offering If that was the price, the Brewers would be paying whether they needed him or not

I'm not saying the Brewers need him enough to offer that, but he'll cost three top 10 prospects, and two in the top 6/7 I'd imagine. Henderson is what the D'backs want for 2 months of Suarez (which is a little steep) but three and a half years of a 4 WAR player as consistent as Kwan would take a big package

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers version of Andrew Vaughn has been as different from the hitter he was on the White Sox as it's possible to be. He's bought into the ethos of the Milwaukee Brewers, showing up in big moments and delivering one great plate appearance after another. While perhaps unlucky with his batted-ball results for the White Sox in 2025, he's made some undeniable improvements in his swing decisions since joining the Brewers: With the White Sox, Vaughn chased a lot, while also being passive inside the strike zone. He didn't seem able to differentiate balls from strikes, but that's changed dramatically since joining the Brewers. With the White Sox, it created a lot of problems with weak contact and falling into bad counts, from which any hitter can struggle. By better identifying those pitches on which he can do damage, Vaughn's hard-hit rate has skyrocketed, with more line drives and more pull side batted balls. He also has as many walks as strikeouts (12.5% rate for each) with the Brewers, bucking another trend of his White Sox Days: The development of his swing decisions suggests that, while Vaughn is unlikely to maintain a 1.075 OPS over the remainder of the season, his improvements are here to stay in a position that the Brewers have struggled to garner offensive production from since mid-May. The Rhys Hoskins Dilemma In both seasons with the Brewers, Rhys Hoskins's production has followed a similar pattern. Breaking out of the gates hot, Hoskins has regressed as the season progressed, reducing his power output and increasing strikeout rates as the season continued. While last year we could point to his hamstring injury in May, this season, it's not quite so clear what happened. The thing to remember with Hoskins is that he doesn't possess great bat speed, with quite a long bat path, but his power comes from finding great launch angles and pulling the ball with authority. As the season has progressed, his ability to find those launch angles has declined at an alarming rate: A thumb injury can be tricky, as can any hand issue. We've seen with broken hamate bones that the recovery of power is difficult after players return, and there's no guarantee that Hoskins will be anywhere close to his best form. He certainly didn't appear that way over the two months before the injury, and if that's taken a further step back, you have to at least consider whether he's a good fit for the roster moving forward, toward the playoffs. Is Jake Bauers in jeopardy? The easy option in all of this could be Jake Bauers. Like Hoskins, Bauers started the year strongly—albeit with the same egregious swing-and-miss issues that have encapsulated his career to date. When he makes contact, he's consistently done damage, but that contact has been far less frequent than he would like. On a far cheaper contract than Hoskins, Bauers could find himself the odd man out once both return, although he does boast the advantage (as a left-handed batter) of being a platoon matchup with either Hoskins or Vaughn. There's also the unknown of how long his shoulder impingement has been affecting him, as Pat Murphy hinted it had been lurking for a period of time before he went on the injured list. To really put the nail in the coffin, the Brewers are being linked with left-handed power bat and fantastic defensive first baseman Ryan O'Hearn, of the Orioles. An acquisition of O'Hearn would almost certainly spell the end for Jake Bauers in a Brewers uniform this season, and intensify the discussion over Hoskins's and Vaughn's fight for the weak side of the platoon. However you look at it, Vaughn has a fantastic opportunity over the next three weeks to demonstrate that he should be the Brewers' starting first baseman down the stretch and into the playoffs, If he can maintain the same quality swing decisions and consistent loud contact over his next 50-75 plate appearances, there's a very real chance Vaughn could start in a playoff series for the Milwaukee Brewers. How do you see the first base battle playing out over the coming weeks? Will the Brewers find an upgrade on the market? Will they take a platoon over the diminishing returns provided by Rhys Hoskins? Or will they gamble on a bounceback from their veteran leader? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! View full article

Moccbomb is usually very astute on these rumors, and with a good track record. Its possible the brewers enquired without expecting much after that (he does fit their archetype sublimely well) but as a 4+ WAR player for three and a half year of team control, the price will be extensive and likely headlined by a Luis Pena + more (Sorry scooter, Patrick won't cut the mustard here) He's a good source is what I mean to say anyway, but I doubt the brewers will compete as hard for him as say, the Phillies

The Brewers have gone where they'd be least expected with (excuse the pun) a left field approach for Steven Kwan of the Guardians per the Moccbomb twitter account. Steven Kwan is a Gold Glover in left field who fits the Sal Frelick mold from the left-hand side. He doesn't swing and miss, doesn't strike out, takes his walks, and has shown more power over the last two seasons than many expected out of him. He's posting a .762 OPS so far in 2025 with a .351 on-base percentage and nine home runs so far. Kwan is arbitration eligible in 2026, meaning the Brewers would have control of the Guardians outfield star for three years after the conclusion of this season. Would they truly entertain such a move? Are they more concerned about their outfield depth than we realise? Kwan fits the Brewers player profile to a T, but there remains a question of whether the Brewers need more of that archetype in their line-up. He also would be incredibly costly than to the years of control remaining. Could the Brewers seriously make this move? How would Kwan fit into the Brewers setup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Editor's Note: The Twitter account MoccBomb has been correct in the past, though is somewhat unreliable compared to other rumormongers. View full rumor

You know you're my boy Mike! I'll not pick a fight