Jake McKibbin

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

Also, regarding spending the overage, any team venturing up to 5% over has to pay a 75% fine on the overage. So if the Brewers spent a further $656k just f the sake of things, the actual cost would have been $1.15m to the organization

Yep, in a nutshell! And valuably, our resident prospect nerd suggested they didn't avoid the overage for a lack of effort at least

Such a fascinating change in Jansen's framing numbers. The Rays have clearly identified that he framed better from a one knee down position from 2022-24, however that position was almost exclusively with his left knee down. Adding in a right knee down position (and reducing the both knees up) appears to have made the problem a whole lot worse, going from below average to downright horrific in the framing department Do they ditch the right knee down position altogether, or look to refine his posture and positioning as Jack suggests? You can bet they'll be doing something

Some video on the two Brewers later round signings: Chase Bentley First off, 2300 RPM's on the changeup for Chase Bentley means its less of a typical changeup and more in the Yoho/Williams screwball mold I also really like the late movement on his slider in his first pitch in the video below, it shows flashes if he can command it Definitely some velocity gains needed, but the action looks incredibly smooth and you can see why his 62K:5BB happened. He looks in complete command. If that velocity does take upwards as he matures, this is one heck of a template for the Brewers development system, Bentley is 6'3, 215lbs so there's not a ton of natural growth on his frame to come and that may bring some concern as to the improvement in fastball velocity to come. It's such a smooth, low effort delivery but you need more than 89-91 mph to be successful in the Majors these days as a general rule of thumb Ma'Kale Holden The fastball appears to get some nice late ride on it as well as some cut perhaps (there's not a lot of horizontal break in the pitch map below), I've found a game from a complete game of his where he seems to have four quite distinct shapes in his fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. He's been up to 97mph and has even seen himself get hype to be interviewed in places like Foul territory and Bleacher Report. Foul territory provided a little pitch plot of his arsenal: Like Bentley, he's been receiving some attention for ahigh spin changeup (seemingly different to the one captured above) that can reach around 2100 RPM's based on his trackman data. There's some solid feel for spin here, and a slider that gets negative IVB and almost 10" of sweep is an impressive offering to boot. Baseball America also commented that his curveball and slider can get to 2800-2900 RPM ranges consistently enough. There have been some control problems at times, but another really really exciting ball of clay to shape

After the chaos of yesterday, we have our final set of signings and bonuses (highlighted from red to green by how overslot they are conditionally)

Tired lad here, meant to say they chose senior years over signing with the Brewers

Also that's now two consecutive years the Brewers have failed to sign seniors taken in rounds 11-20 after Caedmon Parker in 2024

Just came here to note the same. I think I saw the Dodgers spent 600k on a UDFA (maybe it was ~400k, not totally sure, but a large sum) so very possible

Honestly, regardless of cash, if you'd told me they got Roupe, Bentley and Holden from that class, we'd have been stoked. Then add Rylan Mills in there, and CJ Hughes, there's a lot of talent.

How are they doing this for such low value... This hasn't got the way the draft experts expected at all. Each of Roupe, Bentley and Holden were meant to be really difficult signs, never mind the value they've gotten for Holden and Roupe. Lauridsen to come?

They can announce even after the deadline, as long as everything is signed by then. Most of its likely sorted, just not public knowledge yet