Jason Wang

Now that the World Series festivities have started to cool off, it’s only natural to reflect on the season with rose-tinted glasses. When one thinks of all the moments that ultimately led to Milwaukee’s triumph, the ones that stand out are often roster changes. The arrival of new faces can often be exciting, as the feeling of the unknown allows each fan to predict how they think each player will help (or hurt) the team’s cause. Fortunately, now that we live in the future, we can easily look back on the major deals that the Brewers struck and reflect on whether they were wins, losses, or something in between. For the sake of this article, we will only be looking at the most significant moves (if you’d like to discuss the aftermath of the Joel Kuhnel trade, feel free to start a forum thread!) and will primarily be focusing on what was delivered this year. February 9: Milwaukee Brewers trade Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, and Anthony Seigler to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and David Hamilton Milwaukee sent almost all of their third-base depth to Boston. In return, they received two left-handed pitchers and a utility infielder. At first, this deal was surprising. Caleb Durbin had a really strong rookie campaign, placing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, and he was a Pat Murphy favorite. Anthony Seigler was a Brewer Fanatic favorite and had a lot of potential that was often overshadowed by poor batted-ball luck. Andruw Monasterio had been on the team for years and finally looked like he was starting to put things together in 2025. On paper, the return value didn’t seem exciting for the Brewers. In 2024, Kyle Harrison was the Giants’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 23 prospect overall, but he hadn’t quite lived up to the hype. Shane Drohan had yet to pitch in the majors, though he'd posted solid numbers in Triple-A in 2025 over a small sample. David Hamilton posted an OPS+ of just 63 in 2025. Overall, it seemed like a mystery why the Brewers were giving up enough third base depth to end up having to rely on Luis Rengifo. This ended up being a rare win/win trade for both parties. Harrison had a great first half, and though his numbers after the All-Star break were shaky enough to demote him from No. 2 in the rotation to nowhere to be seen in the playoffs, it seems like Milwaukee had discovered the recipe for how to make him great: using the slurve to keep hitters off of his fastball, and throwing that fastball with a bit more carry. Drohan wasn’t too shabby in his rookie year, either, pitching to a 4.19 ERA with a 3.73 FIP over 124 ⅔ innings. He made 19 starts and 14 relief appearances, even managing to accumulate two saves. He’s got more work to do before cementing his place in Milwaukee’s rotation, but he had his moments, and most importantly, he provided much-needed innings. Hamilton became a textbook “scrappy” player, doing whatever was needed to help his team win. He led MLB in sacrifice hits (13), was a solid defender at third base and shortstop, and posted a .950 OPS with two home runs in the Brewers’ postseason run. For the Red Sox, this trade got off to a brutal start, as Durbin was one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball for a while. Fortunately, he ended the year as a worthy successor to Alex Bregman, accumulating 4.4 rWAR thanks to league-average offense combined with Gold Glove defense. Though they didn’t have full-time roles, Seigler and Monasterio carved out niches of their own. At the end of the day, both organizations got their hands on a few young players with years of control remaining. It wouldn’t be surprising to see all six of the players involved continue to take on more responsibility for their respective rosters. August 3: Milwaukee Brewers trade Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Dustin May and JoJo Romero This was a spicy trade for two reasons. First, many felt that it was an overpay. Frias and Ragsdale were the organization’s No. 8 and No. 22 prospects, respectively, but they were both having breakout seasons in the minors. At 18 years old, Frias posted a 189 wRC+ with an absurd .441 average and .518 on-base percentage in 137 plate appearances in the Arizona Complex League. Before being traded, Ragsdale had a 184 wRC+ with 12 home runs in 119 Double-A plate appearances. Second, this was a rare trade with a division rival. These two organizations don’t often do business with each other, for obvious reasons. If the deal were to end up lopsided, it’d be a price they’d have to pay for 13 times a year. They last made a deal in 2015 that swapped reliever Jonathan Broxton for outfield prospect Malik Collymore. Nonetheless, the front office saw something they liked in Dustin May, who had a 4.38 ERA and 3.15 FIP across 21 starts for St. Louis. JoJo Romero had also been solid out of the bullpen, with a 3.35 ERA. To most people, the May acquisition didn’t really pan out. He struggled immediately with the Brewers and finished his last 10 starts with a 5.65 ERA and 5.06 FIP. He was arguably the least effective pitcher of the team’s playoff run, pitching to a 5.73 ERA over 11 innings. Despite being the headliner of the trade, he was quickly overshadowed by Romero, who didn’t make his Milwaukee debut until September due to injury. Romero was as advertised in the regular season but dialed it up to 11 in the playoffs, posting a stellar 1.13 ERA and making even the toughest opposition look outmatched. Both Frias and Ragsdale cooled off after joining the Cardinals organization, but since both are still early in their professional careers, the worst could still be yet to come. Both May and Romero have returned to free agency, but with the latter playing a vital role in delivering Milwaukee its first championship, it’ll be worth a few years of regular season pain from these two prospects if they end up making it to the show. August 3: Milwaukee Brewers trade Mark Manfredi and Juan Martinez to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Antonio Senzatela For the first half of the season, Antonio Senzatela was doing the impossible: pitching well at Coors Field. Following several underwhelming seasons as a starter marred by Tommy John and rough numbers, he moved to the bullpen for the first time and loved it, posting a 3.61 ERA and 3.37 FIP in 52 ⅓ innings for the Rockies. Naturally, this interested the Brewers, who invested heavily in multi-inning relievers this season—a decision that would pay dividends in the postseason. Senzatela’s regular season was confusing, as he reverted to bad habits and an outdated pitch mix that led to subpar results in Milwaukee. Fortunately, he turned it around and was scoreless in his 4 ⅓ postseason innings. Neither of the prospects that the Rockies received were ranked in the Brewers’ Top 30, but they still proved their worth. Mark Manfredi worked his way to a debut and eventual solid stint with the Rockies, making 14 appearances and maintaining a 3.06 ERA with a 3.55 FIP. Juan Martinez struggled with High-A competition when he was in the Brewers system, but after moving to Colorado, he had a respectable 109 wRC+ over 104 plate appearances and is now ranked as the organization’s No. 25 prospect. At just 19 years old, it’s far too early to see whether he’ll end up being a pillar of the Rockies’ lineup, but even if he ends up being a star, it'll be hard to blame the Brewers for having been willing to move him. Overall, this trade was a solid addition for both. The Rockies got a decent reliever and a potentially promising infielder for the future, while the Brewers got more depth in their relief unit. That allowed them to, at the very least, manage their bullpen more aggressively in playoff situations. Milwaukee has already declined Senzatela’s option, making him a free agent, so like the May/Romero trade, we’ll have to wait a few years to really see who got the better end of this deal. But then again, we know. The Brewers have a trophy already. These deals have already paid the dividends the team was pursuing, and they'll keep getting value from one of them for several more years. Image courtesy of Matt Marton-Imagn Images View full article

Any year wherein you win the World Series is a pretty darn good year. Any year wherein you set a franchise record for total wins in the regular season, before marching through the postseason largely unopposed, then winning the first World Series in franchise history is going to be hard to beat. It’ll be even harder to surpass the success of the year for Antonio Senzatela, Jackson Chourio, and William Contreras, who already hoisted a championship trophy earlier this year after winning the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela in March. Senzatela didn’t play great for Venezuela, pitching a single inning all tournament and giving up a three-run home run to Fernando Tatis Jr. in pool play. Nonetheless, 2026 ended up giving his career a much-needed shot in the arm. For the first time in his big-league career, he spent the entire season coming out of the bullpen, and heading into the trade deadline, he had an impressive 3.61 ERA and 3.37 FIP for the Rockies, prompting Colorado to strike a deal with Milwaukee. His brief regular-season tenure on the Brewers was mildly disappointing. He returned to old habits, walking too many hitters and giving up too much hard contact. Despite these subpar results, he stuck with the team throughout the postseason, pitching 4 ⅓ scoreless innings, 2 ⅔ of which were in the World Series. By the numbers, 2026 was a career year for Jackson Chourio. He struggled to get going during the WBC, posting an OPS of just .478 over 15 plate appearances, because in an exhibition game before the real contests began, he suffered a left hand fracture that sidelined him until May. Luckily, it didn’t take long to get back into gear, and even with the missed time, it became his best season yet. The 22-year-old set new career highs in home runs (25), stolen bases (23), OPS+ (129), and rWAR (4.9). He also led the team’s qualified players in batting average (.291) and slugging (.487). The only position player on the team to have more rWAR was Brice Turang (7.3). When it came to the playoffs, Chourio struggled to get off the ground initially, posting a .638 OPS in the Division Series and a .474 OPS in the Championship Series. Those struggles only existed in the box scores, though. He hit a key home run in Game 1 of the NLDS, cracked the walkoff single in Game 2, and hit into a lot of tough-luck outs on hard-hit balls. In the World Series, he broke through that wall and became one of the best to ever do it. Although he didn’t draw a walk in 24 plate appearances, his .458 batting average and .542 slugging percentage made him one of the most productive hitters in the lineup, making history along the way. His 10 hits tied Babe Ruth’s record from 1928 for the most hits in the first four games of the World Series. He is also the only player in baseball history to have ten hits and three stolen bases over this stretch. He eventually collected an 11th hit, tying the total Henry Aaron managed in the 1957 World Series. Finally, we have William Contreras. Wild Bill recorded just one run and three walks in his 16 WBC plate appearances, failing to collect a hit. His .188 OPS was the lowest of anyone on the team. This cold stretch at the plate didn’t fully go away during the regular season. His 108 OPS+ and 2.9 rWAR were both the lowest of any year he has spent on the Brewers. It was ultimately more of a Pat Murphy idiosyncrasy, but he was even benched for not hustling at the end of September. In the playoffs, Contreras was the best hitter on the team, slashing .373/.448/.588 over 58 plate appearances and hitting three home runs, one of which was a 406-foot shot to give the Brewers the lead in Game 1 of the Division Series. Defensively, he has been outstanding in all aspects this October. His blocking ability has saved runs on more than a few occasions and has also given pitchers with considerable movement in their arsenals (like Trevor Megill and Aaron Ashby) confidence to trust their stuff without worry of a passed ball. It’s even more impressive given the fact that he was one of the worst at blocking during the regular season, posting -7 Blocking Runs Above Average and landing in the eighth percentile. When it came to ABS, it was difficult to get an incorrect call past him. Of the 32 times he tapped his helmet in October, 21 were successfully overturned, and many pushed opposing hitters into 0-2 counts. He had three strikeouts gained through challenges and his total runs above average was 0.8 in the postseason. One defensive area in which he excelled all year was limiting the run game, a characteristic which he continued to exemplify in the playoffs. He caught six runners, a figure made even more impressive by the fact that the Padres and Rays were both tied for second in total stolen bases this year (164). His contributions on both sides of the ball earned him well-deserved World Series MVP honors. He became the first NL catcher to receive the award since Darrell Porter got it in 1982 after, coincidentally, helping the Cardinals beat the Brewers. In addition to his work on the field, it’s an accolade that makes sense considering the intangible leadership qualities he has brought to the team. A few weeks ago, Pat Murphy likened his chaotic energy to a pit bull: There are a lot of mixed opinions about the World Baseball Classic and whether its early timing negatively affects players’ abilities to prepare for the season. Examples are often cherry-picked, and the typical ebb and flow of success in the big leagues is overly attributed to participation in the tournament. Though far from scientific proof, one could argue that these three finding this much success across eight months of competition is a counterexample to erode some of the concerns around the sport’s premier international tournament. While we're here, let's also acknowledge Angel Zerpa. The lefty was much better than any of his Brewers teammates during the WBC, firing 5 1/3 scoreless innings and striking out eight. He didn't get to be part of the team's subsequent playoff run, because he had to undergo Tommy John surgery early in the season, but Zerpa, too, will get to call himself a champion twice over. Players are often asked whether they’d prefer to win the World Series or the World Baseball Classic. For Senzatela, Chourio, Zerpa and Contreras, the response is simple: ¿por qué no los dos? Image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images View full article

Image courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Honorable Mentions Aaron Ashby 12 GS, 14 ⅓ IP, 0.63 ERA, 2.32 FIP, 36.2 K%, 10.3 BB% It's been a season of ups and downs for Ashby. After getting off to an outstanding start as the Brewers’ bullpen workhorse, a summer slump threatened to derail his season. Across 24 ⅔ innings in June and July, he posted a 6.57 ERA with four blown saves. Luckily, Ashby got back on the horse in August and had his best month of the season. He gave up just one earned run this month, on a solo homer to Michael Harris II, and made some small but meaningful adjustments to make his pitches more difficult to square up. In August, opposing hitters made contact in the strike zone just 81.5% of the time and had a ground ball rate of 77.4%. Statistical Nugget: Ashby’s slider has been his best pitch this year by run value (5). Hitters are slugging just .189 while whiffing 56.4% of the time. Trevor Megill 11 G, 12 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.67 FIP, 17.1 K%, 7.3 BB% It seems like an eternity ago at this point, but there was a point this season at which Megill was pitching so poorly that he was removed from the closer role. Given his 6.55 ERA across his first 11 innings, the decision was unsurprising. Since then, he has been so dominant that his season ERA of 2.24 would lead you to forget he was ever anything other than elite. From May 1st onward, Megill has posted a 1.09 ERA with a 1.61 FIP over 41 ⅓ innings, a span that ended with a scoreless August. His fastball is better than ever. His knuckle curve is better than ever. He’s better than ever. The Brewers started the year with concerns about his ability to remain consistent in high leverage and now it seems the only concern they’ll have is how much they may have to pay him in arbitration next year. Statistical Nugget: Megill is tied with Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon for the most fWAR accumulated by a reliever since May 1st (2.0). Logan Henderson 5 GS, 32 ⅓ IP, 2.23 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 27.4 K%, 4.3 BB% If Logan Henderson didn’t do enough to impress you last year, then surely he has put himself on your radar this year. Aside from pitching to an enticing 2.48 ERA and 3.29 FIP over 76 ⅓ innings this year, he also made headlines after the Brewers allegedly rejected a proposal that would’ve sent him to the Tigers in exchange for Tarik Skubal. He continued what’s technically still his rookie campaign with an outstanding August. Two of his best starts of the season by Game Score came in this month — a seven-inning start against the Rangers and a seven-inning start against the Dodgers, holding both teams to just one earned run. The final month of the regular season will come with some roster decisions for Milwaukee, namely deciding how they want to configure their postseason rotation. With Kyle Harrison hitting some road bumps lately, Henderson could find himself right behind Jacob Misiorowski if he continues to perform at this level. Statistical Nugget: Henderson averages 2,558 RPM on his changeup. Only Trevor Richards (2,559) and Devin Williams (2,612) spin the ball more. Pitcher of the Month — Jacob Misiorowski 5 GS, 31 IP, 2.32 ERA, 2.63 FIP, 32.2 K%, 6.1 BB% August was arguably the worst month of the season for Misiorowski since April. Of course, that’s somewhat of a misleading statement because he still pitched to strong numbers. After posting a 0.54 ERA from May 1st to June 30th, anything short of utter dominance can feel disappointing but he’s still the leading candidate for this year’s NL Cy Young award. Hitters still aren’t touching his fastball, they’re still getting cooked by his cutter, and they’re still failing to square up his breaking balls. He still has more fWAR (5.7) than any pitcher other than Cristopher Sánchez (who has three more starts and 24 ⅓ more innings of work). He’s undoubtedly the best arm talent in Milwaukee and perhaps the entire sport. Statistical Nugget: Misiorowski has a higher whiff rate (41.0%) on his four-seam fastball than any pitcher in baseball this year. View full article

work dirtier?

work harder not smarter

The MLB's anti-bullying policy clearly states: I wonder if this also extends to members of other clubs. If not, will this be added to the growing docket of agenda items in this season's CBA discussions? I wonder if this will make the lockout even longer...

where do the savannah bananas come into this trade history

ai could never recreate this 5head wordplay and I tip my cap to u good sir

Image courtesy of IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect In what may have come as a bit of a shock, the Brewers struck their biggest deal of the deadline with the St. Louis Cardinals, a notable division rival. The last time these two franchises did business was in 2015 when Milwaukee sent Jonathan Broxton to St. Louis in exchange for Malik Collymore, so it’s been a while, to say the least. What was even more surprising than the trade partner was the package. In exchange for Dustin May and JoJo Romero, the Brewers gave up Josiah Ragsdale and Alexander Frias, two highly-touted prospects. Dustin May is responsible for the bulk of the value coming to Milwaukee as he’ll reinforce an injury-ridden rotation and does carry some meaningful upside. However, JoJo Romero is no slouch either. He was mentioned on DiamondCentric’s list of Top 80 trade targets and has had a decent season with the Cardinals, posting a 3.35 ERA over 43 innings. But as a rental reliever, how much does he actually bring to the table? A quick glance at his Statcast numbers would suggest not much. The majority of his numbers are below average, and his average exit velocity of 91.3 mph places him in the fourth percentile among qualified pitchers. His 48.8% ground ball rate seems to be his only saving grace, but there must be more to the 29-year-old southpaw. The only weapon in his arsenal with a positive run value this season is his sinker, which he has used as his primary fastball offering since 2022. It’s definitely one of the pitches of all time, which, in other words, means that it’s serviceable. Opposing hitters are averaging .265 against it, which isn’t totally out of the ordinary for sinkers. What’s more concerning is the hard-hit rate, which stands at 56.1%. He has gotten somewhat lucky so far, limiting the opposing slugging percentage to just .324, but it does seem like it’s only a matter of time before that levy breaks. His secondary pitch of choice is a sweeper with quite a bit of movement. On paper, it complements his sinker well since there are 32 inches of net lateral movement between the two pitches. In practice, it has a whiff rate of just 26.9%. This is largely a location issue, as Romero lands almost half of his sweepers in the zone, which can result in considerable damage. Three of his five home runs have come against the pitch. His tertiary offering is the changeup, which has been mostly uncompetitive this year. It has a chase rate of 34.6% and a whiff rate of 30.4%, which are satisfactory by themselves but hardly enough to compensate for the 17.5% zone rate, meaning it’s landing as a waste pitch far too often to be effective. So far, this all sounds pretty underwhelming. But surely the Brewers, in their infinite wisdom, were excited about something if they wanted him included in the trade. But what is it? To start, there’s a real bullpen need for left-handed pitching. Aaron Ashby seems to be falling apart before our very eyes, posting a gruesome 6.57 ERA and 4.31 FIP since the start of June. DL Hall recently returned from the injured list, but who knows what his readiness will be like. Furthermore, both of these players profile more like starting pitchers, boasting deep arsenals and excellent stamina. Romero’s east/west tendencies seem to be what specifically made him stand out, as it’s also what Dustin May brings to the table. The Brewers don’t currently have a lot of it in their pitching staff, and adding what’s almost like a left-handed Grant Anderson in Romero gives opposing hitters yet another attack vector to prepare for. As a ground ball pitcher, he’s more reliant on the defensive capabilities of his infield, which should be better in Milwaukee. The Brewers are exceptional up the middle with Brice Turang and Cooper Pratt, and now that Joey Ortiz is spending more time at third base, he also brings his exceptional glove to the hot corner. His understudy, David Hamilton, isn’t too shabby either. Together, this defensive ensemble should augment Romero’s run prevention abilities even if his intrinsic abilities remain unchanged. There may be some pitch design changes that the Brewers decide to implement, but with two months left in the regular season, that may be asking for too much too soon. As a rental reliever, Romero’s value proposition seems to be adding a new dimension to the team’s pitching staff that synergizes well with Milwaukee’s infield defense. JoJo Romero has the potential to be a solid piece of the bullpen and will likely excel in double play situations. He doesn’t have the stuff to take the ball in high-leverage situations, but he doesn’t need to be — the Brewers already have other guys for that. If one is asked to decide whether he’s a forgettable piece of an already questionable trade or the man to finally take the Brewers to the World Series, the answer is probably something far less extreme. He’ll eat up important relief innings and get outs for the squad when needed. What more can one ask of a pitcher? View full article