Matthew Trueblood

Image courtesy of David Frerker-Imagn Images Acquiring talented reliever Nick Mears from the Rockies two years ago didn't pan out exactly as the Brewers hoped. Undeterred, however, they're back in business with the new Rockies front office. They're set to acquire right-handed reliever Antonio Senzatela, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Senzatela, 31, is in the final guaranteed season of an extension he signed with the Rockies years ago, when he was a starting pitcher and looked like the co-anchor of the team's young rotation. After injuries and the ravages of pitching at elevation took a long and heavy toll, however, he moved to the bullpen this season. That's been an extremely successful transition. Working in multi-inning relief, Senzatela has missed bats at an acceptable (though below-average) rate for the first time in his career, and continues to fill up the zone. A power cutter has turned him into an effective hurler in short bursts; he's running a 3.61 ERA. Owed $12 million this year (and thus, just under $4 million for what's left of it), Senzatela also has a $14-million club option in his deal for 2027. If this acquisition pans out as hoped, the Brewers will have the chance to bring him back next season—albeit at a very high price for a pitcher of his caliber. In all likelihood, this is a rental, but he gives the team an extra dose of bullpen depth and the ability to get more than three outs at a time when the situation demands it. In exchange for the veteran righty, Milwaukee is sending two low-level prospects to Colorado. The price tag here is much lower than with the package deal for Dustin May and JoJo Romero earlier today. View full article

....... why did you do any of that? And CRUCIALLY, why did you tell us?

I receive that well, indeed! Yeah, you can't get much for them, but some lower-wattage version of the Yoho-Naylor deal is possible. Refresh those roster spots, add someone you might actually trust to contribute in October.

Image courtesy of Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images The Brewers don't generally fish where the boats and the birds cluster. They prefer to find the quiet spot no one knows about and haul in a fish that thought itself safe via removal from the hubbub. This year, they made a minor exception by wading into the river at its busiest juncture, discussing mega-ace Tarik Skubal with the Tigers—but they found those waters too deep and retreated to safe ground. Now, with just hours before the MLB trade deadline at 5 PM CT, they're back to trawling their practically private waters. Milwaukee never seriously pursued Freddy Peralta, a club source said. The organization respects and admires Peralta but worried that resetting him after a counterproductive stint in Queens would prove too difficult to get right on the fly, even (or perhaps especially) because of their familiarity with him. Nor were they players for Kevin Gausman, whom the Cubs acquired Sunday night. In terms of budget, team control and profile, the fit wasn't right. The team still has lots of lines in the water, though. They're engaged with teams about some players who have flown under the radar this week, and on at least one hurler whose name has garnered headlines and gossip aplenty. Here's a rundown of a few names they've explored. Trevor Rogers Milwaukee would prefer to add a starter with long-term team control, and we'll talk about a couple of pitchers who fit that criterion shortly. One rental arm who does have their attention is Rogers. His season-level numbers hide significant upside. Last year, Rogers posted a sub-2.00 ERA in half a season of work. This year, after a rocky start related to an illness that sidelined him for about three weeks and left him weak afterward, he's been similarly dominant, with a 2.21 ERA over his last 10 starts. Rogers's stuff profile and delivery suit Milwaukee's predilections, too. Arguably, he's the best rental starter left on the market, and the Brewers have interest. Tyler Phillips At first blush, one might wonder why Phillips would even be available. He's a late bloomer, pitching just his second full season in the majors at age 28. Until late May, he held on with the Marlins as a reliever; he's made just a dozen starts since they moved him to the rotation. They should probably retain him and try to complete his impressive emergence as a useful starter. Phillips is out of options, though, and Miami is willing to talk about him, a source said. That's all the opening the Brewers need, because Phillips checks a lot of boxes for them. He throws from a low slot and shows feel for moving the ball in both directions. He gets great extension toward the plate and throws 96 miles per hour. If the Marlins' price tag on him fairly reflects the fact that his four years of remaining team control will be mitigated a bit by his roster status and profile, he could be a perfect target for the Crew. Ryan Feltner Evaluating pitchers who spend half their time pitching at Coors Field is always challenging; the Brewers like to take advantage of that uncertainty when they can. Two years ago, they swooped in and scooped up Nick Mears in a deal with Colorado. The Rockies' front office has gotten smarter since then, but they're also more realistic about their prospects and the need to look toward the future than they used to be. That could be building the perfect storm for Milwaukee to acquire a starter with two more years of team control, who has flashed frontline upside when he's been healthy over the last few years. Already 29 and with just two more years of team control, Feltner doesn't feel like a high-ceiling target. His stuff rates poorly on models that struggle to account for the effects of working at elevation; there are also things the Brewers would truly want to tweak. But Feltner has one more year of optionability (usable either this season or next), and there are enough markers to tantalize the Brewers, a source familiar with the team's thinking said. Caleb Ferguson Now, let's talk about a couple of left-handed relievers in whom the team has shown interest. Ferguson is the simple kind of target. He's on a one-year, $4.5-million deal with the Reds, so he'd strictly be a rental. He has a three-fastball mix and a fairly forgettable curveball. He gets ground balls and does a lot of things (spotting his sinker to the glove side against fellow lefties; using his fastball variants to induce weak contact) the Brewers like. He'd be a low-friction addition to take some pressure off of Aaron Ashby and the rest of the left-handed relief options down the stretch. Daniel Lynch IV This acquisition wouldn't be quite as simple as Ferguson could be. Lynch is still under team control for two more seasons after 2026, and he has one option year remaining, giving the Royals some flexibility. He does several things the Brewers like with his fastballs, though, and shows good feel for his breaking balls, even though he's constrained by a bias toward pronation and doesn't achieve much sweep or depth on those offerings. His sinker and changeup get grounders, and he shows a converted starter's command and control. Milwaukee is ready to get hurt again, if they must, after dealing for fellow Royals lefty Ángel Zerpa over the winter and watching him go down with a torn UCL. Lynch is a fit for them in both the short and the medium term. Luke Weaver The five names above all represent some level of potential creativity on the Brewers' part. Weaver is the straightforward alternative to all of that. He's under contract for 2027 and will be expensive, both financially and in terms of prospect capital. However, he's regarded as one of the three best relievers likely to move at this deadline, and he suits the Brewers better than either of the other two. The team has discussed Weaver with the Mets, a source briefed on the talks said. They could land him with the idea of mixing him in with Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe this fall, then move one of the three (Megill being the most likely) this winter in a trade to recapture almost all the value they surrender this summer. In the meantime, they'd once again have a bullpen that would be the envy of the National League playoff bracket. Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list of pitchers the Brewers are pursuing. They still have a lot of options, and they're exploring them aggressively. Keep these six names in mind, though, and understand that each represents a tier or a flavor of addition that the team is interested in—even if they ultimately secure a different specific player. One way or another, they should make a significant move on Monday. These are each candidates to be that move. View full article

No.

We don't have to do hypothetical spitballing here, man. I am telling you what the Tigers *actually asked the Brewers for*. You don't like the price! Neither did the Brewers! That's why Skubal's a Dodger! This happens every time there's a big trade; the temptation is to insist on a certain parallel-making and on an objective reality that anchors that exercise. That doesn't exist. These players aren't available on a transparent market to be exchanged for currency with an agreed-upon worth; that's free agency. In trades, how each team evaluates each player under consideration is really all that matters. The Tigers were never going to take anything remotely akin to Payne (or Adamczewski) plus Crow and Knoth or Renz. I'm sorry, folks. That wasn't an option.

Nahh. Hope might or might not really pan out, but the industry (and certainly the Tigers) considers him a legit high-end prospect. He's two tiers above Adamczewski; Detroit would not have accepted Adamczewski as the centerpiece of a deal. That's not a guarantee that Adamczewski won't be better than Hope; I think you and I can both imagine that outcome. But the market was never going to and does not value Adamczewski as highly as Hope, or even especially close. Just file this away, because in a few years, if Adamczewski pans out because of how good the Brewers' hitting dev is and Hope wobbles, you'll be extra pleased that they didn't make this move. FWIW, from what I heard, Tigers wanted to start with Peña and get either Henderson or two other arms instead, including Tyson Hardin. I would not have made that deal, if I were Matt Arnold.

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Beating the Dodgers isn't necessarily the Brewers' job. It's taken for granted, in many circles, that the Brewers will eventually have to go through Los Angeles in October to reach the World Series for the first time since 1982, but in reality, someone else will get a crack at that team first. For fans, players and the front office, it would be unhealthy, unproductive and inefficient to spend time obsessing over the Dodgers. The Brewers have their own work to do, and it shouldn't be a response to the Dodgers'. That's much easier to say than it is to live out, though, on the morning after Tarik Skubal landed with the sport's most successful dynasty since the turn of the 21st century. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman pushed his chips to the center of the table to haul in Skubal from the forgettable Tigers, as he attempts to secure Los Angeles's third straight World Series title. The Brewers had been in on Skubal, a source familiar with the discussions said, but they always knew the Dodgers were the favorites. As such, Brewers president of baseball ops Matt Arnold has been planning his pivot for some time. Though he's an impending free agent, Skubal was priced like a controllable one; that's one reason why the Brewers were never likely to land him. The package the Tigers received in exchange for Skubal is far richer than what any other pitcher headed for the market this fall will command, so the Brewers could choose to focus on one of those hurlers to keep acquisition costs down. They've talked to the Tigers about Casey Mize, the former No. 1 overall pick and another impending free agent, though the fit between what Mize does and what the Brewers like is imperfect. Arnold and Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom have known each other for 20 years, which provides the kind of foundation required to pull off intradivisional trades in July. St. Louis is likely to deal Dustin May, and the Brewers have checked in there, too. May suits the Crew's pitching predilections neatly, too: good velocity, good extension, three fastballs, and so on. Milwaukee has also talked to the Giants about both Tyler Mahle and Robbie Ray. Of the two, Ray comes with the higher price tag, but is also pitching better this season. The Brewers have talked internally about starters they could acquire to work in the back half of the rotation down the stretch, before moving to the bullpen in October. Ray would be a good candidate for that, and has done a version of it before. The final dual option for Milwaukee on the rental starter front could be the Mets, who have both Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes on the market. Holmes is still rehabbing from a broken leg, but his profile is extremely similar to that of Quinn Priester. Needless to say, the Brewers are intrigued by that. A reunion with Peralta would be a joyous occasion for the team, but it might also be fraught; there's worry within the organization about the emotional toll it might take on all parties if Peralta's rough season continues after a would-be triumphant return. As always, though, the team remains open-minded and interested in making bigger moves, if the right opportunity is there. Milwaukee has talked to the Rockies about starter Ryan Feltner, who has two more years of team control after 2026 and is having a strong season. Feltner, 29, has an extremely strange arsenal, with relative cut on his four-seam fastball and his changeup and an erratic but dastardly sinker-slider combination. He won't be cheap, but Feltner is one medium-term acquisition who could be a level-booster for the Milwaukee rotation. Beyond those names, what Arnold might come up with is anyone's guess. The Brewers have not been frontrunners for Reid Detmers of the Angels, but José Soriano is "up their alley" and the team has checked in with interim Angels GM John Mozeliak about a number of players, a source said. Adding a starter remains an important box on the to-do checklist, but the team is also focused on deepending their stable to high-leverage relievers. That could lead them back to the Mets and Luke Weaver; it could also mean pursuing Orioles righty Tyler Wells. Skubal was never in the cards for Milwaukee. It was a nice idea, given their competitive position and how great he is, but the value Detroit demanded in return—and eventually got, from a team closer to the end of its championship window than the Brewers are—was more than he would have been worth to the Crew. Arnold has less than 36 hours to respond, but he's not in a direct arms race with Friedman. He just needs to help a great team get to October with its legs underneath it. View full article

Image courtesy of David Richard-Imagn Images Always operating on multiple levels, the Milwaukee Brewers made their first major trade of the season Saturday morning—but the focus of it appears to be 2027 and beyond, rather than 2026. Milwaukee is sending Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins to the Cleveland Guardians in a deal that nets them catcher Bo Naylor, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post and Robert Murray of FanSided. Guardians beat reporter Zack Meisel adds the final piece to the puzzle, noting that the Brewers will also get Codi Heuer in the deal. It amounts, then, to a swap of relievers who were not working in high leverage and of position players who had lost prominence in their respective organizations. Let's start by running through what the Brewers are getting. Naylor ranked 49th on our list of the top trade candidates for the deadline period, over at DiamondCentric: That capsule says everything about why the Brewers took interest. Everyone understands Naylor, the younger brother of Seattle first baseman Josh Naylor, to have upside left, but his bat has gone to pieces. The Crew will take over the reclamation project and try to get him back in touch with his talent. If they succeed, he could step in as their new primary backstop next spring, should they trade William Contreras this winter. If they fail, he's still a cromulent backup option, and a much cheaper one than (say) Gary Sánchez. Much work lies ahead, though. Heuer, 30, has changed hands more times than Pat Venditte on a long subway ride. He's a low-slot righty with a four-seamer that sits around 95 MPH, a slider that pairs well with it, and a changeup to keep lefties from sitting on the other two offerings. His elite release extension surely made him attractive to the Brewers, who love that trait. He's strictly a middle reliever, but they might well trust him more than Craig Yoho—if only because they trust Yoho so little. Naylor could have four more years of team control left, depending on whether and when the Brewers call him up this season. Heuer has just one, after this year. In acquiring these two fringe pieces for Yoho (still six years of control left) and Perkins (three more, if offered arbitration each time, which is unlikely), they don't gain or lose much projected team control. Rather, this move secures some value for Yoho, whom the organization has been down on for several months, and gets Perkins out of the way in an outfield logjam that needed to be addressed. The main benefit of the deal will come if they can turn Naylor back into the better version of himself. In the meantime, though, Heuer profiles as a still-optionable (for the moment) arm who can pick up innings at the bottom of the bullpen ladder and be swapped out when needed, while still offering upside as Chris Hook and Jim Henderson get to work with him. It's a move about resolving roster clutter and providing needed changes of scenery, and it's a move about the medium-term future. If it affects the 2026 Brewers' pursuit of a World Series title at all, though, it should be in the positive direction, which surely made the front office comfortable enough to pull the trigger. View full article

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Not satisfied to shop for pure rental arms, the Brewers are in touch with the Royals about two veteran starters under contract for 2027, according to a source briefed on recent discussions between the two teams. Milwaukee scouted Seth Lugo's start at Target Field this week and are also interested in fellow righty Michael Wacha. Lugo, 36, is owed about $7 million for the balance of 2026 and another $21.5 million in 2027. There's a team option in the deal that would pay him $17 million in 2028, and which comes with a $3-million buyout. Lugo is 4-6 with a 4.22 ERA in 22 starts, and is pitching better than that of late. Over his last three outings, he's allowed just five earned runs in 19 innings. He doesn't miss bats the way he did even a year or two ago, muting the value of his exceptionally deep arsenal, but his durability and capacity to work deep into games is regarded as a huge potential boost for a Brewers staff in need of an innings sponge. Somewhat more tantalizing and fresh off a trip to the All-Star Game, Wacha is 35 years old, but has a prettier 3.60 ERA in his 21 starts. He's owed $6 million for the rest of this year and $14 million (with a chance to make another $4 million via incentives) in 2027, and his deal comes with a more affordable 2028 option. He, too, is running a below-average strikeout rate, but he's been consistently able to mute hard contact while filling up the strike zone throughout his career. These deals reflect a couple of interlinked and important realities, league sources say. One is that the Tigers' asking price on Tarik Skubal remains "unrealistic," according to one source, making it unlikely that Milwaukee will pony up for the top rental arm on the market. Another is that, with the trade deadline coming so deep in this season and the Brewers' place atop the NL Central seemingly safe, the team is reluctant to pay the trade prices even on lower-tier rentals. They would rather do so for a pitcher who can continue to ease their management of pitchers' workloads in 2027 (or beyond), and while their budget is not unlimited even for partial-season additions, they're prepared to absorb some salary obligations in order to pay lower prospect costs for the upgrades they feel they need. It's been a slightly wrong-footed fortnight for the NL Central leaders, but they still have a strong position in the playoff jostling, and there might not be a better all-around team in the league even as they're currently constructed. Teams with top-tier chips to move will try to extract Milwaukee's highest-value prospects, but the team believes they can make important improvements without setting themselves back in the future that way. The Royals' veterans offer one path to that destination; the team still has four days to explore others. View full article