Three Takeaways from the Brewers Trade Deadline Moves

One of the most active trade deadlines in recent memory is behind us, with a flurry of big names on the move throughout Major League Baseball.

The Brewers have been one of the more active teams in the trade market all season, and that continued into this week with the acquisitions of infielder Eduardo Escobar from Arizona and relievers Daniel Norris from Detroit and John Curtiss from Miami.

With the Brewers roster now locked in for the stretch run, here are three of our biggest takeaways from the trade deadline.

Escobar Adds Power, Versatility to Crew’s Lineup

The Brewers haven’t been shy about adding impact bats to their lineup via trade this season: they acquired shortstop Willy Adames in May and first baseman Rowdy Tellez earlier this month – both to excellent early results.

Now, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns hopes infielder Eduardo Escobar can be the next big piece to the Crew’s offensive puzzle.

A first-time All-Star with the Diamondbacks this season, Escobar ranks seventh in the NL with 22 home runs and sixth with 65 RBI. He has a knack for hitting for extra bases, boasting a solid .478 slugging in 370 at bats.

While Escobar primarily played third base for Arizona, he also has experience at second base and shortstop, and may even spend some time at first base against left-handed pitching. He won’t play the same position every game, but his versatility should help Manager Craig Counsell mix and match different lineups down the stretch – with some extra pop in the lineup to boot.

Bullpen Is Ready for the Stretch Run

Coming into Friday’s deadline, the Brewers were expected to bolster their bullpen after parting with relief arms like JP Feyereisen, Drew Rasmussen, and Trevor Richards in various trades this season. They did just that on Friday, acquiring Daniel Norris from Detroit and John Curtiss from Miami.

Norris should give Counsell an extra left-handed weapon during the middle innings. While he owns a 5.89 ERA on the year, he’s been quite effective against left-handed hitters, holding them to just a .200 batting average and a .555 OPS.

Curtiss, meanwhile, has been an effective late-innings option for each of the last two seasons. Playing for Tampa Bay and Miami, he put up a 2.22 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 65 innings going back to the start of 2020.

With established arms like Josh Hader, Devin Williams, and Brad Boxberger already playing big roles in the back end of the bullpen, the Brewers now have a variety of effective options to lock down the late innings.

Brewers Show Confidence In Rotation

By not acquiring a starting pitcher at the deadline, Stearns and company signaled total confidence in their starting rotation going forward.

And why shouldn’t they be confident? Through 103 games, the Brewers’ rotation ranks first among all MLB teams in ERA (3.04) and WAR (13), as well as fourth in strikeouts (592).

Perhaps most importantly, the Brewers have a surplus of options to start games.

All-Stars Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta have earned well-deserved praise all season long, while Adrian Houser (3.69 ERA), Eric Lauer (3.78 ERA), and Brett Anderson (3.86 ERA) have all quietly put up quality campaigns themselves.

Now with an improved offense and bullpen behind them, the Brewers hope their star-studded rotation can lead them to their fourth consecutive postseason berth.