MILWAUKEE – The Brewers have the best record in franchise history to this point in a season and the second-biggest division lead in Major League Baseball, which stood at 6 1/2 games over the Cubs with 60 regular-season games to go after Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Mets at American Family Field.
Given that success on the field, Brewers officials are prepared to adopt a more aggressive approach at the Trade Deadline compared to recent years, according to sources familiar with the club’s thinking.
Yes, that means Milwaukee officials have touched base with Detroit about starter Tarik Skubal, and with San Diego about closer Mason Miller. But the Tigers and Padres must first decide to trade those players, and the Brewers must decide how much to deal from their young crop of Major League starters or from MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked Minor League system.
This year’s Deadline lands on Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. CT.
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“I’ve been on the phone a lot,” said Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold, who cannot discuss specific trade targets and teams. “We’re definitely active.”
Even an aggressive approach comes with limits. Teams like the Brewers that do not rely on free agency to populate the roster must instead stockpile prospects, especially position-player prospects, and Milwaukee officials have been telling teams they won’t decimate the farm system in order to satisfy the fan base by landing a high-profile player – particularly if he’s a rental.
It means that for as high a price that teams like the Tigers are putting on Skubal and even next-tier options like the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman, the Mets’ Freddy Peralta or controllable pitchers like the Angels’ Reid Detmers or José Soriano, the Brewers are assigning a high value to their collection of Top 100 prospects. Players generating interest include shortstops Jesús Made (No. 1 overall) and Luis Peña (Brewers No. 2, No. 18 overall) and outfielder Josh Adamczewski (Brewers No. 6, No. 90 overall) and a fast-riser just outside the Top 100 in 2025 first-round pick Andrew Fischer (Brewers No. 7).