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.
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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).
Teams are also asking the Brewers about their young Major League starters, who include right-hander Brandon Sproat, left-hander Shane Drohan and Wednesday’s starter Logan Henderson, all of whom are controllable through 2031. Henderson has a spotty injury history, including time on the injured list for a back strain this season, but he owns a 3.05 ERA and a 31.8 percent strikeout rate after allowing two Mets runs in a five-inning, nine-strikeout performance on Wednesday afternoon.
“I love the group that we have, I really do,” said Henderson.
How closely does closer Trevor Megill follow the news and rumors at this time of year?
“I’m just going to walk into the clubhouse one day and just see a new face,” said Megill after cementing his 16th save, and the Brewers’ fifth victory in six games since the All-Star break.
That’s a strong possibility, especially if the Brewers can get deals done without disrupting a Major League roster that is on a 101-win pace. After all, is it worth subtracting from the pitching pool today and tomorrow in order to add an experienced arm for a pennant push?
Adding to the level of difficulty in constructing deals is that two of the Brewers’ top prospects landed on Minor League injured lists Wednesday. Triple-A infielder Jett Williams (Brewers No. 5, overall No. 78) has been sidelined by a sprained left wrist and will be down another two to three weeks, and Double-A right-hander Bishop Letson (Brewers No. 9) saw his last start cut short by an oblique strain that is expected to sideline him for at least three to five weeks.
Arnold and the Brewers already have made three modest additions to the pitching this month, signing swingman Bryse Wilson after he was cut loose by the Cubs and then making a trade with the Astros to land left-handed starter Colton Gordon, who was sent to Triple-A Nashville to join the rotation, along with a flier on veteran right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. coming back from a shoulder injury. McCullers’ injury history made him somewhat of a wild card, but the Brewers were impressed enough by what they saw in his Milwaukee debut against the Mets on Monday that they are open to giving him a shot as a starter if and when the need arises, manager Pat Murphy suggested.
Publicly, Arnold says he’s “wide open” to adding pitching and hitting. But the Brewers’ primary focus is believed to be reinforcing a pitching staff that owns MLB’s second-best ERA (3.44) despite losing starters Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester and high-leverage reliever Angel Zerpa to season-ending injuries.
Arnold repeatedly used the word “responsible” in describing his approach. He has spent hours discussing with an inner circle that includes assistant GMs Karl Mueller, Matt Kleine and Will Hudgins, executive advisor Matt Klentak, senior VP of player development Cam Castro and vice president of baseball research and evaluation Ethan Bein, among others, the benefits and risks of going big.
“It takes two to tango, and the market right now is fairly tight, just given the number of teams in play for the playoffs,” Arnold said. “It’s good for the game, but it makes it harder if you’re trying to buy.”
With 12 days to go before the Deadline, everything is on the table.
“We want to be in play as much as we can,” Arnold said.