MLB rumors: Cubs lose a prospect, NL Central trade appetite, Rodon back

MLB rumors: Brewers eager but patient ahead of trade deadline

The NL Central has been a whirlwind of mediocrity for much of the season. Both Chicago and St. Louis were prohibitive favorites early on, but both clubs have struggled mightily, with the Cardinals approaching a particularly unfortunate realm of incompetence.

Meanwhile, the Reds got off to a similarly cold start before rocketing into contention with a torrid June — led by rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz, who might already be the most impressive athlete in the league.

Then, there’s the Brewers. Milwaukee has been hovering right around .500 all season, which has been enough to keep them locked in first place prior to this Cincinnati run. The Brewers are currently tied with the Reds at 44-39 with a couple of weeks left until the All-Star break.

The Brewers have been a notoriously patient trade deadline operator in recent years, but with so much ground to gain or lose in a tight divisional race, Milwaukee could be inspired to take some major swings ahead of Aug. 1.

When discussing the upcoming deadline with MLB.com, Brewers GM Matt Arnold was indeed eager to improve his team, but he also preached the importance of building the team “responsibly.”

"“Look, we want to be competitive here in 2023. We feel like we have a good team in place. We will be opportunistic to try to improve this team where we can, responsibly, but ultimately, I think we have a lot of good players here and even others coming back off the IL led by somebody like Brandon Woodruff, who is a really exciting player to add as a Deadline addition. Aaron Ashby, I think there’s a chance that he comes back later in the season. Justin Wilson is throwing the ball really well right now. Tyrone Taylor isn’t that far off. So just more guys coming back. I think those could also be quality additions to a team that we certainly already believe in.”"

This is classic GM speak. We want to improve, but also we have great in-house options. The Brewers will certainly scour the market for upgrades, but Arnold doesn’t sound too desperate to pull a rabbit out of the proverbial hat. With the Brewers still waiting to achieve full health (what team isn’t?), don’t be shocked in Milwaukee sits tight at the deadline and gambles on the roster currently in place.