Brandon Woodruff resurgence could push Brewers fan favorite out of Milwaukee

Arguably no team in baseball is hotter than the Milwaukee Brewers right now, who just snatched control of first place in the NL Central from the Chicago Cubs thanks to a 6-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. There are a ton of reasons for Milwaukee's recent surge to the top of the standings, but it's not a coincidence that it happens to dovetail neatly with Brandon Woodruff's return to the rotation.

Woodruff made his season debut just prior to the All-Star break, and he's immediately reestablished himself as one of the better pitchers in the entire sport. The big righty was simply dominant on Monday, holding Seattle to just two hits while striking out five over six shutout innings — and lowering his ERA on the year to just 1.65. Even more importantly, he just looks like Brandon Woodruff; you could close your eyes and convince yourself that this changeup was right out of 2022.

Teams will often talk about getting players back from injury as something akin to a big trade deadline acquisition, and in this case Milwaukee might actually have a point: This version of Woodruff is a legitimate game-changer in the NL pennant chase, the kind of pitcher who can put a team on his back. But he also could prove pivotal because of the flexibility he could provide the Brewers in the days leading up to the deadline, flexibility that might allow them to flip a fan favorite in order to address needs elsewhere on the roster.

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Brewers pitching depth could make Jose Quintana an intriguing trade candidate

You can never have too much pitching, as the saying goes, but the Brewers sure do have a lot right now. Woodruff joins Freddy Peralta and Jacob Misiorowski to form a fearsome top three, with Quinn Priester and Jose Quintana more than capable behind them and Nestor Cortes nearing a return from the IL. Oh, and that's not even touching on rookie breakout Chad Patrick or top pitching prospect Logan Henderson, each of whom have flashed big-time potential in the Majors already and each of whom are currently waiting their turn in Triple-A.

There are more starting-caliber pitchers than there are rotation spots, which begs the question: Will Milwaukee look to break up that logjam? There are other needs on this roster, both in the bullpen and especially in the lineup; dealing from surplus seems to be the easiest way to fill them. And if that is the route the Brewers choose to go, Quintana all of a sudden becomes one of the more intriguing trade chips in baseball.

He would seem to be the odd man out, both because he'll be a free agent this winter and because of his age (36) and relatively low ceiling. But make no mistake: He's still a rock-solid big-league pitcher, with a 3.49 ERA across 14 starts so far this season that will absolutely get teams' attention in a market currently short on proven rotation options. MIlwaukee should think long and hard before giving him away, and good pitching always seems to come in handy come October. But if the Brewers want to consolidate their gains and really push the beasts of the NL, they might have to part with Quintana to do it.