The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the hottest teams in baseball, and held a two-game lead over the Chicago Cubs entering play on Wednesday. The Brewers and Cubs will end their three-game series this afternoon. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Cubs have done everything they can to position themselves well enough to make a big move. The Brewers, meanwhile, seem just fine with where they're at.
Per ESPN's Jeff Passan and Buster Olney, the Brewers aren't expected to make any major trade deadline moves – that likely means no Eugenio Suarez, for example. Unless a player like Suarez 'falls into their laps' Milwaukee is unlikely to forfeit top prospect capital in any deal. The same cannot be said about the Cubs, who are feeling the heat.
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Why the Brewers and Cubs have much different trade deadline strategies
The differences between the Cubs and Brewers can be summed up by the markets they play in. Chicago is ready for another postseason winner, and thus Jed Hoyer traded for outfielder Kyle Tucker this offseason. The only problem with such a move remains that Tucker is on the final year of his contract and could earn a contract north of $500 million in free agency, so the Cubs must make the most of his time at Wrigley. Chicago needs starting pitching help, as well, thanks to a season-altering injury to Justin Steele. Finding a one-for-one replacement won't come cheap.
It's not necessarily that the Brewers do not need these things – surely Matt Arnold would upgrade if he had the resources. It's that they don't have to. Milwaukee, as currently constructed, has a multiple-game lead on Chicago. They're getting healthier by the game, and feature a strong farm system full of reinforcements. There's no reason to force a trade unless the fit is right, and is within Milwaukee's price range. Trading the farm for a rental like Suarez isn't what a smart, mid-market team like the Brewers should do if they don't have to.
Craig Counsell could come to regret leaving Brewers
The Cubs have more resources than the Brewers, this much is true. However, they don't have the same infrastructure, nor the scouting resources. Milwaukee is built to contend amongst giants. They understand the role they play in the baseball landscape. The Cubs, meanwhile, often don't spend like the mighty Dodgers, Yankees, Mets and Red Sox, but most compete for the same players. It's a letdown waiting to happen.
Counsell shouldn't regret leaving the Brewers just yet. He did receive a record-breaking contract to do so, after all. Yet, two years later these teams are in similar positions, and the Brewers aren't about to lose their best player to free agency. Milwaukee fans will always hate Counsell after he left for the big brother Cubs, but it's about time they reexamined that argument. In many ways, they are better off.