When Craig Counsell left the Milwaukee Brewers for the rival Chicago Cubs prior to the 2024 season, he did so assuming he'd have a financial and organizational advantage over his former team that he otherwise would be missing out on. Counsell's Milwaukee tenure was impressive, but it was also marred by regret and, frankly, cutting corners when it mattered most. As impressive as the Brewers are, they are a mid-market team. The Cubs offer a more flexible budget, but that won't help Counsell as it pertains to Jacob Misiorowski.
Misiorowski out-dueled fellow young ace Paul Skenes on Wednesday afternoon, giving up just two hits in five innings pitched. Misiorowski has induced 73 swings on his 100+ MPH fastball since his promotion, and they have produced just one base hit. He is as dominant as they come, and could very well be the ace Milwaukee has been missing since they traded away Corbin Burnes.
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Craig Counsell and the Brewers are destined to do battle
Entering play on Thursday, the Brewers were just 2.5 games behind the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. Milwaukee is well-positioned to at least make the postseason as an NL Wild Card team and should push the Cubs all summer long. Having Misiorowski at their disposal will only help matters, even if he is on a pitch count.
In fact, Misiorowski's pitch count will do the Brewers favors down the stretch. If Milwaukee were struggling, for example, they'd likely shut their young right-hander down late in the campaign as to not risk injury. Pat Murphy has already taken that into account, which is why he pulled Misiorowski after just 74 pitches on Wednesday. It's not that Misiorowski couldn't keep pitching – or that Murphy doesn't trust him – but the Brewers want to make sure their newfound ace is available when it matters most.
Can the Brewers be taken seriously as a contender?
What the Brewers do at the trade deadline will tell us a lot about how Matt Arnold feels about this team. In Jeff Passan's latest trade deadline rankings, he listed Freddy Peralta, a Brewers pitcher with a 3.49 ERA, as a potential trade asset. If Milwaukee were to fall back to the pack by late July, then dealing Peralta would make sense. However, if they traded him while just a few games back of the Cubs in the Central, it'd be deflating for a team on the rise.
"Peralta has been a steady presence for years, averaging 140 innings pitched with a 3.49 ERA over the past four seasons. He's on track to do that again, with his heavily used fastball coming in at a career-high average velo of 94.9 mph this season. He has an ultra-cheap $8 million option for 2026," Passan wrote.
Rhys Hoskins is another player who could hit free agency following this season. If the Brewers prefer to get something for him now, they could trade for former Phillies star at the deadline. These are decisions Arnold will have to make – albeit ones he should have an easy answer to – if the Brewers are to really challenge Counsell and the Cubs long term.