Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Milwaukee Brewers trail the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, requiring strategic roster shifts to reclaim their dominance over their divisional rivals.
- The plan involves promoting Jett Williams, demoting Brandon Sproat, and trading for impact players like José Soriano and buy-low candidate Alec Bohm.
- These bold moves would bolster a thin infield and rotation, giving Milwaukee the talent necessary to overtake Chicago and secure a deep postseason run.
The Milwaukee Brewers are 22-16, second in a crowded NL Central race and 3.5 games behind the pack-leading Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee has had Chicago's number for years now, but the Cubs are scorching-hot at the plate right now and it feels like the Brewers' small-market tendencies have finally caught up to them in a negative way.
This is still a competitive Brewers team, to be clear, but it would be impossible to bet against Chicago in a hypothetical postseason series right now. There is plenty of time for that to change, however, and it could start with these four moves from Milwaukee:
Promote INF Jett Williams
Milwaukee has maintained its usual formula this season: dead-last in home runs, but swift and aggressive on the base paths, with sound fundamental hitting and a willingness to mix and match pieces to fit the matchup. Pat Murphy is one of the best in the business.
That said, the Brewers simply cannot abide regular starts for David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz (or Luis Rengifo) for an entire season. Milwaukee almost certainly does not "regret" the Caleb Durbin trade given how that has gone for Boston (and how well Kyle Harrison has performed on the mound), but it did open up a sizable hole on the infield.
It's time for Jett Williams to get his shot. A cornerstone of the Freddy Peralta trade last offseason, Williams has the feel of a classic Brewers prospect — a small, speedy, versatile infielder who shrinks the zone and delivers solid contact to all fields. Williams isn't off to the fastest start in Triple-A (.714 OPS), but he has the hit tool and ancillary skills to thrive in Milwaukee. The Brewers could use the talent infusion.
Demote RHP Brandon Sproat
The other side of the Freddy Peralta coin, Brandon Sproat was immediately elevated into Milwaukee's rotation as the de facto replacement for their outgoing ace. Sproat has some funky stuff and real upside, but the 25-year-old looks overmatched right now.
Given Milwaukee's unique penchant for developing pitchers and staffing a deep pipeline, there's no reason to keep riding Sproat, the only Brewers regular with a negative fWAR (-0.3) currently in the rotation.
The Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester injuries haven't made things easy on the Brewers front office, but with Robert Grasser and other prospects due for a call-up, Sproat (and Milwaukee's rotation, both short- and long-term) probably benefit from a few more developmental reps in the minors.
Trade for RHP José Soriano
The Brewers aren't typically aggressive when it comes to adding external talent, but it's time for the front office to change its approach. The shine has worn off ever so slightly on José Soriano, who has learned he can't strand literally every base-runner. But he still has a 1.66 ERA through nine starts, with 61 strikeouts in 54.1 innings. If the season ended today, he'd probably get a few Cy Young votes.
The Angels won't trade Soriano, a 27-year-old with two extra years of club control beyond this season, unless the return is overwhelming. Milwaukee just so happens to possess the deepest farm system in MLB. Again, it's unlike the Brewers to sacrifice their prospect depth for win-now upgrades, but Soriano comes at a financial discount, and he'd anchor the Brewers' rotation for 2.5 years. This is not a rental by any means.
Given Milwaukee's excellent track record with pitching development, who's to say Soriano can't learn another trick or two while he's there? If the Brewers can add another ace behind Jacob Misiorowski with October in mind, suddenly the Cubs' division lead feels awfully vulnerable.
Trade for 3B Alec Bohm
The Brewers would need to empty the clip for Soriano. Not so much for Alec Bohm, who's on an expiring contract and who currently owns one of the lowest qualified OPS (.527) in MLB. The Phillies need to shake up their own infield, so odds are Philadelphia is quite receptive to trade offers, even with minimal return value.
This is a prime buy-low opportunity. It's not like the Brewers to rent at the deadline, but if the outgoing capital is negligible, it becomes worthwhile. Bohm has been the rightful subject of a lot of skepticism over the years in Philadelphia, but even now, with nothing going right at the plate, he almost never strikes out (14.8 percent strikeout rate).
After a recent two-day rest, Bohm also has five hits in his last four games. Now may be the time for Milwaukee to place a bid before the price increases. Bohm's contact-forward approach fits Milwaukee's DNA, and there isn't a better organization out there from a developmental standpoint. We've seen the Brewers turn countless mediocre hitters into productive cogs in a prolific, unceasing machine.
Bohm will probably never hit for power and the list of special traits is short, but if the Brewers can unearth the best version of him — while giving Bohm a much-needed change of scenery — this could become one heck of a value add. Again, the infield depth chart is atrocious. Bohm can't do much worse than Milwaukee's current third base options and he was an All-Star just two years ago.
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