Even after trading Corbin Burnes, even after trading Josh Hader, even after losing Willy Adames in free agency, the Milwaukee Brewers always find a way to compete.
The Brewers are one of the premier organizations in baseball when it comes to maximizing pitching talent, and it’s largely been why they’ve maintained their status atop the National League Central in recent years despite limited resources. That acumen has been on display once again with the emergence of flamethrowing phenom Jacob Misiorowski, and with the uncertain future of Freddy Peralta in Milwaukee, Misiorowski appears destined to be the Brewers’ long-term ace.
Which is why the Brewers should go for it at the trade deadline.
Listen, I get it. It’s not something that the Brewers have done recently under team owner Mark Attanasio. Even signing Jose Quintana to a one-year, $4.25 million contract took expanding the budget, and it was regarded as a steal by seemingly everyone around the league. So my optimism that Attanasio expands payroll even more, let alone drastically at the deadline, is relatively low.
But he has a history of doing so, marked by the C.C. Sabathia and Mike Moustakas trades, and should do it again.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Brewers should go for it amid Jacob Misiorowski's historically hot start
Maximizing the window of Misiorowski and Peralta is incredibly important, and it could last only through this season. Peralta has an $8 million club option for next year, and once he becomes a free agent, he will cash in on a lucrative contract. The Brewers have a history of trading players ahead of their free agent deals – see: Burnes, Hader and Devin Williams – and Peralta falls into that category.
If the Brewers do go looking for upgrades, general manager Matt Arnold could target the infield. Caleb Durbin and Joey Ortiz are long-term fixtures for the organization, but while Durbin has turned it on recently and Ortiz has flashed, veteran insurance ahead of them – or even behind them – would make plenty of sense.
Among the potential fits could include Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies or even a player such as Isiah Kiner-Falefa of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Suarez and Kiner-Falefa are both on expiring contracts, which would make them more realistic options for Milwaukee, and Suarez would provide another power bat in the Brewers lineup that would make them even more dangerous come October.
I’m not asking for a big, big splash. But I’m asking the Brewers to go for it and upgrade the offense at the deadline. It could be the difference between an early playoff exit or making a deep postseason run.