This Brewers-Angels trade proposal for Reid Detmers is needed with Brandon Woodruff back on the IL

Brandon Woodruff’s right shoulder is sore, and that’s bad news for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The veteran right-hander left his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fourth inning on Saturday night in Phoenix and was placed on the 15-day IL on Sunday due to what the team is calling inflammation. He was previously on the IL from May 1-June 22 with an inflamed labrum, though it's unclear to what extent this most recent injury is related.

Woodruff has pitched well in nine starts this year, going 2-2 with a 2.98 ERA. The two-time All-Star missed the 2023 postseason and the entire 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, then was limited to 12 starts last year following a long rehab.

While Woodruff remains a frontline pitcher, the Brewers can no longer count on his availability for the stretch run. Milwaukee led the National League Central by six games over the Chicago Cubs going into Sunday. However, with Chicago rolling and the Los Angeles Dodgers looming, the Brewers’ chances of not just winning a fourth straight division title but finally getting back to the World Series could hinge on adding a starting pitcher ahead of the trade deadline.

The woebegone Los Angeles Angels and interim general manager John Mozeliak have a pitcher who could fit nicely into the Brewers’ rotation — for 2026 and years to come.

What a Brewers trade for Reid Detmers might look like

Why the Brewers would make the trade

Detmers is a 26-year-old left-hander who is under team control through 2028. He would give the Brewers a third young lefty in the rotation along with Kyle Harrison and rookie Shane Drohan.

Detmers is just 3-6 with a 4.13 ERA in 18 starts this season, but he's pitching better than his record suggests. The southpaw has 117 strikeouts in 104.2 innings and a 1.108 WHIP while not missing a single start after pitching exclusively in relief last season. And with his excellent raw stuff, it's easy to dream on how successful he'd be in Milwaukee's pitching development paradise.

The Angels drafted Detmers No. 10 overall in 2020, and he threw a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays two years later. So, Detmers has pedigree, and upside still left to be unlocked. Milwaukee has plenty of infield depth left in their system even if they part ways with Pena, and paying for two more years of cost control would allow them to build on a foundation of Harrison, Detmers and Jacob Misiorowski moving forward.

Why the Angels would make the trade

The Angels needed to rebuild at some point during Perry Minasian’s six-year tenure as general manager, which ended on June 27 when he was finally fired. Minasian knew that, too, but never said so publicly because owner Arte Moreno loved to be in win-now mode, with a roster headlined by Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout but made up mainly of a mishmash of players behind those two stars.

Mozeliak, the longtime St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations, replaced Minasian on an interim basis, and his contract expires at the end of the year. The best thing Mozeliak can do is persuade Moreno to start over, as the Angels are 36-54 and headed for an 11th consecutive losing season.

This prospect package, headlined by Pena, would give the Angels’ farm system an infusion of talent. Baseball America ranks Pena as the game’s 19th-best prospect and No. 2 in the Brewers system behind fellow shortstop Jesus Made. Pena, 19, is hitting .305/.410/.390 with one home run and 10 stolen bases in 24 games for High-A Wisconsin after missing time early in the season because of severe dehydration.

Quero, 23, has a .267/.351/.446 slash line with 10 homers for Triple-A Nashville and is considered MLB-ready. The addition of Quero would clear the way for Mozeliak to have another attractive trade chip in catcher Logan O’Hoppe.

Wichrowski, a starter at Triple-A Nashville, and Aquino, a reliever at Double-A Biloxi, both 23, would be throw-ins, but both have a chance to pitch in the big leagues.  

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