The Milwaukee Brewers are sitting in first place in the NL Central as the season comes out of the All-Star break, but the message from one MLB insider is clear: this is the moment to push harder.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today is urging Milwaukee to go “all-in” at the trade deadline, and he points to a familiar blueprint from a division rival. In his view, the Brewers should take a page from what the Chicago Cubs did in 2016, when they landed closer Aroldis Chapman and helped set up a championship run.
“So, in the famous words of Theo Epstein when he acquired closer Aroldis Chapman for the Cubs in 2016 to take them to where they hadn't gone since 1908, 'If not now, when?' This is the year the Brewers should go all in," Nightengale writes.
That kind of approach would be a departure for Milwaukee, a club that usually doesn’t behave like a team ready to empty the tank at the deadline. But the case for being aggressive is obvious from the way this roster is built right now.
The Brewers have had enough pitching and enough offense to stay on top, but there’s still another level they can reach. If they want to turn a good team into a real October threat, Nightengale’s argument is that they need to spend some prospect capital and make the kind of move that changes the ceiling.
The biggest need, as laid out here, is on the mound. Milwaukee could use another starting pitcher to go with Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison, plus a late-inning reliever who can help finish games in October. There’s also room to improve the lineup, whether that means help in the outfield or at shortstop and/or third base.
The Brewers already made one move by trading for Lance McCullers Jr., but the suggestion is that it won’t be enough if the goal is to win the NLCS and beyond. To get there, Milwaukee may need a bigger swing - maybe even two.
That’s what makes the Cubs example so appealing. Chicago paid up at the 2016 deadline, and the payoff was immediate: a World Series title that same year. Nightengale’s point is that Milwaukee has a young, talented roster and a real chance to do something special, but only if it gets more aggressive now.
For the Brewers, the message is simple. This could be the time to stop playing it safe.
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