The Brewers took some criticism for standing pat at the trade deadline, but the reporting that surfaced afterward tells a different story: Milwaukee did make a serious run at Tarik Skubal.
And by the sound of it, the offer was no throwaway.
Two days before Monday’s deadline, Los Angeles and Detroit lined up on the blockbuster that sent Skubal to the Dodgers, the team many already viewed as the favorite to win a third straight World Series. That move set off the usual deadline outrage, with plenty of fans arguing clubs like the Brewers and Rays should have done more to keep a pitcher of Skubal’s caliber out of Los Angeles.
Milwaukee’s name quickly got dragged into that conversation. The Brewers were labeled passive by some, but MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reported Tuesday that the Tigers did receive a proposal from Milwaukee that featured three prospects, all hitters, and at least two players who were ranked among MLB Pipeline’s Top 100.
“Milwaukee’s initial proposal was also three prospects, according to sources. All three were hitters, and at least two were Top 100 prospects,” wrote McCalvy on Tuesday.
“One of them was shortstop Luis Peña, who is No. 18 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100. The Brewers’ other position player prospects in MLB Pipeline’s version of the Top 100 are Jesús Made (who is No. 1 overall and was off limits), outfielder Luis Lara (who is No. 64 and probably wasn’t in play after the Brewers committed to him via a seven-year contract extension in June), infielder Jett Williams (No. 76) and outfielder Josh Adamczewski (No.
87). Different sources believed the third hitter was either on one version of a Top 100 list as well, or just outside,”
The exact shape of Milwaukee’s offer still isn’t fully known, but Peña appears to have been the centerpiece, with one of Jett Williams or Josh Adamczewski likely included as well, plus another well-regarded hitter. That’s a real package, not a token bid.
Detroit still chose the Dodgers’ offer, which included outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith. The Tigers were said to be looking for a controllable MLB pitcher in any Skubal deal, and that preference likely carried weight. Whether Ryan fits that description is up for debate, especially since Milwaukee had arms that might have matched that ask more cleanly.
Logan Henderson was never going to be in play for the Brewers, and for good reason. He has looked excellent across his first 10 major league starts.
But Milwaukee still had options to strengthen the pitch side of the package. Brandon Sproat or Shane Drohan could have been added to Peña and another high-end hitter, and that kind of combination might have been enough to change Detroit’s mind.
A hypothetical Brewers offer would have looked like this:
Brewers receive: LHP Tarik Skubal
Tigers receive: INF Luis Peña and LHP Shane Drohan OR RHP Brandon Sproat, and mystery hitting prospect
Peña would have been the obvious headliner. He is two years younger than Hope and ranks a bit higher on MLB Pipeline’s list, coming in at No. 18, seven spots ahead of Hope at No.
- The 19-year-old has put together a .843 OPS across two minor-league levels this season, along with two home runs, 19 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.
He brings real bat speed and electric speed, though his defense still needs work if he’s going to stay at shortstop. Second or third base may be his future, and Detroit already has Kevin McGonigle lined up as its shortstop of the future anyway.
Sproat, 25, was one of the key pieces Milwaukee got back in the offseason trade that sent Freddy Peralta to the Mets. He has appeared in 25 big league games and owns a 5.18 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 116 1/3 innings.
The command has been the problem so far, along with the walks, but the arm talent is obvious. His four-pitch mix is solid, and his fastball can get into the upper-90s.
He’s also more than two years younger than Ryan, who turns 28 on Aug. 17 and hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2024.
Drohan was another possibility. He’s a few months younger than Ryan, debuted in the majors this season and has handled a mixed role between the bullpen and rotation.
The 27-year-old left-hander has a 3.48 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 24 walks over 88 innings. He’s older than Sproat, but he’s also already had more early success in the majors.
Detroit would have been getting an MLB-ready pitcher with six years of control, plus one of the better infield prospects in the game and possibly another piece on top of that. The Tigers may be satisfied with what they took from the Dodgers, but there’s at least an argument they moved early and left a stronger return on the table.
For Milwaukee, the bigger takeaway is that the push was real. The Brewers didn’t simply sit on their hands. They made a competitive attempt to land Skubal, and if they had more time to work the Tigers, a deal might have come together that would have sent the back-to-back Cy Young winner to Milwaukee instead of Los Angeles.
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