The Brewers didn’t sit out the Tarik Skubal chase. They made a serious run at it, even if the deadline noise around them made it sound like they were standing still.
Scott Harris and the Tigers ended up sending Skubal to the Dodgers for outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith, and the final twist came only after Milwaukee had already put together a package that showed real intent. According to Andy McCullough of The Athletic, the Brewers were willing to part with infielder Luis Peña, their No. 2 prospect, utility man Jett Williams, their No. 10 prospect, and outfielder Josh Adamczewski, their No. 3 prospect. The one name they would not include was starter Logan Henderson, a detail that had already been reported.
McCullough wrote that after Milwaukee made its offer, “From there, the Brewers brass received radio silence until that evening when they saw Dodgers Double-A outfielder Zyhir Hope was scratched,” McCullough wrote. “Soon after, Harris called [Matt] Arnold to let him know Skubal would not be a Brewer.”
Arnold’s response was simple: “I appreciated the s- out of that,” Arnold said. “He was very transparent.”
The deal made sense in the way these deadline decisions often do for Detroit. Tigers fans had been told a pitcher would have to be the key to unlocking Harris, and the Dodgers came with two arms - one of them, Ryan, was technically major league-ready after coming back from a hamstring issue. Of Milwaukee’s group, only Williams could have plausibly helped Detroit right away after the deadline, though he has been struggling at Triple-A.
There’s also the bigger picture of what the postseason just looked like. Starting pitching barely felt central.
Jacob Misiorowski didn’t reach more than six innings in a start, and it took him until his third outing to get through five. Skubal went six and five innings in his two postseason starts before the Dodgers were swept out, a neat little snapshot of how the price of the trade can be reduced to three prospects for 11 Tarik Skubal innings.
For Milwaukee, though, the takeaway is plain. They went after Skubal in a real way, and they still ended up as World Series champions without him.
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