The Milwaukee Brewers still need help in the rotation, and even with two of the summer’s biggest names already spoken for, the search is far from over.
Tarik Skubal is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Freddy Peralta has landed with the Tampa Bay Rays. Both pitchers had been tied to Milwaukee in the rumor mill, but neither is headed to Wisconsin. In Peralta’s case, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported that the Brewers “never showed much interest” in a reunion.
“The Brewers never showed much interest in bringing back Freddy Peralta. Didn’t view it as a fit,” McCalvy wrote.
That doesn’t mean Milwaukee is standing still. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies are still hunting for rotation help, with a list of possible targets that includes Foster Griffin, Clay Holmes, Dustin May, Casey Mize, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and Tyler Mahle.
“The Brewers and Phillies are among the teams still looking for rotation upgrades,” Morosi wrote. “Many options remain: Foster Griffin, Clay Holmes, Dustin May, Casey Mize, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Tyler Mahle.”
Among that group, Robbie Ray and Shane Bieber jump out as the most appealing names. Gausman belongs in that conversation too, though he comes with a limited no-trade clause and can block a move to several teams, including Milwaukee.
Ray has put together a strong season for the San Francisco Giants even as the team has struggled overall. He is 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 22 appearances, including 21 starts, and has struck out 107 while walking 57 across 122 2/3 innings. He also brings a longer track record to the table, with 13 big league seasons and six playoff games under his belt.
Bieber’s season line isn’t nearly as clean, but his resume still carries real weight. He has a 5.74 ERA in seven starts this year, yet his career 3.33 ERA and Cy Young Award make him a much different conversation than the numbers alone suggest. If any club could help him get back to that level, Milwaukee would seem like a logical candidate.
The Brewers missed out on the splashiest names, but the pursuit of pitching clearly isn’t over. Now they have to turn to the next wave.
In Other News...
Brewers May Be Trying Another Deadline Turnaround Fans Have Seen Before
The Brewers were active again at the deadline, working a four-player deal with Cleveland that added catcher Bo Naylor and reliever Codi Heuer to a roster built around constant roster churn and opportunistic bets. In return, Milwaukee sent reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins to the Guardians, another reminder that this front office is rarely afraid to swap pieces if it thinks theres a path to squeezing more out of them.
Naylors arrival is the part that makes the move feel familiar to longtime Brewers watchers. He is at a similar stage in his career to Andrew Vaughn when Milwaukee brought him in previously, and the club has shown before that it believes a fresh setting can unlock a player it thinks still has room to grow. Both Naylor and Heuer were optioned to Triple-A after the trade, so the next phase of this move will play out away from the majors while the Brewers see whether another deadline swing can produce the kind of turnaround they have chased before. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Fans Just Got Another Trade Deadline Twist In Relief Market
Another familiar bullpen name is on the move at the deadline, and this one has a Milwaukee tie. Brent Suter, the left-handed reliever who recently faced his former club, has been dealt from the Angels to the Braves, according to ESPNs Jeff Passan, with Atlanta sending infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. back the other way.
For Brewers fans, it adds another layer to a market that has already been buzzing around relief help. Suter is heading to a contender for the stretch run, and there is at least one more twist to monitor if the schedule lines up, because the Brewers could see him again when the Braves come to town later this month. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Made A Staff Move Pat Murphy Really Needed
The Brewers have been looking for another layer of stability around a pitching staff that has had to keep adapting all year, and a recent move with St. Louis gives Pat Murphy another pair of arms to work with as the calendar turns toward the stretch run. It is the kind of trade that makes sense on Milwaukees side: add big-league help where it can matter most, while dealing from a deeper group of minor-league position players to make it happen.
For a club trying to piece together innings and shorten the distance from starter to endgame, the attraction is obvious. The shuffle also shows how much the Brewers value getting immediate pitching support without waiting on a prospect timeline, even if it costs them two outfielders who had been part of the organizations future depth. What comes next is the part Milwaukee will care about most: whether the new arrivals can settle in quickly enough to help right away. [Read more 🡒]