The Milwaukee Brewers are still in a strong position to lock down a postseason spot and hold command of the National League Central, with a real shot at finishing with the best record in Major League Baseball for a second straight year.
But their trade-deadline pitching moves have not all landed the way they hoped.
JoJo Romero is back after dealing with an appendix issue, but Dustin May has not given Milwaukee the kind of lift it was looking for after landing him from the St. Louis Cardinals. Dayn Perry of CBS Sports pointed to the move as one of the biggest deadline misses a month later.
"Acquired from the division-rival Cardinals at significant cost, May, a pending free agent, has not delivered so far as a Brewer," Perry wrote. "In five post-trade starts, May has put up an ERA of 6.41 in five trips to the mound since the trade, and he's averaged less than five innings per start over that span.
The stuff and underlying fundamentals with the Cardinals were strong, so this is probably just the small sample size at work. As well, the Brewers are a pitching-forward organization - one of the best at such things.
Thus far, though, May hasn't been the fortifying addition they hoped he'd be. "
May’s numbers in Milwaukee have done little to quiet the concern. The 28-year-old right-hander is 6-9 with a 4.69 ERA on the season, and he has not matched the version of himself the Brewers were hoping to get when they made the deal.
St. Louis signed May to a one-year, $12.5 million contract last offseason with a mutual option for 2027. Based on how he has pitched, it looks unlikely Milwaukee will be eager to pick up its side of that option when the season ends.
Before the trade, May was 5-7 with a 4.38 ERA for the Cardinals. Since arriving in Milwaukee, he has simply not been able to recreate even that level of production.
That kind of adjustment at the deadline is nothing new. Players can struggle after a midseason move, especially when everything changes so quickly around them.
For the Brewers, though, the timing makes it more than just a passing issue. They wanted May to help stabilize the rotation, and so far that hasn’t happened. If the struggles continue, it could even put his place on the postseason roster in jeopardy.
In Other News...
Former Brewers Reliever Gets Another Shot To Test Milwaukees Decision
Easton McGees path away from Milwaukee has already taken a few turns since the Brewers designated him for assignment and shipped him to Kansas City in July. He got a brief look with the Royals, then spent most of August in Triple-A, where the results were rough enough to push him back out of the spotlight for a while.
Now he is back on Kansas Citys major league roster as a September call-up, which gives him another chance to show he belongs in an MLB bullpen. For the Brewers, it is the kind of move that keeps a former arm on the radar and quietly reopens the question of whether the organization gave up on him too soon. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers May Have Found The Tweak Antonio Senzatela Needed
Antonio Senzatelas move to the Brewers has already come with a clearer role and a different pitch mix, but the early returns were uneven. After his transition from the Rockies rotation to the bullpen, he had found more success leaning on a cutter and four-seam fastball, yet Milwaukee initially had him working more with a sinker-cutter combination that did not produce the kind of results the club was hoping for.
The good news for the Brewers is that the answer may have been less about the pitch itself than where he was throwing it from. A later adjustment to Senzatelas position on the mound helped his sinker play better, giving Milwaukee a possible path to a more effective version of the right-hander as it continues to sort out how he fits into the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Deadline Haul Still Hinges On What Happens Next
The Brewers have already given their 2026 deadline class a look on the active roster, bringing pitcher JoJo Romero and catcher Bo Naylor up as part of the September call-ups. Romero has gotten into games and picked up a hold, while Naylor is still waiting for his first Milwaukee appearance after handling himself well in the minors, giving the club a chance to see how each fits before the year runs out.
For now, the full review of the deadline haul remains unfinished. Antonio Senzatela and Dustin May have delivered mixed results since arriving, which only adds to the uncertainty around how much value the Brewers really gained, and the broader verdict will not be clear until the season is over and the dust settles on what these additions ultimately meant. [Read more 🡒]