Drew Rasmussen’s masterpiece in Game 1 of the ALDS did more than quiet the Yankees. It also pulled an old trade back into the spotlight, the kind that looks a whole lot smarter with time.
Rasmussen carved through New York for nearly eight innings in Tampa Bay’s 1-0 win, allowing just one hit and giving the Rays exactly the kind of October start that can tilt a series. For Brewers fans, though, it had to sting a little. This was a reminder of the arm Milwaukee once had, then sent away.
The deal came in May 2021, when the Brewers shipped Rasmussen and reliever J.P. Feyereisen to the Rays for Willy Adames and Trevor Richards.
At the time, the logic made plenty of sense from Milwaukee’s side. The rotation already had premium arms, including 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, but shortstop was a different story.
Adames stepped in and gave the Brewers exactly what they needed, hitting .886 OPS and 137 OPS+ in 99 games after the move.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, didn’t have to wait long to see Rasmussen turn into something much bigger than a throw-in. He posted a 2.86 ERA in his first full season as a Rays starter in 2022, and four years later he’s up to two All-Star selections. He also led the league in WHIP in 2026 and could pick up down-ballot AL Cy Young votes.
Saturday’s ALDS opener was another notch in that rise.
Adames has had his own run of success since leaving Tampa Bay. He picked up NL MVP votes in 2024, played 548 games for Milwaukee, and piled up 107 home runs, 348 RBIs and a 112 OPS+.
After the 2024 season, he hit free agency and signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants. He had a decent 2025, then dipped in 2026 while dealing with injuries.
San Francisco, coming off a 65-97 season, is likely to make changes, and Adames will be looking to find his form again.
Richards’ path has been much more of a journeyman’s track. After the trade, he moved into a bullpen role, didn’t stay long in Milwaukee, and was sent to the Blue Jays in July 2021.
Now 33, he has played for nine teams in 13 seasons. He finished 2026 with the White Sox, where he put up a 3.78 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 78.2 innings.
Rasmussen’s numbers are getting the spotlight again for a reason. He’s 31, having turned 31 on July 27, and he’s under contract on a two-year, $8.5 million deal he signed ahead of the 2025 season to avoid arbitration. That pact includes a $20 million club option for 2027, and after what he’s done the past two seasons, Tampa Bay has plenty of reason to consider it.
In Other News...
Brewers Hold On After Wild Ninth Inning Call Sparks Padres Fury
A bizarre ninth-inning moment at American Family Field became the defining flashpoint of Game 1 of the National League Division Series, when Ty France sent a fly ball high enough to strike a cable on the roof before Jackson Chourio made the catch for the Brewers. The umpires ruled it an out under the ballparks ground rules, deciding the ball had hit over fair territory, and the call immediately turned a tense postseason game into the kind of replay-worthy controversy that tends to linger long after the final pitch.
For Milwaukee, the ruling helped preserve a hard-fought win, but it also left the Padres simmering over how the final inning unfolded. Craig Stammen and Pat Murphy both addressed the play afterward, along with players involved, as the odd sequence became less about the mechanics of a ruling and more about the pressure-cooker reality of October baseball, where a single strange bounce can reshape a whole series opener. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Misiorowski's Wild NLDS Start Left Brewers Fans With One Concern
Jacob Misiorowskis NLDS debut gave Brewers fans exactly the kind of electricity they have come to expect from the rookie right-hander, and then some. In Game 1 against the Padres, he reached a new velocity peak with a 104.8 mph pitch and kept the fastball coming, piling up 52 pitches at 100 mph or harder while working four innings and striking out six.
For Milwaukee, the appeal is obvious. Misiorowskis stuff can change a series in a hurry, and he left the opener having allowed two runs on four hits and a walk before the Brewers turned to the bullpen with the game still hanging in the balance. The only real question now is how that kind of effort shapes what comes next, because outings like that can be a weapon and a warning at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Willson Contreras Just Changed An Early Brewers Playoff Storyline
The Brewers opened their NL Division Series with a tight 3-2 win over the Padres, and the biggest swing came from a familiar face who had been at the center of a late-season flashpoint. Willson Contreras delivered the go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning after Jackson Chourio had already dragged Milwaukee back into the game with a tying two-run shot earlier, giving the Brewers the kind of timely power they have been chasing as October pressure ramps up.
Contreras performance carries extra weight because manager Pat Murphy benched him late in the regular season over a lack of hustle, a decision that had left his role under the microscope going into the postseason. Instead of letting that become the headline, Contreras answered in the first game that mattered most, giving Milwaukee an early playoff storyline built around response, not resentment, even if the full impact of that turnaround is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]