The Milwaukee Brewers have spent most of 2026 looking like one of baseball’s best teams, but the deadline is where the real pressure starts. At 64-38, they own a seven-game cushion in the National League Central and trail only the 65-38 Dodgers for the best record in MLB.
That kind of regular-season run is impressive. It also doesn’t erase what happened last October, when Milwaukee was swept out of the NLCS by Los Angeles and still came up empty in its chase for a first World Series title.
That’s why the trade deadline looms so large for this group. The Brewers already added Lance McCullers Jr. from Houston, but the pitching staff still needs more help, especially in the rotation. Injuries have thinned the group, and the club is also trying to manage Jacob Misiorowski’s workload before the playoffs arrive.
Bleacher Report has pointed to a familiar name as Milwaukee’s ideal target: San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray.
The case for Ray starts with the Brewers’ current injury situation. Brandon Woodruff is done for the year after making just nine appearances.
Quinn Priester, who broke out for Milwaukee in 2025, is also finished for the season after undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery last month following a failed rehab attempt for a nerve issue. Kyle Harrison is on the IL with forearm tightness, though the hope is that he can return in the next couple of weeks.
Misiorowski, meanwhile, came back Monday from a brief arm fatigue absence, but he was limited to four innings and 65 pitches as the Brewers continue to watch his usage.
As Bleacher Report put it:
Milwaukee Brewers (99.8% postseason odds): LHP Robbie Ray
“Brandon Woodruff is done for the year after making just nine appearances.
“Milwaukee’s 2025 breakout pitcher, Quinn Priester, is also done for the year, undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery last month after his failed attempt to rehab a nerve issue.
“Kyle Harrison is presently on the IL with forearm tightness, though they hope he’ll be back in the next couple of weeks.
“Jacob Misiorowski returned on Monday from his brief arm fatigue hiatus, but only lasted four innings (65 pitches) as the Brewers monitor the Cy Young hopeful’s workload.
“The moral of the story is that while the Brewers presently have the best record in baseball, they need some starting pitching about as badly as anyone. They’ve already added Lance McCullers Jr. from Houston, but they’ll also be on the hunt for rentals who could be starters in the postseason, such as Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman and Casey Mize. With their loaded farm, they even could go big for Tarik Skubal.”
Ray’s résumé still carries real weight. In his 2021 Cy Young season, he went 13-7 with a 2.84 ERA and led Major League Baseball with 248 strikeouts.
That was also the year Corbin Burnes won the NL Cy Young Award. Ray hasn’t been quite that overpowering since, but he has put together a solid 2026 for a Giants club that has struggled.
This season, Ray is 8-6 with a 3.33 ERA. His strikeout total is down to 96 in 110.1 innings, but he remains an effective pitcher who can get outs. Because he’s a free agent after the year, he would also come at a lower cost than some of the bigger names floating around the rumor mill.
For Milwaukee, the message is simple: this is not the time to sit still. Whether it’s Ray or another arm, the Brewers need to add starting pitching before the deadline passes.
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