The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t land the headline-grabbing ace many around the league expected them to chase before the trade deadline, but they may have come away with something just as useful: pitching help that is already paying off.
Milwaukee had been tied to a run at a bigger name such as Tarik Skubal, yet the front office ultimately went a different direction. Instead of swinging for one massive addition, the Brewers pieced together a pair of moves to strengthen the staff.
They brought in Dustin May and JoJo Romero in a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, then added veteran reliever Antonio Senzatela from the Colorado Rockies right before the deadline.
That Senzatela move has quietly turned into one of the more useful pickups on the roster. The 31-year-old, who spent his entire career with Colorado before arriving in Milwaukee, has put together his best season since 2021. He has 1.2 wins above replacement, a 3.74 ERA over 65 innings in 47 appearances, 54 strikeouts, and a 10-4 record.
His first stretch with the Brewers was uneven. Senzatela had a couple of strong outings, then hit a rough patch and blew two saves in his next few appearances. But he has settled back in lately, allowing just two runs over his last eight appearances for Milwaukee.
That kind of bounce-back matters for a Brewers club that has built a reputation for squeezing value out of pitchers. In Senzatela’s case, the move from starting to relieving has clearly fit. The lower-leverage workload has brought out his best, and with Abner Uribe sidelined for multiple weeks in August, Milwaukee has needed someone to absorb meaningful innings and late-game pressure.
Now, Senzatela looks more trusted than ever, and he has given the Brewers another arm they can count on as the games get bigger.
Romero’s recent return only adds to that picture. With both relievers in the mix, Milwaukee’s bullpen suddenly looks deep and dangerous at the right time. The group owns a 3.31 ERA, which ranks third-best in the league.
So while the Brewers didn’t make the splashiest deadline move on the market, they still added pieces who can matter in a real way over the final stretch and into October.
In Other News...
Brewers Bullpen Turnover Takes Another Interesting Late-Season Turn
The Brewers bullpen shuffle picked up another wrinkle this week when right-hander Joel Kuhnel was claimed off waivers by the Giants. Kuhnel had worked for both the Athletics and Milwaukee this season, logging 35 appearances overall and giving the Brewers a veteran arm who could be deployed in a variety of relief spots as the season wore on.
San Francisco is bringing him in with a clear immediate role in low-leverage situations, but the move also gives Kuhnel a chance to stick beyond the final stretch if he handles it well. For Milwaukee, it is another reminder of how quickly late-season relief depth can turn over, especially when clubs are constantly trying to find usable innings without losing flexibility elsewhere on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Fans Have Real Reason To Worry About Jacob Misiorowski
Jacob Misiorowskis last few outings have given Brewers fans something to monitor closely, and not just because hitters have started to make more contact. The hard-throwing right-hander has seen his fastball velocity dip while leaning more on his secondary pitches, a notable shift for a pitcher whose power arm has long been the calling card. Even after the rough outing at Wrigley Field, where he was hit hard, Misiorowski pointed to the weather and the difficulty of getting a good grip and footing on the mound as part of the problem.
The broader concern is that this might be less about one bad day and more about the grind of his first full major league season beginning to show. Pitchers often need time to adjust to the workload, and for a young arm like Misiorowskis, that adjustment can come with some visible wear. Milwaukee does not need to panic, but it does need to keep an eye on whether the velocity trend and heavier reliance on off-speed stuff are signs of fatigue or just a temporary dip in form. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Took A Quiet Bullpen Hit After The Cubs Series
The Brewers bullpen depth took a small hit after their series with the Cubs, with right-hander Joel Kuhnel being claimed off waivers by the Giants. Kuhnel had been working his way back through a minor league rehab assignment before Milwaukee designated him for assignment, and the move opens another spot in a relief group that has already had to stay flexible as the season wears on.
San Francisco is bringing Kuhnel in for the rest of the year as an extra arm, and the Brewers now have to sort through the ripple effect of losing a pitcher who was at least in the mix. He had a 4.84 ERA with 22 strikeouts this season, but for Milwaukee the bigger issue is less the numbers than the fact that another depth option is gone at a time when every bullpen inning matters. [Read more 🡒]