The Brewers’ trade-deadline picture is still coming into focus, and the next two weeks could end up steering what Milwaukee does before Aug. 3.
The front office has already shown it’s willing to think a little differently than the teams chasing the loudest headline-grabbing deal. That matters because at this time of year, the hardest part isn’t finding talent - it’s figuring out what that talent will actually look like once the pressure ramps up.
Milwaukee has seen that lesson play out before. Last season, Eugenio Suárez arrived in Seattle as one of the deadline’s top offensive names, only to struggle badly and hit below .200 with a .255 on-base percentage.
The Brewers, meanwhile, got strong production from Brandon Lockridge after Jackson Chourio went down for the month of August with a hamstring strain. Those kinds of outcomes are exactly why the deadline is never as simple as it looks on paper.
So what will shape Milwaukee’s approach this year? Three questions stand out.
The first is the most obvious one: who would be the Brewers’ No. 3 starter in a playoff series?
Milwaukee has already added pitching depth with Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon, which suggests the club understands that Misiorowski and Harrison may need to be handled carefully in the second half. The idea is to keep them fresh and at their best for October, when the top of the rotation will matter most. But Brandon Woodruff is officially out for the rest of the 2026 season, and that leaves a real opening behind the top two arms.
If the Brewers think one of Brandon Sproat, Shane Drohan, Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, McCullers Jr. or Gordon can handle that No. 3 role, they may not need to chase another starter. If they’re not convinced, then another rotation move before the deadline starts to make a lot more sense.
The second question centers on Joey Ortiz and whether his bat can be trusted.
Third base has been a headache all season. Luis Rengifo never locked it down, and Milwaukee has been piecing things together with David Hamilton and Ortiz.
Hamilton is now out with a hamstring strain, leaving Ortiz in a bigger spotlight. For much of the year, especially when he was getting regular run at shortstop, the offense just wasn’t there.
But July has changed the conversation. Over his last 15 games, Ortiz is hitting .304/.347/.500, and that surge has given the Brewers something to think about.
The issue is whether that stretch is a real turning point or just a hot week or two. Ortiz’s overall track record still leaves plenty of room for doubt.
Jett Williams adds another layer, since he was reportedly close to a promotion before a wrist injury pushed back his major league debut. If Milwaukee believes Ortiz and Williams can cover third base well enough from within, the front office may hold steady.
If not, an external upgrade could still be in play.
Then there’s DL Hall, who could end up being one of the more important second-half pieces on the roster once he’s healthy again.
Hall went on the injured list in early June with a pectoral strain, but before that he was putting together the best season of his career. He had a 2.03 ERA in 24 appearances and 31.0 innings, building on a 2025 season in which he posted a 3.49 ERA in limited work. He’s expected to start a minor league rehab assignment soon before returning to Milwaukee’s bullpen, where he would give the Brewers another left-handed option.
His value goes beyond just being another arm. Hall can cover multiple innings, which should help Milwaukee manage the workload on Aaron Ashby in the second half. The bigger question is whether Hall can force his way into the postseason picture, since he has yet to make an October appearance for the organization.
In Other News...
One Brewer Now Sits At The Center Of Everything Ahead
Milwaukees second-half outlook has a lot to do with how much it can keep leaning on its young rotation, and one arm has already separated himself from the pack. Jacob Misiorowski has emerged as the Brewers most important pitcher by a wide margin, giving the club a front-line presence that has helped define the season and pushed him into the national conversation.
The stakes only get higher from here, because Milwaukee knows it cannot ask for that kind of workload forever and still expect the same level of impact in September and beyond. With the deadline approaching, the Brewers have reason to look for starting pitching help that can take some pressure off the staff and keep Misiorowski in position to carry them when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Fans Have Every Reason To Watch Kyle Harrison Closely
Kyle Harrison took a useful step in his recovery Friday, throwing off a mound for the first time since landing on the injured list with forearm discomfort and coming away without any soreness. The Brewers left-hander has been out since July 8, and the fact that he handled the session cleanly gives Milwaukee a better sense of where he stands as he works back toward the rotation.
The next checkpoint comes July 21, when Harrison plans to throw again as he continues building up after the minimum 15-day IL stay. His recent form had already been trending the wrong way before the injury, which makes the Brewers' decision on his path back worth watching closely, especially with the question of whether he needs a rehab assignment still hanging over the process. [Read more 🡒]