The Brewers took plenty of heat after the trade deadline for not landing Tarik Skubal, but the new details around that chase paint a different picture. Milwaukee didn’t sit on its hands. It made a serious offer, and one that would have cost the organization plenty.
According to Andy McCullough of The Athletic, the Brewers put together a package built around infielder Luis Peña, their No. 2 prospect, along with utility man Jett Williams, who ranks No. 10, and outfielder Josh Adamczewski, the No. 3 prospect. Milwaukee did not include starter Logan Henderson, which had already been reported, but the rest of the offer was substantial.
The Tigers, though, had a clear answer in mind. Scott Harris and Detroit ultimately sent Skubal to the Dodgers for outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith.
McCullough reported that after Milwaukee’s proposal, the Brewers heard nothing back until later that evening, when they noticed Dodgers Double-A outfielder Zyhir Hope had been scratched. Soon after, Harris called Matt Arnold to tell him Skubal would not be going to Milwaukee.
"I appreciated the s- out of that," Arnold said. "He was very transparent."
That last part matters, because it shows Milwaukee wasn’t just checking in. The Brewers were in the mix in a real way, and they only got shut out once the Dodgers stepped in with pitchers - the kind of return Harris apparently wanted. Ryan was also coming off a hamstring issue, leaving Detroit with two arms in the deal.
Williams was the only piece in Milwaukee’s offer who might have helped the Tigers right away after the deadline, though he has been struggling a bit at Triple-A. Beyond that, the trade market context also sharpened the picture.
During the postseason, starting pitching was nearly a non-factor. Jacob Misiorowski didn’t go more than six innings in a start, and it took until his third outing for him to get through five.
Skubal logged six innings and five innings in his two starts before the Dodgers were swept out of the postseason.
Strip it down, and the math is simple enough: the Dodgers paid three prospects for 11 Tarik Skubal innings.
For Milwaukee, the takeaway is pretty clean. The Brewers made a real run at Skubal, they didn’t land him, and they still ended the year with a World Series title.
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