How the Brewers Could Use Pitching Depth to Their Advantage

With the 2025 trade deadline looming, the Milwaukee Brewers are tied with the Chicago Cubs for the best record in Major League Baseball. Just as everyone expected heading into Opening Day, right?

At 60-41, the Brewers have soared up the standings after a slow start to the season. Following a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 24, the Brewers dropped to 25-28 on the season and 6.5 games back of the division lead.

Since that date, the Brewers have gone a miraculous 35-13, the best record in MLB over that stretch. After recently rattling off an outstanding 11-game winning streak that featured two sweeps of the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, they’ve put themselves on the radar as a top team in baseball heading into the trade deadline.

The Brewers will be one of the top teams to monitor in the coming days, as they will look to put the finishing touches on their roster with the July 31 deadline rapidly approaching.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ Trade Deadline Outlook

The Brewers are always a tough team to predict when it comes to the trade deadline, as seemingly anything is on the table no matter their standing in the National League.

But this year feels different. It’s the first time since 1982 that the Brewers have owned the best record in MLB this late into the season. What happened that year? It was the one and only time in franchise history where the Brewers made it to the World Series.

The Brewers have mastered the art of roster construction by making strategic additions while trimming fat off the roster. Just look at the Quinn Priester trade, for example.

Whether or not the Brewers go this route or push all the chips forward and go all in is yet to be seen, but they have a chance to really make some noise across the league in the coming week.

This is a good roster, clearly, but it’s not a flawless one. This team has needs, and they have the capital to pull off the moves necessary to fill those holes. It’s just yet to be seen how far this front office will go in order to improve this roster.

So, What Are the Roster Holes?

When looking at where the Brewers might add at the deadline, it’s not as straightforward of a conversation as some might think. Fortunately for Milwaukee, though, much of their big-league roster is in a good spot heading into the second half.

Their outfield is set. With Sal Frelick expected to return to the lineup this weekend and Blake Perkins having recently returned from the injured list, there’s an argument to be made that the Brewers actually have a surplus of outfielders. That’s not a bad problem to have, though, and this is an area of strength on the roster.

First base was looking like a position to address a few weeks back when Rhys Hoskins hit the injured list with a thumb injury. However, with Andrew Vaughn’s career resurgence since being called up to the big-league roster, that need has become far less pressing of an issue.

Vaughn shouldn’t be expected to keep up this type of pace, but if he can be an above-average bat while Hoskins works his way back from injury, it certainly minimizes the need to bring in another first baseman.

Lastly, with Brice Turang cemented at second base, that really just leaves the left side of the infield as a potential area of improvement. However, it may not be as simple as that.

The Left Side of the Infield

The Brewers’ primary third baseman has been rookie Caleb Durbin, who has really been terrific after a slow start to his MLB career. Durbin is hitting .261 on the year with a 109 wRC+ to go with 1.6 fWAR, and he’s been one of the more clutch hitters in all of MLB this season.

What’s more, his game has taken off as of late. Across his most recent 30 games (111 PA), Durbin is hitting .351 with an OPS north of .900. He’s provided great defense as well, yielding +6 DRS and +1 OAA at the hot corner — something the Brewers greatly value.

Third base has often been thrown around the rumor mill as the glaring hole that the Brewers need to fill. But this is now an extended stretch of strong play from Durbin, and that likely complicates how the Brewers want to proceed moving forward.

A batting average over .350 and OPS north of .900 might not be realistic expectations for Durbin moving forward. However, if the Brewers believe he can be a capable offense weapon who provides above-average defense, how eager will they be to part ways with valuable assets in order to bring in a short-term solution at third?

That’s likely something that Matt Arnold and Co. are heavily weighing with the trade deadline just a week out.

At the same time, relying on a rookie to hold down a position of key offensive value on a team that has legitimate World Series aspirations is rather risky. Given that Durbin has plenty of defensive versatility, he could still get regular playing time one way or another if the Brewers were to swing for the fences and bring in a high-impact bat such as Eugenio Suárez, for example.

Similarly, Joey Ortiz has — statistically speaking — been one of the worst qualified hitters in Major League Baseball to this point in the season. His 65 wRC+ and .582 OPS rank fifth worst and second worst among qualified MLB hitters this season, respectively.

At the same time, you can’t simply dismiss the elite defensive value that he provides at shortstop. Range wise, Ortiz has been outstanding with +6 OAA. The plays he’s made with his glove, especially as of late, have been game-altering.

The Brewers know how instrumental his perfoemance at shortstop is to this team’s defensive success.

It’s also worth noting that, even though he’s been in the dog house with skipper Pat Murphy at times this season due to having an overly-passive approach, Ortiz has been a key bat across Milwaukee’s recent 11-game winning streak and has started to heat up in recent weeks.

Across his most recent 36 games (120 PA), Ortiz is hitting .276 with a .734 OPS with 21 RBI. Those stats won’t jump off the page, but pair that level of production with the value he brings in the field, and the Brewers are more than thrilled to have that type of player in the lineup.

Point being, Milwaukee’s trade deadline needs may not be as simple as they come across on the surface level. Being the small-market team that the Brewers are, they think twice about parting with assets in exchange for short-term success.

They might be one impact bat away from really taking off in the second half of the season and solidifying them as one of, if not the top team in the National League, but the price tag for the return they bring in will need to be perfect for them to pull the trigger on a big trade.

That said, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibilities that the Brewers swing for the fences in the coming days. If they were to swing for a big bopper, they have a surplus of pitching that could get a deal done.

A Surplus of Pitching

Milwaukee’s pitching staff has been outstanding this season. As a staff, they’re tied for fourth in ERA at a 3.60. That includes a starting rotation that is tied for second in MLB with a 3.35 ERA and a bullpen that has really started to take shape as one of the better units in the NL in recent months.

Still, the Brewers have so much pitching depth where they may be able to trade some of their arms and not really feel it. If they can do so while improving other aspects of their major-league roster in the process, it would be difficult for them to say no given the potential this team has.

LHP Nestor Cortes

Nestor Cortes has been on the shelf since April 4 with a left elbow flexor strain, making just two starts this season before going down with the injury. But he is currently set to make what may be his final rehab start on Thursday and could be set to rejoin the big-league staff soon after.

Cortes’ trade value might not be sky-high, but he’d likely bring in at least something. From 2021-2024, Cortes pitched to a 3.33 ERA with the New York Yankees across 489.0 innings. Sporting a 28-19 record over that stretch, that type of track record still means something if he were to be made available in trade talks.

Cortes is also set to his free agency at the end of the season. While that makes him expendable in the eyes of the Brewers’ front office, it also likely drops his trade value even more.

Nonetheless, clearly the Brewers’ rotation has been able to stay afloat without him in the picture. If he’s healthy, and that’s a big if, he’s a name Milwaukee could look to cash in on between now and July 31.

LHP Jose Quintana

On the flip side, a player who is healthy and thriving this season is Jose Quintana. A key member of Milwaukee’s rotation this season, Quintana makes a lot of sense as an arm the Brewers will look to sell high on at the trade deadline.

In his age-36 season, Quintana is pitching to a 3.49 ERA across 14 starts (77.1 IP) and continues to be a guy who simply gets outs. He has a mutual option for $15 million for next season, and seeing that mutual options are very rarely ever exercised by both parties, he could be viewed as a well-performing expiring asset for Milwaukee.

Fortunately for the Brewers, here’s where having plenty of pitching depth comes in handy. They have arms who could fill his spot in the rotation, which would ease the blow of his departure.

Still, the Brewers value his experience and pitching expertise, which is an argument against shipping him in the coming days. Given how young this clubhouse is, that veteran leadership is valuable for Milwaukee, especially down the stretch come playoff time.

RHP Tobias Myers

The 2024 Most Valuable Pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, Tobias Myers, had his 2025 campaign derailed before it even started when he suffered an oblique injury during spring training. Upon his return to the big-league mound, the results were not the same as they were a season ago, throwing to a 4.95 ERA across 20 innings of work in the majors this season.

The Brewers sent Myers to Triple-A to work through his struggles, and he’s produced well at that level. Throwing to a 2.93 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts, Myers is an arm with control who could net a nice return if the Brewers are comfortable parting ways with their young hurler.

Prior to the oblique injury, Myers was expected to be a key middle-of-the-rotation arm for Milwaukee come Opening Day, especially after his tremendous postseason start in Game 3 of the NLWCS against the Mets last October.

But as he’s struggled, new arms have emerged, and there just doesn’t appear to be a spot for him right now on the big-league pitching staff. He could be a candidate to take over for Quintana in the rotation should they part ways with the veteran southpaw, but Myers could also have some decent trade value if the Brewers were to make him available.

Other Pitching Prospect Depth

These would be the big-ticket arms moved if the Brewers are looking to go for it this season. While unlikely, these young pitchers are not untouchable and could be dangled in trade talks for the right price.

Across 19 appearances (18 starts, 94.2 IP), Chad Patrick has a 3.52 ERA and 3.54 FIP this season. He hasn’t thrown a big-league inning since being optioned to Triple-A on July 6 to make room for Brandon Woodruff in the starting rotation, and he still leads all MLB rookie pitchers in fWAR at 2.0 by nearly half of a win.

Logan Henderson received a pair of call ups this season and was tremendous in his small sample size. Across four MLB starts (21 IP), Henderson has a 1.71 ERA to go with a K/9 of 12.43 and a WHIP under 1.00. His fastball-changeup combination was nearly untouchable by opposing hitters, and he flashed some really promising stuff with Milwaukee.

It’s also worth noting that Robert Gasser, one of Milwaukee’s top pitching prospects who shined with a 2.57 ERA in his five big-league starts last season, was recently sent on a rehab assignment as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. The Brewers may simply view him as an internal trade deadline addition in the latter half of the season as opposed to a trade chip, though.

Again, it all depends on what the Brewers are wiling to part with in terms of MLB-ready, controllable pitching depth to receive a boost of offense in the short-term. While I don’t think it’s likely this is the bucket the Brewers look to trade from, I also wouldn’t entirely rule it out given where the Brewers currently sit in the National League standings.

What’s the Path Forward?

Having a surplus of pitching is never a bad thing. Arguably no team in MLB values pitching depth more than the Milwaukee Brewers, as having an abundance of arms to fill multiple roles is a foundational piece of this team’s success.

It’s entirely possible that the Brewers lean even further into their pitching depth down the stretch as a way to keep their arms fresh.

After all, Brandon Woodruff is working his way back from a significant shoulder surgery, Jacob Misiorowski is quickly approaching a career-high in innings thrown in a single season, and some of their other potential options (Gasser, Cortes) would be working back from big injures.

The Brewers will need to assess their internal talent and determine if what they have in-house is good enough to get this team to the mountaintop. That’s what the goal should be — not to simply make a run at the postseason and see what happens, but to truly commit to this roster and seize this golden opportunity ahead of them.

For a fanbase that’s endured so much postseason heartbreak despite tons of regular season success over the years, they have an opportunity to not just gun for a third straight division title but instead set their sights on something much more than that.

Stats and rankings were taken prior to play on July 23.