The Brewers at Midseason

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The Brewers will almost certainly find themselves in position to add talent at the upcoming MLB trade deadline, but their past experiences on that front could impact their thinking about what happens next.

Organizational depth has been a real challenge for the Brewers in the first half of the season, where injuries have forced them to consider nearly every option to fill their roster. In 2011, when the Brewers won the National League Central, they used just six starting pitchers all season. In 2023 they used nine in their first 50 games. They’ve had similar challenges in the outfield and the bullpen, where injuries and ineffectiveness have forced them to cycle through their options. 

The Brewers’ franchise record for players used in a season is 61, set on their way to an NL Central-winning season in 2021. They’ve been one of baseball’s most successful teams when it comes to churning through their depth to find contributors. They might use more than 61 players in 2023, but some of the options they might have otherwise considered have been traded to other organizations.

In early June right-handed pitcher Reese Olson made his MLB debut with the Tigers in grand fashion, as the 23-year-old pitched five hitless innings. The Brewers drafted Olson in the 13th round in 2018 and if he was still in the organization, he might have been a candidate to fill one of this season’s vacancies. Instead, in July of 2021 they traded him to the Tigers for reliever Daniel Norris. Norris made 18 appearances for the Brewers down the stretch that season and posted a 6.64 ERA.

Trading Minor Leaguers

All told, the Brewers have traded minor leaguers for bullpen help at the trade deadline in nine different transactions over the last six seasons. Some of those trades have worked out, like the 2017 deal where the Brewers sent reliever Tayler Scott to the Rangers and reunited with future All Star reliever Jeremy Jeffress. In nearly every other case, however, the relievers the Brewers have brought on board have had abbreviated stays in Milwaukee and many of them have not pitched well during their short tenure. 

Meanwhile, six of the nine minor leaguers the Brewers traded away in those transactions have gone on to play in the major leagues with other teams. Two others, pitcher Antoine Kelly and outfielder Tristan Peters, are among the top prospects in their new organizations. Like Olson, many of these players might have been candidates to fill the holes on this season’s MLB roster if they hadn’t been dealt for short-term solutions in prior years.

The National League Central hasn’t turned out the way anyone expected this season, and that’s going to leave several teams in a position to “go for it” down the stretch. Despite extended stretches where they’ve struggled this season, the Brewers might be in the best position among a weak group to make a run at the postseason. As the trade deadline approaches, they’ll almost certainly face pressure to add pieces and strengthen their opportunity to play meaningful baseball in October.

It’s also true, however, that this Brewers team is in a good position to reload and try again in 2024. Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Willy Adames, Christian Yelich, Rowdy Tellez, Luis Urías, Devin Williams and Freddy Peralta are all under team control for at least one more season, creating the possibility that the Brewers could assemble a team around them that is legitimately great and not just good enough. Many of those players are also due significant raises, however, so building around this core would require a greater payroll commitment.

After a challenging and at times frustrating first half, the Brewers are perhaps fortunate to still have all their options on the table at the trade deadline. The choices they make in the short term, however, may have an impact that lasts beyond this year’s stretch run.