The Milwaukee Brewers should have a pair of key veteran arms back after the All-Star break in Nestor Cortes and Brandon Woodruff. The latter will have to avoid further setbacks, but assuming both pitchers do, the Brewers could be looking at a full quiver of options before too long – and a crowded quiver, at that. With their stock of pitching, they may need to put someone on the trade market this July.
At Full Strength, Milwaukee Brewers Have Enough Viable Arms for a 9-Man Rotation
Alongside ace Freddy Peralta and Rookie of the Year candidate Chad Patrick, young Jacob Misiorowski will remain in the mix as long as he pitches well. The Brewers definitely want to see what they have in their top pitching prospect after his sparkling debut.
Trade pickup Quinn Priester has also pitched quite well. Jose Quintana got roughed up in his last start but has a 3.35 ERA overall. Logan Henderson and Tobias Myers lurk at Triple-A. Even without them, that’s already five arms that deserve a place in the starting five. Plus Cortes and Woodruff.
Barring more bad injury luck, clearly the Brewers are headed for a traffic jam later on. Because of this, dealing someone before the trade deadline may be a wise idea, even if the Brewers remain in the playoff race and are also positioned to be buyers.
Noting this dilemma, team writer Jake Kibbins of the BrewerFanatic.com believes Quintana is one piece they should look to move. Specifically, he says, the bruised and battered Dodgers could be a willing trade partner.
Aside from a pair of clunkers, Quintana has been strong thus far though limited to nine starts. He made his first appearance two weeks into the season, having signed late in the offseason and needing time to condition his arm, and missed more time in May due to injury.
Despite these hitches, he has allowed one run or none in two-thirds of his outings. The crafty southpaw does not have a blazing heater, striking out 35 in 48.1 innings, but he has limited the damage. 36 years old on a one-year contract, Quintana would not net a major return; still, he could bring back something of quality.
Brewers Should Make the Most of Rotation Overrun
In Kibbins’ proposal, the Brewers would receive 20-year-old pitching prospect Christian Zazueta, who has posted a 2.59 ERA at A-ball this year and is ranked 19th by MLB.com in the Dodgers’ system. That might not be something to call home about, but it’s better than nothing. It does the Brewers no good to stable more starters than they can use.
Complicating matters further, it would be counterproductive to keep Myers or Henderson at Triple-A if they’re pitching lights-out – Myers in particular, after his fantastic rookie year in 2024. Henderson also pitched well in his MLB debut earlier this season.
Whether Quintana or another name – Priester, perhaps, if he keeps it up – the Brewers will have to unload someone if Cortes and Woodruff come back and Milwaukee has not sustained multiple injuries to other starters. Too much talent is a good problem to have, and one in which the Brewers can hope to find themselves sometime next month.
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