The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t shell out for Eugenio Suarez or another All-Star in large part because they didn’t want to sacrifice young talent. Perhaps contrary to Arizona’s deadline demands, for a two-month rental like Suarez, pitching prospect Logan Henderson would have been an overpay even by himself. In a fair-value trade, the Diamondbacks would have had to send something else Milwaukee’s way. None of that happened, of course, and after start No. 5 in Henderson’s big-league career, the Brewers look extremely smart for holding onto him.
After re-call, Henderson picks up where he left off
Henderson is only back in the majors due to Jacob Misiorowski’s injured list stint, but it’s no fault of his he got sent down in the first place. His 4.1 innings of one-run ball on Sunday actually increases his ERA to 1.78 on the season. With four more K’s last, he now has 33 in 25.1 versus just eight walks and 17 hits.
Henderson got the call over fellow youngsters Tobias Myers, who last pitched in relief, and Chad Patrick, sent down early last month when Brandon Woodruff returned.
True, trading Henderson would have brought the Brewers a decent haul. The 23-year-old righty has power stuff, racks up strikeouts, has pitched well in Triple-A and even better in the bigs.
But almost surely, any return would shortchange his worth. Henderson is still several years from becoming arbitration eligible. His salary will account for a microscopic portion of the payroll. At such a bargain price, with the potential he’s flashed, he could soon be one of the rotation’s most valuable assets.
Milwaukee Brewers staff has sparkling future
Henderson’s name nonetheless came up as the possible centerpiece of any splash the Brewers might make. They certainly had pitching to spare, but unloading older arms on expiring contracts, like Nestor Cortes or Jose Quintana, was more practical.
Milwaukee didn’t need Suarez and, with 38 runs in three days, they’re making the case that they didn’t need to add anyone at all. A promising young arm with major league experience would only be necessary in a swing-for-the-fences-type trade. This year there was no Juan Soto on the market, a superstar under years of contract control.
An additional, underrated benefit of keeping the stash of youth intact is the one manifesting now: premium injury insurance. Missing Misiorowski for a few weeks isn’t a positive, of course, but the rotation won’t lose a beat if Henderson does his thing.
Moreover, Quintana and Woodruff are pending free agents and Freddy Peralta will be one after next year. While Woodruff seems like a decent candidate to come back, Peralta will likely command too much money. He could be gone by next deadline. Setting up a stable of successors gives the front office options and removes a massive amount of pressure to pay veterans in free agency.
Misiorowski, Henderson, Patrick, Myers, Woodruff, Quinn Priester, and Robert Gasser. Seems like a pretty good group for the future.
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