Brandon Sproat all but solidified his postseason roster fate with shaky relief appearance

Despite the Milwaukee Brewers' front office nearly proving otherwise, not every roster move works out in baseball. It's why games are played instead of contested on paper. When the Brewers sent Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to the New York Mets back in January, both teams had high hopes for the deal. The Mets were trying to build a playoff-caliber rotation, with hopes of competing in the NL East and ultimately for a World Series. The Brewers were looking to offload an expiring contract for a pair of young prospects.

The formula has worked well for Milwaukee over the past several years, and is one of the keys to the organization's success for the last decade. The scouting department has an incredible track record in identifying young talent that may need a change of scenery, the organization is unmatched when it comes to developing players, and the front office knows when to sell high to begin the process over again.

Rarely does a trade flounder for both parties. The Mets certainly did not benefit from adding Peralta, as the team went belly up, and "Fastball Freddy" struggled in the Big Apple before being dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays at the midseason trade deadline. Since being traded, Peralta has improved slightly, but his 4.35 ERA with the Rays certainly doesn't scream "ace." Myers, meanwhile, has been an afterthought, appearing in just 28 games at the big-league level, with only three starts and a 6.04 ERA.

The jury is still out on the Brewers' side of the trade, which has plenty of time to rebound from a forgettable 2026 campaign. Infield prospect Jett Williams, who was among New York's best prospects at the time of the trade, has had terrible luck with injuries this season, appearing in just 81 games with Triple-A Nashville, while slashing .251/.377/.427 with nine homers and 21 stolen bases. Brandon Sproat, on the other hand, made the Brewers' Opening Day roster, earning a start in the season-opening series against the White Sox that did not go well (7 ER in 3.0 IP).

Sproat went on to appear in 22 games at the big-league level this season, 19 of which were starts, and experienced many highs and lows. At his best, the Brewers got glimpses of what made Sproat one of the other top prospects in the Mets' organization, with a nasty arsenal of pitches to his name. At his worst, however, command was a major issue; Sproat allowed 52 walks this season, and 17 home runs, displaying an overall inability to place the ball where he wants it.

Brandon Sproat's season hits new low in relief appearance against Cubs

After his command worsened in July, Sproat was sent down to Triple-A in early August. While he was down on the farm, he seemed to have found himself a bit, appearing in five games, four of which were starts. Walks remained an issue, as Sproat gave up 10 in that short span, but he turned in an encouraging 27 strikeouts and allowed just a .182 opponent batting average. He even combined with Tate Kuehner for a no-hitter on August 22.

Ahead of the Brewers' series against the Cubs, Sproat was recalled from Triple-A, giving Pat Murphy another option in the bullpen. With an 8-1 lead, Murphy turned to Sproat in the eighth inning of Wednesday night's series finale against the Cubs. Sproat went three up, three down in his first frame, inducing a double play after a hit-by-pitch to get out of the inning. However, things went downhill quickly in the ninth.

After allowing a leadoff walk to Pete Crow-Armstrong, followed by a throwing error on a pick-off attempt to first base and then a wild pitch, Sproat gave up two more walks to load the bases before striking out Alex Bregman. Then, Sproat walked another batter, Ian Happ, walking in a run in a seven-run ballgame, which is unforgivable. Murphy had to turn to his set-up man, Abner Uribe, who allowed the inherited runners to score. Ultimately, the Brewers held on to win 8-6, but Sproat drew the ire of his manager in his postgame comments.

This isn't the first time Sproat has gotten some harsh words from Murphy. This time, however, it came with firm action, as the Brewers quickly optioned him back to Nashville on Thursday morning. Garrett Stallings will replace Sproat in the Brewers' bullpen.

Sproat's lingering command issues all but guarantee he won't be an option for the postseason roster

As mentioned earlier, it stands to reason that Sproat's opportunities with the big-league club in 2026 have come to an end. That's not to say that this was necessarily a bad acquisition by the Brewers, as a full offseason to develop in the "pitching lab" could be exactly what he needs to take the next step, but Sproat has a long way to go before he's the productive big-league pitcher the Brewers believe he can be.

We have seen what can make him special in the big leagues, but just as frustrating are the struggles. Part of it, at this point, may very well be a confidence issue, given the ups and downs of his first (almost) full season in the show. All in all, Sproat's focus should be on the 2027 season, figuring out exactly what he needs to reign in his potential-laden profile and have a positive impact on the Brewers' future rotation.

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