Brewers acquire intriguing bullpen depth in minor trade with Diamondbacks

The Milwaukee Brewers righted a veering ship with two wins against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon. However, prior to the back-to-back victories, the Brewers found themselves in the midst of a six-game losing skid that was made worse by the stress that was being placed on their bullpen group.

As a result of some narrow losses, the Brewers' high-leverage relief corps was still taxed during the losing skid. Paired with underperformance from 2025 All-Star closer Trevor Megill and injuries sustained by relievers Jared Koenig and Rob Zastrynzy, questions regarding Brewers' 2026 bullpen group started to arise. Despite the bullpen answering some of those questions with strong performances in each of the last two games, there's no denying the fact that Milwaukee will need more relief depth than they currently possess on their 40-man roster.

Aware of this potential need, Milwaukee's front office swung an intriguing under-the-radar trade for a minor league reliever this afternoon. According to the Nashville Sounds' transactions page, the Brewers have acquired right-hander Junior Fernández from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Though Arizona's return wasn't initially reported, the Brewers will presumably send cash considerations to the D-Backs in exchange for Fernández.

Brewers acquire minor league reliever Junior Fernández from Arizona Diamondbacks

On the surface, it may look like an insignificant trade for the Brewers. After all, Fernández is a 29-year-old pure reliever who hasn't pitched in an MLB game since 2022. However, the potential that Fernández possesses, paired with the fact that the Brewers will absolutely need more bullpen depth at some point this season, should have fans intrigued about the acquisition.

When Fernández did last appear in MLB, it was with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and prior to that, he spent three and a half seasons (2019-2021) occasionally appearing in the St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen. During those four years of intermittent big-league stints, Fernández saw a mixed bag of results. A 5.66 ERA in 20.2 innings in 2021 with the Cardinals isn't anything to write home about, but his 2.41 mark in 18.2 innings during the following season definitely stands out.

However, what's more exciting than a good stretch of appearances four years ago are the underlying metrics on Fernández's arsenal in Triple-A during the 2025 season. In the top level of the minor leagues last year, during which Fernández pitched for both the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets' Triple-A affiliates, the flame-throwing righty averaged 98.1 mph on his four-seamer and 98.5 mph on his sinker. Paired with two strong secondary offerings -- a changeup and a slider -- Fernández produced a 36.5% whiff rate and a 29.5% strikeout rate in Triple-A last year.

Fernández did walk Triple-A batters at a mediocre 14% rate last year, and his surface-level numbers -- a 4.40 ERA in 35 appearances -- didn't jump off the page, but there's reason to believe that the Brewers can unlock something special in the 6'3" righty. After receiving an invitation to the D-Backs' big-league Spring Training this year, Fernández missed out on the roster and was assigned to Triple-A. He spent the first few weeks of the season on the D-Backs' Triple-A affiliate's Development List, which is a roster designation for players who aren't injured, but aren't members of the active roster because they are working on mechanical changes, managing workload, etc.

Since Fernández wasn't on the D-Backs' 40-man roster, he does not require a spot on the Brewers' 40-man either. However, if he shows some success in Nashville, and the Brewers' big-league 'pen is in need of some reinforcements, there aren't too many options standing between Fernández and an opportunity with the big-league club. Safe to say, it's another intriguing addition to the Brewers' organization.

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