Brewers add pair of intriguing arms to 40-man roster ahead of Rule 5 draft deadline

Heading into today's deadline to protect prospects from the upcoming Rule 5 draft, the Milwaukee Brewers had some decisions to make. Most thought that the Brewers would use their available 40-man roster space to protect pitching prospects Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick, but it was unclear if they would make any other moves beyond that.

In a lot of ways, these decisions are a game of chicken. Milwaukee wants to keep the guys that they think will be a part of their future, but 40-man roster space is precious and adding a guy that isn't likely to be stolen in the Rule 5 draft is a bit of a waste. It all comes down to how much the Brewers like a guy vs. how much the rest of the league likes them.

The first slate of roster moves are in and, for the moment, only Henderson and Patrick have been added to the Brewers' 40-man roster so far.

Brewers add prospects Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick to 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft

The addition of Henderson and Patrick isn't surprising. Henderson is a top 10 Brewers prospect with a really effective fastball/changeup combination who made it all the way to Triple-A in 2024 and could factor into their rotation plans this coming season. Patrick is coming off a season in Triple-A that saw him be named the International League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 2.90 ERA in 26 appearances and will also be in the conversation for a starting spot this spring.

As McCalvy noted in his report, there is still a chance that the Brewers add more prospects to the 40-man ahead of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft later on Tuesday. Some names to keep an eye out for there include Coleman Crow, Shane Smith, and Justin Yeager. Bullpen arms are often in high demand during the Rule 5 (which takes place during the Winter Meetings) and all three of those guys have real upside and could get carried on a big league roster.

The problem with any further moves is that they would crowd Milwaukee's 40-man roster which would necessitate other roster moves down the road once (hopefully) additions are made in free agency or trades. The Brewers have some fringe 40-man guys they could outright off the roster if they need to, but these are the sorts of roster optimization choices that could make a big difference down the road.

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