Brewers have 3 clear trade deadline pivots if they lose Tarik Skubal sweepstakes to Dodgers

It's bound to be a busy weekend for MLB front offices as the league's midseason trade deadline is set for Monday, August 3, at 5:00 p.m. CT. With names like Tarik Skubal and Mason Miller reportedly available on the trade market, the weekend could bring a significant shake-up to the rosters of contending teams and therefore the postseason picture as a whole.

With the second-best record in baseball, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by just one game, the Milwaukee Brewers are once again a member of the group of contending teams looking to make additions to their rosters for the final stretch of the season. Whereas the Brewers have been relatively conservative at the midseason trade deadline during their period of sustained success dating back to 2018, reports indicate that Milwaukee's front office is prepared to swing big before this year's deadline. As a result of this new mindset, and the fact that they possess the top-ranked farm system in all of baseball, the Brewers are viewed as one of the leading candidates to land Skubal in a midseason blockbuster.

However, if the Brewers end up losing out on the Skubal sweepstakes, likely to the Dodgers, which would be a disheartening blow to their World Series chances, it's important they have a back-up plan. Just because they hypothetically lost out on the top name on the market, doesn't mean there aren't ways the Brewers could still improve their roster. With that in mind, here are three ways the Brewers could pivot from Skubal ahead of the deadline, if their offer to the Detroit Tigers is ultimately bested by another front office.

3 ways the Brewers could pivot from Tarik Skubal if they end up losing the bidding war for the Tigers' ace

With reports surfacing that the Brewers are "in" on Skubal, the assumption is that Milwaukee's front office is willing to part with significant prospect capital ahead of this year's trade deadline. Should Skubal land elsewhere, that presumably available capital could be redirected to other trades. Keep in mind that it's possible the Brewers go forth with a combination of the moves listed below if they miss out on Skubal, so each shouldn't be viewed as a direct replacement for a blockbuster deal for the Tigers' ace.

1. Land one of the best available relief pitchers on the market

The Brewers' pitching staff needs reinforcements, that much is clear. The easiest way for the Brewers to bolster their pitching staff would be to add a playoff-caliber starting pitcher and push one of their current rotation options, like Shane Drohan, Robert Gasser, or Brandon Sproat, into the bullpen, thus improving both their starting staff and relief corps at the same time. However, the versatility of Drohan, Gasser, and Sproat allows the Brewers to instead target a top-tier relief arm and keep their rotation as is.

Should the Brewers pivot to a bullpen addition, their supposed aggressive approach could lead to them landing one of the top relievers available. Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres is certainly the best relief arm available, but more realistic high-leverage options are names like Miller's teammate Adrian Morejon, Luke Weaver or AJ Minter of the New York Mets, and Jeff Hoffman of the Toronto Blue Jays. Hoffman and Weaver come with expensive future salaries, but depending on how much prospect capital the Brewers are willing to part ways with, some of that money could be paid down by the selling teams.

2. Buy low on a high-upside starting pitcher with postseason experience

If the Brewers do ultimately miss out on Skubal, that shouldn't derail their plan to add an experienced starter to their roster ahead of the midseason trade deadline. However, if Milwaukee wants to add a starter and make other moves as well, they would be wise to shop in the "buy low" category of the trade market. So long as the pitcher they acquire has upside and postseason experience, the Brewers don't necessarily need to add one of the top, most expensive names on the market.

Available starters who fall into the buy low category include Clay Holmes of the Mets, who has been sidelined by an injury since mid-May and has therefore received less attention on the trade market than other experienced starters. It also includes Holmes' teammate and former Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who is in the midst of his worst season in the majors, but has a track record of success and postseason experience. Other options include Trevor Rogers of the Baltimore Orioles and Brady Singer of the Cincinnati Reds, both of whom are former first-round picks who got off to slow starts this year, but have been much more effective as of late.

3. Bolster the offense with a right-handed bat

Throughout most of trade rumor season, the dominating narrative has been that the Brewers need to add to their pitching staff more than their offense. While that may be true, the Brewers' offense has one clear weakness that could be exploited in the postseason: a lack of success against left-handed pitching. As a team, the Brewers currently boast a solid .758 OPS, 110 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers, while sporting a .687 OPS, 92 wRC+ against southpaws. In the postseason, when every game matters, the Brewers can't afford to have that type of offensive production when a left-hander takes the bump.

Here's the issue: the trade market is starved of right-handed hitters, and the Brewers don't have an obvious spot for one of the few options. Milwaukee could add an outfielder like Taylor Ward of the Orioles (.835 OPS against lefties) or Lane Thomas of the Royals (.796 OPS against lefties), but it's not obvious which of Milwaukee's current outfield options would lose their spot on the roster to make room for either addition. Hypothetically, the Brewers could roll with an all right-handed outfield of Jackson Chourio in left, Luis Lara in center, and Ward or Thomas in right, but such a scenario leaves Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick on the bench, meaning the Brewers would be carrying five outfielders (not including Christian Yelich or Jake Bauers) on their postseason roster.

Ironically, last year's top trade deadline target, Eugenio Suárez, is available again and has a fine .750 OPS against lefties in what has been a down season for the veteran slugger. However, he's essentially a DH-only now, meaning he would form something of a platoon with Yelich at the DH position, which is a roster addition that the defensively versatile Brewers simply can't afford. Perhaps the Brewers front office can swing a trade for a less obvious offensive addition, but with the demand high for the low supply of right-handed hitters, such a deal won't be easy.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow