Early returns on Brewers' key deadline swap with Cardinals suggest it was a win-win trade

While the Milwaukee Brewers didn't swing big for a Tarik Skubal blockbuster at the trade deadline, which was reportedly more than just a pipe dream from the Brewers' fanbase, Matt Arnold and company still made a trio of significant additions to what was already a very strong roster. Those trades, though the prospect packages that the Brewers ultimately surrendered paled in comparison to what the Tigers were asking for Skubal, did not come cheap.

One trade in particular stuck out as especially expensive in terms of the prospects that the Brewers had to surrender in order to execute it. Needing to convince their NL Central rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, to give them two impactful rental arms in Dustin May and JoJo Romero, the Brewers were forced to give up two Top-15 prospects from their top-ranked farm system. 22-year-old outfielder Josiah Ragsdale and 18-year-old outfielder Alexander Frias, both of whom are in the midst of breakout seasons in the minor leagues, made up the package going from the Brewers to the Cardinals in the rare intradivisional deadline deal.

Frias immediately became a Top-5 prospect in St. Louis, with MLB Pipeline having him ranked as the No. 4 prospect on their list of the Top 30 prospects in the Cardinals' farm system. In 66 games split between Rookie ball and Low-A this year, Frias is slashing .337/.422/.538 with 30 extra-base hits and 22 stolen bases.

However, while Frias may be the higher-ranked of the two prospects, with the higher long-term ceiling, it's Ragsdale who is off to an impressive start in the Cardinals' system. The 2025 7th-round pick has picked up right where he left off in the Brewers' system.

Dustin May's strong start with Brewers makes Josiah Ragsdale's continued power surge in Cardinals' farm system easier to stomach

Not a power hitter by any means during his four-year college career, when he averaged less than four homers per season, Ragsdale has shown an impressive amount of power during his first full professional campaign this year. In 86 games split between High-A and Double-A before the trade, Ragsdale crushed 19 homers, 12 of which came in 26 games with the Biloxi Shuckers. That power development, paired with his speed (31 stolen bases this year) and strong defensive abilities, is certainly what caught the Cardinals' attention.

Since joining the Cardinals' Double-A squad, the Springfield Cardinals, Ragsdale's power breakout has continued. The left-handed hitting outfielder has just five hits in his first 24 at-bats in the Cardinals' farm system, but two have been home runs and one was a double.

While Ragsdale's continued breakout and Frias' potential may be difficult for Brewers fans to see in the Cardinals' system, May's strong start in Milwaukee certainly makes things easier to stomach. May turned in a quality start in his Brewers debut, allowing just two earned runs in six innings en route to a victory for the Brew Crew. The 28-year-old May followed up his introduction with a strong sequel against the San Diego Padres yesterday afternoon, during which he covered seven innings and allowed just one earned run on four hits. Through his first two starts with the Crew, May has a 2.08 ERA and has put Milwaukee in position to win both games, suggesting his impact on the Brewers down the stretch will be significant.

If May continues to pitch like he has in his first two Brewers starts throughout the rest of the regular season and into the postseason, this deadline swap could easily look like a win-win, especially once Romero starts impacting Milwaukee's bullpen later this month. The Brewers and Cardinals did exactly what they were "supposed" to do at this year's deadline. St. Louis, in the midst of revamping their roster with young talent, sold valuable impending free agents for two strong prospects. The Brewers, with the game's deepest and highest-ranked farm system, turned two redundant pieces into players who can help them compete for a World Series this year. With two savvy front offices calling the shots in this deadline trade, it's perhaps unsurprising that the early returns make it look like a win for both sides.

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