History is stacked against the Brewers' major trade deadline addition

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Milwaukee Brewers made their major bullpen move by adding Shelby Miller, in hopes of adding even more depth to their surplus of high-leverage options. But if history is any guide, the odds aren’t exactly in Miller's favor. Over the years, major bullpen deadline additions haven’t always delivered for Milwaukee down the stretch.

Reviewing some of the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen additions at the trade deadline over the past seven years

Adding relievers at the trade deadline is a common gamble for playoff contenders, often targeting arms in the midst of strong seasons or those with the raw stuff to make a meaningful impact down the stretch. For the Brewers, more often than not, those additions have not panned out.

In 2018, Milwaukee had a stacked bullpen, but added Joakim Soria to the mix. He posted a 4.09 ERA over 22.0 innings the rest of the regular season, and then had a pair of 0.1 innings pitched and two earned runs allowed in the Brewers-Dodgers NLCS matchup.

A year later, the Brewers went with a quantity approach by bringing in Drew Pomeranz, Jordan Lyles, Ray Black, and Jake Faria. This strategy proved to be decently successful as Pomeranz and Lyles exceeded expectations, with Lyles working out of the starting rotation, but Faria and Black never found their stride with Milwaukee.

From 2020-present, arms such as Daniel Norris, John Curtiss, Trevor Rosenthal, Taylor Rogers, Matt Bush, Andrew Chafin, and Nick Mears have been brought in by the Brewers in the middle of the season. Norris and Curtiss were acquired during the 2021 campaign, and Norris posted a 6.64 ERA with the Brewers while Curtiss injured his elbow in August.

The controversial 2022 trade deadline, highlighted by the deal that sent Josh Hader out of Milwaukee, brought in Taylor Rogers and Matt Bush, but also included the addition of Trevor Rosenthal in a separate trade, who was still recovering from injury at the time and ultimately never threw a pitch for the Brewers. Neither Rogers nor Bush was effective in Milwaukee, and their underperformance in '22 was a big reason for the Brewers missing the playoffs that year.

More recently, Chafin was an exciting 2023 deadline addition, but posted a 5.82 ERA with Milwaukee. Mears, who was acquired last year, didn't have a good track record of success but had underlying good metrics. He has proved to be effective for Milwaukee and a trusted arm in the postseason.

Now, the spotlight is on this year’s newcomer, Shelby Miller, to prove that this time can be different. Miller was dominant with the Arizona Diamondbacks before being traded, so perhaps he can be the player to make a meaningful difference for the team when it matters the most.