Brewers trade for former Cy Young winner to bolster starting rotation depth

The Milwaukee Brewers have made an addition to their starting rotation depth, acquiring 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel in a trade with the Seattle Mariners.

Keuchel, 36, is on a minor league deal with the Mariners and has not yet pitched in the big leagues this season. With Triple-A Tacoma, Keuchel has a 3.93 ERA in 13 starts covering 71 IP. In his last five starts, however, he has a stellar 1.61 ERA.

The Brewers are sending cash considerations to Seattle in return for Keuchel.

Dallas Keuchel joining the Brewers organization

It's quite clear at this point that the best days of Dallas Keuchel's career are behind him. He won the Cy Young with the Astros in 2015 with a 2.48 ERA in 232 IP. He had a solid 2019 after leaving Houston and did pretty well in the shortened 2020 season, but his results have gone downhill fast.

In the last three seasons, Keuchel has played for four teams, compiling 260.1 IP with a 6.29 ERA. He doesn't generate many whiffs and while he was a good groundball pitcher in his prime, he's found himself more susceptible to hard contact the last few years.

Keuchel was not on Seattle's 40 man roster, which means the Brewers don't necessarily have to create one for him. However, the Brewers wanting to acquire Keuchel likely means they have plans for him to join the roster in the near future if not immediately.

The Brewers do have a depth problem in their rotation due to a myriad of injuries. Brandon Woodruff, Wade Miley, and Robert Gasser are all out for the rest of the season. Jakob Junis and DL Hall are either back or close to returning, but may not be able to find a role in the rotation. Keuchel is a veteran that can ideally help plug that gap for a little bit of time until reinforcements arrive either from the IL or from other trade acquisitions closer to the Trade Deadline.

This move has a very similar feel to the Julio Teheran addition last year. Keuchel, like Teheran, is a veteran that's past their prime but perhaps still has a little left in the tank that can help the Brewers get through their rotation struggles.

While the Brewers will still need more reinforcements for their starting rotation, no one is making those kinds of big moves right now. Still the Brewers need depth right now and Keuchel is going to help with that.