Ranking the Brewers most impactful Trade Deadline deals in history

July 30-31, 2015. One of Doug Melvin’s last acts as general manager before stepping aside in August was also one of his best. At the 2015 deadline he pulled off a pair of deadline trades that landed the Brewers five players of future significance.

On July 30, Melvin shipped Mike Fiers, Carlos Gomez, and cash to the contending Houston Astros in exchange for four prospects. The four were reliever Josh Hader, starting pitcher Adrian Houser, plus outfielders Brett Phillips and Domingo Santana.

One day later, Melvin sent outfielder Gerardo Parra to the Orioles for starter Zach Davies. The cores of those two trades would become fixtures in Milwaukee’s rise to a position of division primacy.

Hader is of course the best known. Arriving as a regular in 2018, he saved 12 games that season, 37 the next, and 13 in the shortened 2020 season. He saved 34 more in 2021 and had 29 when he was dealt to San Diego at the 2022 trade deadline.

Houser made 97 starts for the Brewers through 2023, going 10-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 2022, his best season.

Davies had winning records in 2016, 2017 and 2019, leading the league in starts (33) in 2017.

In four seasons with Milwaukee, Santana batted .266 with 52 home runs and 155 RBIs.