Revisiting the Brewers’ Willy Adames-Drew Rasmussen trade with Rays ahead of World Series matchup

Over the past six years, the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, two teams who hold a similar philosophy when it comes to the trade market, have somewhat surprisingly built a notable history of swaps. The most recent deal between the two small-market clubs sent catcher Danny Jansen to Milwaukee at the 2025 trade deadline in exchange for infield prospect Jadher Areinamo. Jansen, who was an impending free agent at the time, signed a two-year, $14.5 million deal with the Texas Rangers ahead of the 2026 campaign, and Areinamo has found his way onto Tampa's 40-man roster, but has yet to make his MLB debut.

Before the 2025 deadline swap, the Brewers and Rays linked up for a trade in July of 2024 -- one that sent starting pitcher Aaron Civale to the Brewers in exchange for infield prospect Gregory Barrios, who played for Tampa Bay's Double-A club in 2026. Civale stabilized the Brewers' rotation in 2024 but later demanded a trade in June of 2025 after being relegated to the bullpen, which is ultimately how Milwaukee ended up acquiring Andrew Vaughn from the Chicago White Sox.

A few years before the Civale-Barrios swap, ahead of the 2022 campaign, Milwaukee acquired third baseman Mike Brosseau from Tampa Bay in exchange for pitcher Evan Reifert. Brosseau played a season and a half with the Brewers before being released in July of 2023, and Reifert, who is now 27 years old, has yet to make his MLB debut, but impressed as a reliever for the Rays' Triple-A squad this year.

However, by far the most notable trade that has occurred between the two 2026 pennant winners is the deal that brought fan favorite Willy Adames to Milwaukee on May 21, 2021. The Brewers, in need of a solution at the shortstop position, bought low on Adames, who went on to be a key part of the Brewers' continued success, at the expense of two young pitchers: J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. Now, Rasmussen is set to start Game 1 for the Rays in their 2026 World Series matchup with the Brewers.

Former Brewers' pitcher Drew Rasmussen, who was included in the Willy Adames trade, expected to start Game 1 for the Rays

From Milwaukee’s perspective, the 2021 trade that brought Adames (and veteran reliever Trevor Richards) to the Brewers proved to be a success. Richards was flipped to the Toronto Blue Jays for Rowdy Tellez later that same year, while Adames energized an otherwise scuffling Brewers' offense. Adames not only assumed a leadership role in the Brewers' lineup, but he immediately became a leader in the clubhouse as well, and his desire to give his all every single day was infectious.

Over his four seasons with the Brewers, Adames locked down a premier position at shortstop while hitting 107 home runs, during which he led Milwaukee to three playoff appearances. Eventually, after the 2023 season, Adames hit free agency and signed a seven-year, $182 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. His departure, which followed the Brewers offering him the qualifying offer, netted Milwaukee a compensatory pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, which the team used to select Brady Ebel.

On Tampa’s side of the 2021 Adames deal, injuries derailed Feyereisen’s career, limiting him to just 61 innings with the club before being designated for assignment. Feyereisen bounced around to the Dodgers and Diamondbacks' organizations before retiring from MLB after the 2025 season due to a series of frustrating injuries.

Meanwhile, Rasmussen, who is expected to start Game 1 of the World Series for Tampa, also has battled injuries, with elbow surgery in 2023 limiting him to just eight starts that season, followed by 28.2 innings the following year, but since 2025, the right-hander has stayed healthy and excelled on the mound. He posted a 2.76 ERA across 31 starts in 2025, and followed it with a 2.67 ERA in 30 starts in 2026. He has also been dominant in the postseason this year, allowing just three earned runs over 21 innings, highlighted by an eight-inning, one-hit performance against the New York Yankees in the ALDS.

The Brewers having to face Rasmussen to open the 2026 Fall Classic is undoubtedly a tough pill to swallow, especially knowing they traded away a pitcher who boasts a 2.83 ERA across his seven-year MLB career. Still, given the impact that Adames had on the organization and Milwaukee's ability to develop pitching, Brewers fans have to be pleased with how the 2021 deal has worked out.

It's certainly tough to face a player who the organization traded away in Game 1 of the franchise's first World Series appearance in 44 years, but such was the cost of acquiring an excellent shortstop like Adames for what is likely to be the best three and a half seasons of his career. While the trade looks relatively even right now, if not slightly skewed in the Rays' favor, a Brewers win over Rasmussen in Game 1 would certainly be validating for Milwaukee's front office.

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