Why this Brewers starter may benefit from a switch to the bullpen after the trade deadline

The Milwaukee Brewers' pitching staff could see a significant shake-up as a result of the upcoming trade deadline, one that results from the first-place Brew Crew adding a top-tier starting pitcher to their rotation or a high-leverage weapon to their bullpen. If the former ends up becoming true for the Brewers, who are reportedly ready to be more aggressive at this year's deadline, difficult decisions will need to be made in regard to who that starter replaces in Milwaukee's rotation.

As their roster currently stands, the Brewers have plenty of starting options beyond their 1-2 punch of Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison. However, what will dictate the Brewers' deadline strategy is whether or not the front office believes that any of those options can emerge as a clear-cut No. 3 starter down the stretch.

Right-hander Logan Henderson is the Brewers' best internal option to fill the No. 3 spot in the rotation, but his lack of major league experience and recent injuries suggest Milwaukee would be better off having him as their No. 4 starter for the stretch run, rather than banking on him to be the third option behind Harrison and Miz.

Assuming the Brewers do grab an experienced starter at the deadline, and push Henderson into the No. 4 spot in the rotation for the final two months of the season, the question then becomes: which of Milwaukee's current starting pitchers will be ousted from their role? With a top four of Misiorowski, Harrison, a trade addition, and Henderson, that leaves just one consistent rotation spot for Robert Gasser, Brandon Sproat, and Shane Drohan. Of that trio, there's reason to believe one arm might benefit from a temporary move to the bullpen as the Brewers optimize their roster for the stretch run.

Brandon Sproat's velocity losses throughout his outings could signal a temporary switch to the bullpen as innings count rises

The 25-year-old Sproat absolutely has a long-term home in the Brewers' starting rotation. Sproat, who the Brewers acquired from the New York Mets in the offseason Freddy Peralta blockbuster, has flashed more than enough potential with his six-pitch mix this season that the Brewers would be unwise not to continue developing him as a starting pitcher despite his inconsistent results.

However, in the short term, temporarily switching Sproat to a bullpen role to make room for a hypothetical trade deadline addition certainly holds merit. For one, Sproat has shown some concerning velocity losses throughout his starts this year, suggesting that he may be more effective in shorter stints for the time being. During his most recent start, which came against the Mets, his former team, Sproat lost more than 3 mph on both his four-seamer and sinker by the end of his outing. Most pitchers lose some velocity throughout their starts, but three ticks on the fastball in just five innings raises concerns regarding Sproat's effectiveness at the end of his starts.

Sproat did throw 141.2 innings between Triple-A and MLB in 2025, and is only at 86.2 to this point in the 2026 season, so it's not as if he's approaching his career-high innings count, like Misiorowski, but taking on the workload of a major league starter in his first full season in the big leagues is an underrated jump that comes with stress beyond just the pure number of innings pitched.

The flip side of the argument, the one that would keep Sproat in the rotation after the trade deadline, is the fact that rookie right-hander has produced his best results of the season during his last seven starts. Dating back to a June 10 start against the Athletics, which came at the hitter's paradise of Las Vegas Ballpark, Sproat has a 3.31 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 32.2 innings.

That said, in his last three starts, Sproat has covered just 11.2 innings and has failed to finish five frames in any of the appearances. His success, though impressive as of late, has come in short bursts, further suggesting that a switch to the bullpen could be in the cards for the rookie right-hander. Though Sproat could easily end up being a fixture in Milwaukee's rotation for years to come, the Brewers may consider moving him to the bullpen for the stretch run in 2026 -- a strategy they haven't shied away from with young starting pitchers in seasons past -- as they work to perfect their pitching staff at the trade deadline.

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