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The Milwaukee Brewers are in first place in the NL Central, looking poised to make it back to the playoffs this fall. But they aren’t at the level of other National League teams at the moment.
The Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves (even with the season-ending injuries to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider) are all powerhouses that can contend for the pennant. The Brewers certainly could make a playoff run but their odds of competing with such stacked teams could be better. They should make upgrades before the July 30 trade deadline.
Starting pitching could be on the menu for the Brewers as they look to add more surefire depth around Freddy Peralta and Robert Gasser, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Although Bryse Wilson has been solid, Colin Rea, Joe Ross, Tobias Myers and DL Hall have either been unspectacular or injured (or both). Milwaukee could use a lefty to pair with Gasser alongside the righties Peralta and Wilson.
There are two names who stick out as good fits with the Brew Crew and both should be available ahead of the deadline: Garrett Crochet and Jesus Luzardo.
Passan writes the following: “Garrett Crochet certainly fits and is what they hope DL Hall — whom they got in a deal for Corbin Burnes, the sort of ace they really could use now — can be: a lefty with obscene stuff who can head a rotation. Same goes for Jesus Luzardo. Milwaukee has the system to land one of them.”
Crochet and Luzardo are both being wasted on the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins respectively. Both of those teams are bound to start selling — especially Miami — and Milwaukee is surely not going to be the only interested party.
Brewers could target Garrett Crochet, Jesus Luzardo at trade deadline
The Brewers know very well how to get the most out of their homegrown pitchers but adding a high-level arm, especially after deciding to trade away Corbin Burnes, would be a good decision.
Crochet has been a strikeout machine this season, leading the American League with 93 in just 69.2 innings so far. The 24-year-old's first campaign as a starter has been excellent so far and his 2.88 FIP is lower than his 3.49 ERA, which suggests this isn’t a fluke.
Luzardo has been okay this season but was very good in the previous two, posting 3.32 and 3.58 ERAs respectively. He should be able to pitch better on a team that actually cares and is still just 26 years old.
In addition to pitching, the Brewers should also look to add an outfield bat in case Jackson Chourio doesn’t improve. The highly touted youngster hasn’t been productive at the plate yet while Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins have been okay.
The NL Central is the Brewers' for the taking. Although there are other solid teams contending for the division title, the Brew Crew is the best all-around team and has a seven-game lead as June gets underway. Contending for the even better title, however, requires some tweaking to the roster.
