A fan’s loud announcement delivered the crushing news that the Milwaukee Brewers’ trade pursuit of Tarik Skubal failed, leaving pitcher Shane Drohan stunned.
It has been 10 days since the Milwaukee Brewers fell short in their pursuit of Tarik Skubal, with the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner ultimately going to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers were always expected to aggressively pursue Skubal before the MLB trade deadline. However, given Milwaukee’s legitimate opportunity to win its first World Series this year, some believed the Brewers could land him.
Brewers attempted to acquire Skubal
The failure was not for a lack of trying.
Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan, acquired from the Boston Red Sox in February, recently told Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald that he learned about the Skubal trade from a fan sitting behind Milwaukee’s dugout.
Drohan described the experience as brutal, explaining that a woman behind the dugout announced Skubal was going to the Dodgers. He initially could not believe that was how he had discovered the news, but it was.
“...It was pretty brutal, at least for me, I was sitting in the dugout and I found out through a fan behind us,” Drohan said.
“It was some lady, she’s like, ‘Oh, Skubal to the Dodgers’ and I’m like there’s no way that’s how I found out, but that’s how I found out.”
Milwaukee remained active before the deadline, acquiring Dustin May and JoJo Romero from the St. Louis Cardinals and Antonio Senzatela from the Colorado Rockies.
Still, many MLB experts considered the National League Central leader’s deadline disappointing.
With May joining the rotation and left-hander Kyle Harrison returning from injury, acquiring Skubal could have pushed Drohan out of Milwaukee’s starting group.
Jacob Misiorowski is the unquestioned No. 1 starter, followed by Harrison and rookie right-hander Logan Henderson. May and Drohan complete the starting five.
Drohan’s stats this season
Drohan joined the rotation in early June after Henderson went on the Injured List and has mostly performed well.
The left-hander is 6-4 with a 3.87 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 93 strikeouts in 93 innings over 23 appearances (13 starts).
His 4.61 ERA as a starter is considerably higher than his 1.82 mark as a reliever, although two recent difficult outings have significantly inflated the former number.
The 27-year-old rookie sandwiched a strong six-inning start against the Los Angeles Angels on July 31 between two poor performances.
Drohan gave up five runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings in a 5-2 home loss against the Rockies on July 24.
Then, during Friday’s 8-6 home loss to the Minnesota Twins, he allowed career highs in hits with nine, runs with six and home runs with two while matching his career high with four walks. He also recorded four strikeouts.
Drohan’s upside
Drohan’s versatility remains one of his most valuable qualities. He has already demonstrated an ability to move between the bullpen and rotation depending on Milwaukee’s needs, an important trait for a team with postseason ambitions.
His willingness to accept different responsibilities also gives the Brewers flexibility as their pitching staff changes around him.
As a rookie, Drohan is still learning how to navigate difficult stretches against MLB hitters. His ability to respond after poor outings will become particularly important as Milwaukee evaluates its postseason pitching options.
Drohan will lstart one of the Brewers’ games against the Dodgers during their upcoming four-game series from Thursday through Sunday.
