The Milwaukee Brewers prioritized long-term stability over a high-priced rental in a decision they won't regret.
The Milwaukee Brewers had a massive decision to make at the trade deadline.
The Detroit Tigers wanted a big-league pitcher for Tarik Skubal, and for whatever reason, they believe they got that in River Ryan.
Ryan hasn't proven himself yet at the major-league level, so it was interesting to see them pivot from Logan Henderson to one of the prospects the Los Angeles Dodgers have kept at Triple-A for far too long.
Regardless, the Brewers held their ground, and rightfully so. Henderson is a guy who can be an elite pitcher in this organization, and he once again proved that as he guided Milwaukee to their 70th win of the season, a historic one at that.
Henderson won't hit free agency until 2032
If the Brewers can maneuver arbitration and keep Henderson around for the next five seasons after 2026 comes to an end, they're going to be in great shape.
Obviously, keeping Henderson healthy is their top priority. He's been hit by the injury bug throughout his career, but when he's at 100%, it's clear he has ace potential and could be one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.
On a pitching staff that already has Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison, the Brewers went out and got Dustin May. Together, that is a quartet of pitchers who could do some damage in a seven-game postseason series.
Henderson is slotted into that rotation, no doubt. He's better than the likes of Robert Gasser, Shane Drohan, and Brandon Sproat, among others, and it's not even close. Even after issuing a four-pitch walk to start last night's game, he settled in and proved why he's going to be a cornerstone of this Brewers rotation for years to come.
Acquiring Skubal was not worth losing Henderson
Three months of Skubal's time simply wasn't worth giving up Henderson. Milwaukee put out a serious offer, one that included their No. 2 prospect, Luis Pena, but at the end of the day the Tigers wanted a pitcher and they were deadest on acquiring Henderson.
Detroit knows just how good Henderson is, and that's a testament to the Brewers pitching lab, as everyone calls it.
At just 24 years old, he sports a 6-1 record with a strong 2.70 ERA and a stellar 0.90 WHIP. He's already started a career-high 10 games this season, and his 1.7 WAR is better than the 1.0 it was in a five-start sample size last season.
Henderson allowed a pair of runs last night, but he's only had three earned runs count against him once in his 15 career starts. The sky truly is the limit with this kid, and that's exactly why the Brewers didn't want to trade him for a rental.
