The Milwaukee Brewers surrendered two top-tier outfield prospects for a pair of pitching rentals from the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Milwaukee Brewers knew they had to make a move at the trade deadline, so they decided to pull one off with a division rival.
With the St. Louis Cardinals being sellers, the Brewers capitalized on that by acquiring right-handed starter Dustin May and an injured left-handed reliever in JoJo Romero.
May is set to make $20 million next season as part of a mutual club option, so it'll be interesting to see if the Brewers decide to pay him that in 2027.
Quinn Priester will be back in the fold, so that'll complicate things, but all eyes are on the two prospects they had to give up in order to acquire May and Romero.
Outfielders Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale both were sent to St. Louis in a deal that saw the Brewers give up a pair of top 13 prospects. Obviously, this team has the best farm system in all of baseball, but it does sting knowing they lost two talented outfielders for what could be two three-month rentals.
Brewers lose No. 11 and No. 13 prospects
Neither Frias nor Ragsdale was necessarily close to making their big league debuts, but the potential was definitely there. Ragsdale, the team's No. 13 prospect, has an ETA of 2028. When looking at No. 11 Frias, he has an estimated ETA of 2029, so at this point he's still a year behind the guy who's ranked two spots lower than him.
Ultimately, Milwaukee knew they were going to have to cash in on these prospects eventually. Both being outfielders puts them in an interesting position, but Luis Lara was just called up, signed a major extension, and they still have No. 5 Josh Adamczewski and No. 7 Braylon Payne.
When it comes to the outfield, the Brewers should be fine. Garrett Mitchell has remained healthy this year, and Brandon Lockridge is on his way back, so they’re still in a great spot when at full strength.
Two top 13 prospects for three-month rentals?
Again, it can't be understated how no one truly knows how Frias or Ragsdale's games are going to translate to the majors. Both are extremely young, and talented at that, but this feels like a super even trade across the board.
Milwaukee expects Romero to be back around mid-August, so that gives him roughly a month and a half to get back into form before the postseason.
The Brewers added both a starting pitcher and a reliever, so that's a big win; it'll be interesting to revisit this one a few years down the line, especially if they don't bring back May or Romero in 2027.
