Logan Henderson just outdueled Tarik Skubal, proving exactly why the Milwaukee Brewers won a trade they weren't even part of.
While it's a bit of an odd sentence to say out loud, the Milwaukee Brewers absolutely won the Tarik Skubal trade.
The Detroit Tigers wanted a controllable big-league pitcher, and they had to settle for River Ryan after the Brewers refused to deal Logan Henderson.
Clearly, the Brewers made the right decision. In Skubal's third start with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was outdueled by Henderson, and it really wasn't even close.
When focusing on each of their starts since the MLB Trade Deadline on Aug. 3, it becomes even more clear that keeping Henderson was the right answer. No matter how you slice it, three months of Skubal's time simply wasn't worth it for the Brewers.
Henderson has been the better pitcher
Not only did the Brewers get to keep Henderson, but not trading for Skubal meant they got to keep their No. 2 prospect Luis Pena along with another player or two, as well.
For a team in a small market, that means everything. Henderson has been absolutely sensational this season, and he's going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Brewers postseason rotation.
Obviously, the Dodgers are dealing with starting pitching injuries as well, so them going out and getting Skubal was never out of the question. The former Tigers ace has a 3.18 ERA since the deadline in 17 innings pitched.
As for Henderson, he's thrown 19 innings since the deadline and has a stronger 2.79 ERA. That doesn't tell the full story, though, as Henderson has struck out 21 batters and walked just three, while Skubal has only struck out 19 and has walked six. On top of that, Henderson has allowed three fewer hits despite throwing 2.1 more innings.
Brewers rotation should be solid for the long haul
Had the Brewers cut a deal to bring in Skubal, it would've been another CC Sabathia situation. While there are a million reasons why that would've been beneficial here in 2026, it does them no good in the long term.
Sure, they have the best farm system in all of baseball, but that doesn't mean it's worth weakening it for three months of Skubal's time. The Brewers offense has long been an issue, and Skubal doesn't fix that.
Skubal had his sights set on the Dodgers for a long-term, lucrative contract after this season came to an end, so he would've just ended up in LA no matter what happened. Now, the Brewers still have Henderson under contract for years to come in a loaded rotation that includes the likes of Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison, just to name a few.
