The Milwaukee Brewers must pivot after losing the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes.
The Milwaukee Brewers recorded a series victory on the night of Saturday, Aug. 1, one that happened on the West Coast, the same night the Los Angeles Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal.
The Detroit Tigers knew what they were doing with Skubal's high asking price, and ultimately Milwaukee just didn't have the courage to pull the trigger.
Instead of shifting their focus to a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher with only three months of team control, they decided to keep all of their eggs in the Logan Henderson basket.
Seeing as the Dodgers didn't have to give up a big-league pitcher, why should the Brewers?
Now, though, there's still roughly 48 hours left before the trade deadline comes to an end, and missing out on Skubal doesn't have to be the end of the world.
Brewers can still work out a few trades
Milwaukee got things started early on Aug. 1 by cutting a deal with the Cleveland Guardians. That move didn't do much, in the grand scheme of things, but that's the Brewers' style, to a T.
The Brewers would much rather make four trades that seem like nothing compared to moving on from top prospects and Henderson to bring in a rental.
Freddy Peralta's name remains on the market, and the Brewers continue to be linked to Mason Miller. These are two players who could change everything, but Milwaukee can't forget about adding a bat as well.
Luis Arraez would be incredible, but the Brewers have a surplus of infielders, and it's not like he's going to win playing time over Brice Turang.
After trading for Bo Naylor, they immediately put him in Triple-A Nashville, so getting a power hitter should be a priority, even with Jake Bauers hitting homers in back-to-back games.
Milwaukee could use a little bit of everything
There's not an immediate need for a reliever with Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill holding things down, but Miller is under a team-friendly contract so that's still a deal worth exploring.
George Kirby could be a name to monitor as he's under team control through 2029. While the Seattle Mariners are only three games back in an extremely weak American League West, they seem to still be listening to offers.
Getting a starter would replace the likes of Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester, but this offense simply needs to get better. They have their hot streaks, no doubt, but sometimes they reach the lowest of lows, as seen in the 2025 National League Championship Series. Simply put, Milwaukee can't afford to let that happen again.
