The Brewers don't tap their keg

I go a little hard on the Brewers…

We just witnessed an absolute malfunction of a trade market that left two-time reigning American League Cy Young Winner Tarik Skubal standing in Dodger Blue. Baseball fans across the country have their pitchforks out and this won’t be a space to talk them off the ledge. Let’s understand each angle, and what went wrong:

Are the Dodgers ruining baseball? It’s the most asked question of the last 48 hours. What could KMARK (noted Dodger fan) possibly have to say…? Yes. Why Yes? Because fans are customers and customers can be wrong, but if you’re a business, that’s still not great news. There are no prizes handed out to the Right Fans and the Wrong Fans. There’s just fans. If your customers are pissed, you have a problem. My read: at their core, rival fans understand the Dodgers are simply maximizing their advantages with such flawless execution that while they shouldn’t be blamed, they are in fact ruining the competitive enthusiasm of the sport. Fans are assigning as much blame to their personal teams as they are to the team in LA. But Baseball shouldn’t comfortably exist in a space where its customers demonstrate consistent disappointment. Tarik Skubal winding up in LA only exacerbates the disappointment.

How did we get here? Specifically, why is Skubal in Dodger Blue? In short, we just witnessed a massive miscalculation of Tarik’s abilities coupled with absolute malpractice from multiple front offices. Skubal isn’t Yu Darvish, Max Scherzer, David Price, or CC Sabathia. His recent accomplishments exceed each of those in the handful of seasons before they were also Deadline Day headliners. How Skubal couldn’t stir apex offers from the Rays, Yankees, Cubs, or Brewers is beyond comprehension. Milwaukee missed the opportunity to pair the best pitcher in the American League with future NL Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski. Misiorowski is a modern, right-handed Randy Johnson and Skubal could’ve been his left hand man.

Is this all on Milwaukee? It sure is. There is no defensible reason why the Brew Crew clung to their prospects in such a way that they couldn’t overwhelm the Tigers with a competitive offer. Consider, Detroit prioritized an impact prospect, controllable pitching, and…not much else. The Brewers deserve credit. They have the league’s best record, and despite their relentless commitment to the bottom line, have consistently developed top tier prospects. If Skubal is a Dodger because Milwaukee refused to sacrifice their future, then ask: what exactly was the cost in future value necessary to enter October with two of the best pitchers in baseball? Would it have cost the Brewers their consensus top-prospect Jesus Made? No. Far from it. Would it have compromised their ability to field a productive future outfield? No. The outfield at Miller Park is anchored by star CF Jackson Chourio for at least the next six years. And when Made arrives, expect current SS Cooper Pratt to take his feather hitting ass to left field (for the duration of his 8yr extension).

So about that controllable starting pitching...? Milwaukee could be handing the ball to Skubal Tuesday had they been willing to part with prospect Jett Williams, current starter Logan Henderson, ascendant Young Alexander Frias, and lottery ticket Josiah Ragsdale. If Williams and Henderson appear similar in value to what the Dodgers parted with in Zyhir Hope and River Ryan, then you have a keen eye for prospects. And what about Frias and Ragsdale? Well, the Brewers did actually deem them expendable. They move south to St. Louis in exchange for Dustin May and Jojo Romero. Ask yourself: in October, do you need Dustin May and an incremental reliever, or do you need Tarik Skubal.

No team runs a five man rotation in October, and as it stands, May won’t even crack the top 5 between now and the start of the postseason. He’s a depth starter add that could open playoff games only because a better current starter will be bumped to the pen to pitch higher leverage innings. Teams like the Brew Crew (and Dodgers) effectively add a postseason power arm every year by simply shifting a regular season starter into a reliever role. Had the Brewers decided to tap their minor league keg instead of major league depth, they would’ve added Romero’s bullpen impact from sending Robert Gasser to the seventh inning.

The Brewers added May, Romero, and another reliever (Antonio Senzatela). It seems like they’re at least trying…? Again, astute of you to pick up on the Senzatela add. Shipping out prospects wasn’t off limits. More importantly, neither was the bottom line. $9m of payroll is heading to Brew Town. For an org hyper focused on cost, $9m is a chunk of change. Yaknow who else is owed about $9m? Skubs. Milwaukee had the appetite to shed young talent, had the checkbook to pay for it, but chose to ignore TARIK FREAKING SKUBAL for Dusty May, a mid-reliever, and a 9yr Colorado Rockie veteran. Malpractice.