Brewers Called 'Snoozers' By The Athletic Following Minor Deadline Trades

Milwaukee might have improved on the margins, but not much else...

Jul 20, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen (19) runs the bases after hitting a home runagainst the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Few expected the Milwaukee Brewers to have the best record in baseball at the trade deadline, but once they got there, it was intriguing to find out how they would conduct themselves.

Obviously, the Brewers weren't going to sell. That would have been an all-time bad look, 10 times worse than trading away Josh Hader in 2022. But there was an argument to be made that they should have bought aggressively, rather than making small moves at the margins.

However, the latter is exactly what they did. Milwaukee brought in backup catcher Danny Jansen, reliever Shelby Miller, and the rest of the money on injured left-hander Jordan Montgomery's contract. It's more likely than not that Montgomery won't throw a pitch in a Brewers uniform.

So were the Brewers trade deadline winners or losers? The Athletic's Stephen J. Nesbitt argues they need a third category.

On Friday, Nesbitt labeled the Brewers "snoozers" for their lackluster haul.

"The Brewers weren’t expected to be active buyers at the deadline, and they delivered. Crickets, baby! After making an early move to add catcher Danny Jansen from the Rays, the Brewers’ only other moves were to trade away one lefty (Nestor Cortes) and acquire another (Jordan Montgomery)," Nesbitt wrote.

"It’s hard to argue with what’s been working for the division-leading Brewers, but on paper the lineup underwhelms. We’ve said that before. I’d feel better about their chances of weathering postseason pitching if they had upgraded an outfield spot and either shortstop or third base."

There was an argument to be made for trading for either Eugenio Suárez or Ryan O'Hearn just to add some power, but the Brewers will instead roll with rookie Caleb Durbin, reclamation project Andrew Vaughn, and the injured Rhys Hoskins at the infield corners.

Still, the Brewers, as we've mentioned already, have the best record in the sport. Maybe they snoozed just a little bit at the deadline, but it would be the downfall of any other team to snooze on them once they take the field from here on out.

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