Brewers Land Dustin May, JoJo Romero From Rival Cardinals: Instant Impact

Two rentals in, and two prospects out

Jul 24, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) reacts after the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers expect to contend for a World Series, but they also tend to make trades that their fans feel are a bit too safe.

Hours ahead of Monday's trade deadline, the Brewers made a four-player trade with the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. And while we won't discount the possibility that the deal could help the Brewers win it all, we'd stop short of labeling this one a blockbuster.

As first reported by Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Brewers landed right-handed starting pitcher Dustin May and left-handed relief pitcher JoJo Romero in a trade with the Cardinals. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported that the Brewers were sending back outfield prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale.

What Brewers are getting, and what they're not

Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jojo Romero (59) throws against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Package deals are always intriguing at this time of year, because the Brewers might be trying to get extra bang for their buck. The fact that they're giving up as many players as they're giving up as buyers is a good sign, even if both newcomers are headed for free agency at the end of the year.

May has battled through constant injuries in his career, and with 109 innings pitched this year, he's 23 1/3 short of the career-high he set last year. His 4.38 ERA indicates that he might not be a front-line ace by any means, but if he can take the ball for the Brewers in any capacity in a playoff series, it could be a win.

Meanwhile, Romero was one of the best lefty relievers in the sport last year, and his overall numbers this year are still quite solid. With a 3.35 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 43 innings, he could slot in as a middle reliever or setup man to supplement the struggling Aaron Ashby.

So the Brewers could certainly get some impact out of this deal. But when you come into the deadline with the best record in baseball, and when you have the consensus best farm system in the sport, it's also quite fair to wish for more than a couple of rentals who aren't guaranteed to be stars.

Frias and Ragsdale have also both been cooking this season at Low-A and Double-A respectively. Trading with a division rival can always come back to bite you, but we probably won't know for a couple of seasons whether this will be one of those deals for Milwaukee.