Brewers' Matt Arnold Gives Ringing Endorsement for Kyle Harrison

Here is what led to the trade.

May 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are once again looking like the team to beat in the National League Central. They traded Freddy Peralta and Caleb Durbin in the offseason, but brought back some very solid pieces in exchange.

In the Durbin trade, they brought in left-hander Kyle Harrison, who is off to a red-hot start this season. The 24-year-old has made 10 starts and is 6-1 with a 1.57 ERA and 2.3 WAR over 51 2/3 innings of work with 61 strikeouts.

He pitched six shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. Earlier this week, general manager and president of baseball operations Matt Arnold discussed what Harrison has brought to the table and what led to the trade with the Boston Red Sox.

"Kyle's been a guy who has been on our radar for a while. He's a really talented played and a humble kid that works hard," Arnold said. "One of the things when I first talked to him when we got him, he was just looking for a chance and to his credit, he ran through the door, guns blazing. He's quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball honestly, and that's just a huge credit to him."

Kyle Harrison receives praise from Matt Arnold

May 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Harrison trade has worked out in favor of the Brewers thus far, and he even has a lower ERA than his Brewers' teammate Jacob Misiorowski, so he could very well receive some consideration for the National League Cy Young award.

As long as he can stay healthy, he has a chance to be one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball. The Brewers have gotten a little bit of everything out of him so far this year, so the trade has worked out quite well for them.

If he was on their radar for so long, then it was only a matter of time before the Brewers found something they liked in him and were able to make their vision for him a reality. There is a lot of upside with the young left-hander.

He was part of the Rafael Devers trade last summer, but the Brewers saw something they liked and ended up getting some very solid pitching depth along with him in the trade with Boston. It will be interesting to see how he performs the rest of the season and if he can ultimately stay healthy and remain a force in the rotation.