Brewers Were Crushed for Not Landing Tarik Skubal, But They Were Right

The Milwaukee Brewers showed interest ahead of the trade deadline in one of the very best pitchers in Major League Baseball.

That was, of course, two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

Rumors and speculation swirled for months about the possibility of Milwaukee pursuing Skubal to try to give the rotation one more elite arm for the playoff push. Typically, you don't see the Brewers go out and try to make a splash as big as Skubal, but they did try.

Milwaukee arguably made a better offer than the Los Angeles Dodgers did, but the Detroit Tigers opted to take Los Angeles' offer. Despite this, the Brewers were flamed across social media and across the baseball world for not landing Skubal. But they did try and arguably were smart for not going further than they did.

The Brewers had No. 2 overall prospect Luis Peña on the table, but Milwaukee did have four untouchables in trade talks, including Logan Henderson. That seemingly was the stickler in the Skubal talks. Instead, the Brewers landed Dustin May and JoJo Romero from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for outfielder prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale. The Brewers gave up two very intriguing prospects, but they didn't have to touch the top of their farm system and got a legit starter and a much-needed lefty reliever.

The Brewers Did The Right Thing

Aug 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) sits in the dugout at the end of the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While it has been a small sample size, May has actually been better than Skubal so far since the trade deadline as well.

May has made two starts for Milwaukee and he has a 2.08 ERA and an 11-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 13 innings pitched. May has allowed just three earned runs as a member of the Brewers so far.

In comparison, Skubal has a 4.09 ERA and a 12-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 innings pitched in two starts for the Dodgers. Skubal has allowed five runs and two home runs as a member of the Dodgers so far,

The true test for Milwaukee is going to be on Sunday. Milwaukee will face off against Skubal in the club's series finale against Los Angeles. Milwaukee will send Henderson to the mound to face off against the superstar the Brewers didn't want to trade him for.

Again, this is a small sample size, obviously. But it goes to show how good May has been for the Brewers so far. Plus, the Brewers didn't have to mortgage the future to bring him to town, which would've been the case if they acquired Skubal. Peña has been tearing it up for Milwaukee down in the minors. The Brewers got a key piece and kept a star in the making. What else could you ask for?

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