Brewers Hidden Gem From Red Sox Trade Gains Ground in Roster Battle

Every piece of that trade mattered...

Feb 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

How many members of their eventual opening day roster did the Milwaukee Brewers acquire in a single trade with the Boston Red Sox?

Infielder David Hamilton seems a safe bet to make the team as a bench infielder. Lefty Kyle Harrison looked great in his Tuesday outing and could definitely crack the rotation. But could fellow southpaw Shane Drohan do the improbable and make it a clean 3-for-3?

At age 27, Drohan has yet to debut in the majors, though he had a dominant season at Triple-A Worcester last year. But that debut won't be long, and perhaps it won't take a day past the Brewers' season opener, if he keeps performing like he has thus far in the spring.

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Drohan puts up another excellent spring outing

On Wednesday, Drohan pitched three innings against the Chicago Cubs out of the bullpen, and he was electric. He struck out four batters, walked one, and allowed one hit.

The more you look into the data, the more Drohan's outing looked positively filthy -- which could be the norm moving forward. He racked up a preposterous 11 whiffs on 27 swings by Cubs batters, including six on his four-seam fastball and four on his slider.

In fairness, the Cubs mostly had backups in the game by the time Drohan took the mound. But he's also now a perfect 2-for-2 on the spring, having pitched five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in total.

If Drohan were to be considered for the major league roster on opening day, it would likely be as a reliever. And the competition to join the Brewers bullpen, especially as a left-hander, is incredibly fierce.

Jared Koenig, Angel Zerpa, and Aaron Ashby have their spots all but locked up, so Drohan would have to beat out the likes of Rob Zastryzny and DL Hall to become the fourth southpaw in the pen. He was built up as a starter last year, and that may still be Milwaukee's preference to begin this year.

But if he continues to state his case as loudly as he did on Wednesday, the Brewers will have to at least consider bringing Drohan up to Milwaukee for the March 26 season opener.