Brewers' Rotation Could Be Even Better By Signing 8-Year Veteran

If the Milwaukee Brewers were to enter the 2026 season with the roster as it stands right now, they should be considered the favorite in the National League Central once again.

Milwaukee is loaded with cost-controlled, young talent and fortunately kept Brandon Woodruff around this offseason by way of the qualifying offer. The organization still has Freddy Peralta as well, although trade rumors have been swirling. If the season kicked off today, the rotation would feature Peralta, Woodruff, Quinn Priester, and Jacob Misiorowski and then there's room for another young guy, like Chad Patrick, Tobias Myers, or Logan Henderson.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

That's a very good rotation on paper. If the club wants to make another move this offseason, it could make sense to bring a veteran hurler to town for depth purposes. If Peralta were to get traded, the idea of adding a hurler would go from a "Nice to have" to a "Need to have."

The Brewers should add another hurler

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Zack Littell (52) circles back to the mound between pitches in the third inning of the MLB National League Wild Card Game 2 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The Reds were eliminated from the postseason with an 8-4 loss to the reining World Series Champions La Dodgers. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Monday, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter dropped a column highlighting "logical" hypothetical fits for each team. For the Brewers, Reuter floated eight-year veteran Zack Littell and it's the exact type of move the team should consider.

"Milwaukee Brewers: Starting Rotation," Reuter wrote. "For now, the Brewers rotation is in good shape with Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick and Quinn Priester as the projected staff, but that could quickly change if a long-rumored Peralta trade comes to fruition. A swingman who can fill a hybrid role as a multi-inning bullpen option or rotation piece would be the ideal target, with Zack Littell, Nick Martinez, Walker Buehler and Jakob Junis among the available arms who fit the mold. Logical Target: RHP Zack Littell."

The righty is 30 years old and has gone under the radar this winter so far despite a very solid 2025 season. He made 32 starts overall with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds and had a 3.81 ERA. In 2024, he had a 3.63 ERA in 29 starts for Tampa Bay. Overall, he has a 3.88 career ERA in eight seasons.

He's been a journeyman throughout his career and has spent time with the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Rays, and Reds.

Spotrac currently has Littell's projected market value at just over $38 million across three years. That's likely a bit steep at this point, but the longer he remains on the open market, the more intriguing he becomes.

More MLB: Brewers Skipper Sends Joey Ortiz Message Entering Make-Or-Break Season