Brewers Swing Trade for Giants OF Luis Matos After Injuries to Stars

The Brewers lost two of their key starters to injuries this spring, so they opted to swing a trade...

Sep 12, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis Matos (29) during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers made a slew of moves over the offseason to bolster their future. They added a lot of prospect talent while cutting ties with players like Freddy Peralta, Caleb Durbin, and Isaac Collins.

But the Brewers' season didn't get off to a good start, as they were crushed with injury news for outfielder Jackson Chourio. He fractured his hand during the World Baseball Classic and has yet to play this season. He's still a good way away from returning, too.

Recently, the Brewers lost first baseman Andrew Vaughn to a broken hamate bone in his hand, which is going to keep him out for a little over a month, if not longer.

As a result, the Brewers recently made a move to bring in a right-handed hitter to bolster their big league club.

Brewers swing trade for Giants outfielder Luis Matos

Mar 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis Matos against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Monday, the Brewers announced they had acquired outfielder Luis Matos from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for cash. Shortly after the deal, Brewers reporter Adam McCalvy added some context and cited the aforementioned Vaughn and Chourio injuries as reasons why this trade makes plenty of sense for the Brewers, especially considering how affordable the deal was for Milwaukee.

"Matos is a right-handed hitter, no surprise after the Brewers lost Chourio and Vaughn to injuries," McCalvy wrote in a post to X after the deal. "No word in the Brewers’ announcement about when he is expected in Milwaukee."

Matos has struggled a bit during each of his first three years in the big leagues. But he's gotten a bit better, especially with his slugging, over time. He posted a career-best .691 OPS with a career-best 95 OPS+.

Matos doesn't swing and miss much. He has an issue with swinging at pitches out of the zone, though. But when he's swinging at the right pitches, he can make some solid contact. He's registered exit velocities over 110 miles per hour during his time in the big leagues, though his batting average and WAR might not suggest that kind of production.

Either way, this should be a solid addition. The Brewers needed a right-handed bat, and they were able to acquire one for cheap.

In the corresponding move, the Brewers designated Sammy Peralta for assignment.