Where Brewers Stand As Trade Buzz Starts to Dominate MLB Headlines

The Milwaukee Brewers are clearly a team that can make a run this season. Or, at least, are a threat to do so.

Right now, Milwaukee has the third-best record in baseball at 45-27. The Brewers are just 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball and are a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves for the second-best record in baseball. The craziest part about this is the fact that there was a time earlier in the season in which Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, and Andrew Vaughn were all out at the same time. The pitching carried the load at that point. Right now, Brandon Woodruff, Logan Henderson, Quinn Priester, Coleman Crow and DL Hall are all on the Injured List right now at the same time. The offense is carrying the load right now.

Plus, Woodruff is just about to return. Milwaukee isn't even close to full strength. It will get even better.

The Brewers Need To Get Aggressive This Season

Matt Arnold, Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations and general manager, speaks with reporters Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the Brewers keep playing as they have recently, they should catch Los Angeles soon, especially with Woodruff coming back. Then, the Brewers need to take a serious look at the trade market because you're not going to have many seasons with as much promise as this one for Milwaukee. This team is significantly ahead of last year's team at this point in the season. The Brewers were four games above .500 last year after 72 games (38-34). Right now, the Brewers are 18 games above .500 at 45-27. Last year's team set the franchise record for wins in a season with 97. This team is worth investing in and The Athletic's Tim Britton, Johnny Flores Jr. and Eno Sarris made the case that Milwaukee is the team most in need of a reliever.

"Relief pitchers," Britton, Flores, and Sarris wrote. "No. 1. Milwaukee Brewers. Amid a rash of injuries, the Brewers on June 6 swung a trade for Joel Kuhnel, a journeyman reliever who’d previously been with Milwaukee twice in 2024 but never appeared in a game. His addition from the Athletics was merely a Band-Aid on a growing problem.

"As it stands, DL Hall is on the IL with a left pec strain, while Rob Zastryzny (left trap strain) and Jared Koenig (left UCL strain) continue to work back from injuries. Offseason acquisition Angel Zerpa pitched in 12 games before season-ending Tommy John surgery. Aaron Ashby, who became the first pitcher to 10 wins this season, is up to 44 innings pitched."

They shared a column pinpointing which teams around the league need which position groups. For the bullpen, the Brewers came in at No. 1 and they were right. This isn't the first time the bullpen has been talked about in this way this week. It's time for Milwaukee to start looking around.

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