MILWAUKEE (AP) 鈥� The Milwaukee Brewers had their sights set on acquiring a top-tier pitcher before 鈥� namely Tarik Skubal 鈥� but had to shift gears when the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner
Instead, the Brewers, who entered Monday tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the major leagues, settled for veteran starter Dustin May, who was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals shortly before the deadline.
Milwaukee also got left-handed reliever JoJo Romero in the deal. In exchange, the Brewers sent minor league outfielders Alexander Fr铆as and Josiah Ragsdale to the Cardinals.
The NL Central leaders bolstered their bullpen further by obtaining reliever Antonio Senzatela from the Colorado Rockies for left-hander Mark Manfredi, who has split time between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville, and infielder Juan Mart铆nez, who has played with the Rookie ACL Brewers and Class A Wilson this season.
鈥淭he fans have every right to have any opinion they want about what we should or shouldn鈥檛 do,鈥� Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said before Monday night鈥檚 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 鈥淏ut nobody wants to win more than the guys in that (clubhouse).鈥�
Murphy called prospects in the Brewers’ highly touted minor league system the 鈥渓ifeblood of an organization like ours.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e all working in a framework that has to make sense, so it鈥檚 hard to make trades,鈥� he said.
General manager Matt Arnold said the Brewers 鈥渨ere in on a lot of things鈥� as the deadline approached.
鈥淭here鈥檚 certainly some things where you come up short, and you鈥檝e just got to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and try to do what you can to get the next thing,鈥� Arnold said. 鈥淎nd ultimately, we were able to accomplish a lot over the last 48 hours that really helped the team.鈥�
Arnold declined to discuss the Brewers’ failed effort to swing a deal for Skubal, who landed with the team that swept the Brewers in last season鈥檚 National League Championship Series.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to talk about specific guys,鈥� Arnold said. 鈥淥bviously, we were in a lot of different things, and like I said, if you鈥檙e able to access what you can, you get it, and if not, you move on.鈥�
The speculation on social media, the news media and elsewhere as the trade deadline approached has had a negative impact on his team, Murphy said.
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 aware of everything. Everybody hears names and all that kind of stuff,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檝e got to go play baseball, and this has affected us. That鈥檚 the reality. And I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 healthy. We can鈥檛 try to pretend it鈥檚 not there. Can鈥檛 lie to the players.鈥�
The Brewers’ acquisitions will 鈥渉elp make us a bit stronger,鈥� Murphy said, noting that the team鈥檚 pitching staff has been riddled with injuries.
Arnold expressed confidence that May, Romero and Senzatela, who were expected to arrive in Milwaukee late Monday or early Tuesday, will serve key roles as the Brewers look to reach the World Series for the first time since 1982.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e tough and they鈥檙e experienced. They鈥檙e going to fit in really well,鈥� Arnold said.
May, 28, went 5-7 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 starts for the Cardinals this season. He had 106 strikeouts in 109 innings. On May 27, May carried a no-hitter into the eighth at Milwaukee but ended up taking the loss as the Brewers rallied for a 2-1 win.
Over his eight-year major league career, he is 24-27 with a 3.99 ERA in 92 games (78 starts) with the Dodgers, Red Sox and Cardinals. May missed the 2024 season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and an esophageal tear. He has a mutual option for the 2027 season.
Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison, a first-half standout who landed on the injured list July 11 with tightness in his pitching arm but is expected to return soon, overlapped with May in Boston and called him 鈥渁 great guy with great stuff.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 just wicked sweepers, wicked sinker, changeups that fall off the table,鈥� Harrison said. 鈥淗is stuff is nasty.鈥�
Romero, 29, was 1-3 with a 3.35 ERA in 44 relief appearances for the Cardinals this season. He is currently on the 15-day injured list recovering from an appendectomy. Romero has 43 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched and has stranded 20 of 28 inherited runners. He can become a free agent after the season.
Senzatela, 31, had spent his entire 10-year career with the Rockies, appearing in 212 games (145 starts). He has pitched exclusively in relief this season, going 9-2 with a 3.61 ERA and three saves in 34 appearances.
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