The Brewers Are Apparently Interested in Dallas Keuchel, But Doesn’t a Trade Make More Sense?

Despite their obvious success last season, the Milwaukee Brewers were far from a perfect team. Although the lineup and bullpen were quite strong, on paper, it just felt like they won as often as they did despite their starting rotation and not because of it.

The Brewers pitching got by largely on the strength of an extremely impressive bullpen and some unexpectedly solid performances from guys like Gio Gonzalez (5 starts, 2.13 ERA) and Wade Miley (16 starts, 2.57 ERA). Both are free agents at the moment and are not necessarily locks to return (even if they did come back, I’d bet heavily against a repeat of their 2018 numbers). And, sure, the bullpen still looks like a strength next season, but every long-time baseball fan knows better than to trust a bullpen from year-to-year. And, sure, the Brewers expect to get back Jimmy Nelson at some point this year, but he’s coming off an entirely missed season due to a shoulder injury, and before that, he had just one above-average season in his career.

Right now, the Brewers’ rotation projects to go Jhoulys Chacin, Chase Anderson, Zach Davis, and then some combination of Nelson, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes, and Brent Suter.

So I think it’s pretty safe to assume the Brewers will be looking to add a starter or two this winter. But who?

Before today, the majority of Milwaukee’s biggest offseason rumors came in the form of trade – first there was Madison Bumgarner, then Noah Syndergaard, Trevor Bauer or Corey Kluber, Zack Greinke, and even Sonny Gray. Every time we looked up, it seemed, the Brewers were connected to another big-time starting pitcher – at least, tangentially. Of course, limiting themselves to the trade market wasn’t much of a surprise. The Brewers, usually a low-payroll team, spent a lot of money last winter and didn’t figure to have much financial flexibility thanks to a large number of raises this year.

But maybe that’s no longer the case.

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Milwaukee Brewers are among the teams interested in the top remaining free agent starting pitcher, Dallas Keuchel. They aren’t mentioned alone, of course, as the Angels, Phillies, and Rangers are included among his suitors, but this is a pretty notable development. Keuchel, 30, was ranked as the fourth best free agent – overall – this winter, and the second best starter available behind Patrick Corbin.

Keuchel, 31 next month, finished the 2018 season with a 3.74 ERA (29th), 3.6 WAR (19th), and 204.2 innings pitched (7th). Maybe leaving the pitching gurus of Houston will hurt him more than we anticipate, but make no mistake, he’s a highly-coveted starter who has long succeeded without elite velocity. If the Brewers were able to land him, that would be quite the win.

That said, I’m not quite sure they’ll do it. Although they’ve cut their payroll a bit this winter, the Brewers are extremely unlikely to drop the $80-$100M necessary to land Keuchel without making serious budget cuts elsewhere (which is never easy to do (ask the Cubs)). They’re already going to be rocking one of their largest ever payrolls and they have more needs than just one starter. They’d have to get very creative to add Keuchel, and no matter how hard you want it, that’s just not always possible. But, hey: they’re staying in touch for a reason. This late into the winter from a source as typically solid as Cafardo is not nothing, so keep an eye out for them as a dark horse.

But in the meantime, I’d be more inclined to expect them to land an established starter, one who might fit into their budget a little better, via trade. There are a ton of options out there and the Brewers have the farm system and young players to land almost any of them.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Brett Taylor contributed to this post.

written by

Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

more cubs news

WAKE UP, BASEBALL IS BACK

The day has arrived. Opening Day. The most glorious day on the baseball calendar, save for the day of each Chicago Cubs World Series win, of course. See, I get to say things like that on Opening Day. Maybe the...

Wrigley Field is Gonna Be Lit This Year (As in New Colored Lights!)

Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...

The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

Why Craig Counsell Wanted Miles Mastrobuoni on the Cubs’ Bench

I don't know why Miles Mastrobuoni bugs some folks, but it's probably heavily-weighted toward his small-sample, bad-batted-ball-luck start last year, and that time he didn't dive while playing in right field. It can be hard to shake initial impressions, I...

Kinda Sounds Like Craig Counsell May Have a Set Top Three in the Batting Order

New Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has said, generally, his batting order philosophy is the very simplistic (and very correct): just get your best hitters the most at bats. Sure, there's some play in that to set up good match-ups,...

Los Angeles Dodgers Signing Will Smith to a TEN-YEAR Extension

The Los Angeles Dodgers have done it again. And by it, I mean they have signed a funkily-structured contract that is going to leave some folks annoyed. The Dodgers are extending catcher Will Smith on a DECADE-long deal with a...

The Stretch: 2024 MLB Season Preview

On Monday, during a team-building conversation with some of the Bleacher Nation and Betsperts Media Group folks, we discussed sports—shocking, I know—and Brian Twining asked the group what their favorite sport was. For me, it's baseball. There's no debate. I...

We Have to Talk About Some of the “Deals” the Cubs Sat Out in Free Agency

This week, in a conversation with Jon Greenberg at The Athletic, Cubs President Jed Hoyer made an honest and sober (but also moderately disappointing) admission about the 2024 Chicago Cubs: "We need to perform probably at or a little bit...

The Chicago Cubs Are Reportedly Now Worth Over $5 Billion

Given all the tumult in the baseball broadcasting world, and the uncertain future for that portion of revenues, you'd be forgiven for expecting that MLB franchise valuations would slow their recent surge. But, according to Sportico at least, you'd be...

Reds Second Baseman Matt McLain Had Shoulder Surgery

The injury to Matt McLain's shoulder issue obviously wound up being worse than he and the Cincinnati Reds had been hoping. The damage to his left (non-throwing) labrum ultimately required surgery: https://twitter.com/m_sheldon/status/1772993402604339478 When the hope is that a guy can...

Latest News

WAKE UP, BASEBALL IS BACK

The day has arrived. Opening Day. The most glorious day on the baseball calendar, save for the day of each Chicago Cubs World Series win, of course. See, I get to say things like that on Opening Day. Maybe the...

Pac-12 Basketball Predictions, Computer Picks and Best Bets | March 28

There is one game featuring a Pac-12 teams on the Thursday postseason college basketball schedule, the Clemson Tigers versus the Arizona Wildcats. Make sure you check out below for today's best bets!How to Bet on Pac-12 Games[lasso rel="draftkings-promo-1" id="299003"]Best Pac-12...

Rays vs. Blue Jays Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Tampa Bay Rays look to start their season with a win as home favorites (-135) in a season-opening matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays. First pitch is on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on MLB Network, live from Tropicana...

Astros vs. Yankees Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Houston Astros look to start their season with a win as home favorites (-156) in a season-opening matchup with the New York Yankees. First pitch is on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on YES, live from Minute Maid Park.Houston's...

Tigers vs. White Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Detroit Tigers begin their season as -181 favorites in a road tilt against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET, live on BSDET.Tarik Skubal starts for Detroit while Garrett Crochet is Chicago's starter for the contest.Tigers...

Reds vs. Nationals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Cincinnati Reds begin their season as -154 favorites in a home tilt against the Washington Nationals on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET, live on MASN2.Cincinnati's Frankie Montas gets the start, and he'll go against Washington's Josiah Gray.Reds vs. Nationals...

Dodgers vs. Cardinals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Los Angeles Dodgers (1-1) will look to Will Smith, red hot after a four-hit game, to lead them in a matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals (0-0) on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on BSMW. The Dodgers are -232...

Marlins vs. Pirates Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Miami Marlins look to start their season with a win as home favorites (-133) in a season-opening matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates. First pitch is on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on Sportsnet PT, live from LoanDepot park.Miami's Jesus...

Padres vs. Giants Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The San Francisco Giants (0-0) are the underdogs on the moneyline (-106) in Thursday's contest against the San Diego Padres (1-1). Game time is set for 4:10 PM ET on NBCS-BA. The Giants are favored against the spread in this...

Twins vs. Royals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Minnesota Twins look to start their season with a win as road favorites (-122) in a season-opening matchup with the Kansas City Royals. First pitch is on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on BSN, live from Kauffman Stadium.Pablo Lopez...

more cubs news