Brewers GM Matt Arnold Working The Phones As The Trade Deadline Nears

It’s been a hectic few weeks for Matt Arnold and the next few days figure to be even more so for the Milwaukee Brewers’ general manager.

Not even two weeks removed from selecting nearly two dozen players in the 2024 MLB Draft, Arnold and his staff have been working to sign as many of those players as possible to professional contracts before an Aug. 1 deadline while also scouring the rosters of the 29 other major-league teams — and their farm systems — in the hopes of upgrading his own roster before the July 30 trade Deadline.

Add in to the mix a non-stop flurry of roster moves made necessary by a constant onslaught of injuries — including the recent decision to place All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich on the IL with back issues — well, hasn’t had much in terms of free time … or sleep.

But baseball, like life itself, goes on and so, too, does Arnold who continues to look for ways to not just solidify the Brewers’ lead over the rest of the National League Central Division and propel them into the postseason for the the sixth time in seven seasons, but also find a way to get the team out of the first round for the first time since 2018 and ultimately, to a World Series for the first time since 1982.

It only it were that simple, of course.

While the Brewers have no shortage of prospect capital to go out and acquire the kind of help that could push the team to the aforementioned level, the type of help Milwaukee and every other contender seeks this time of the year isn’t plentiful and the market is even further diminished by the number of teams still within striking distance of their own postseason berths.

Going into the weekend, there were five American League teams and six NL squads all within 5 1/2 games of a postseason berth. Combine those 11 teams with the six division leaders and six teams currently in playoff position and that leaves just seven teams in the definitive “seller” category.

The limited inventory could lead to a different type of trade than the ones typically seen this time of year. Instead of teams dealing veterans for handfuls of prospects and young talent, Arnold thinks there might be more of a market for needs-based deals as contenders use their depth to address potential weaknesses.

Though Yelich’s injury has changed the paradigm a bit, the Brewers have a bumper crop of talented, young outfielders — all under team control — that would no doubt be attractive for teams looking for some offensive punch down the stretch.

“I think there are a lot of teams right now we’ve had a lot of different conversations (with), sort of need for need, surplus for surplus type of deals that could help teams in contention,” he said.

In any other season, Willy Adames would be exactly the kind of player the Brewers move at the deadline: a talented veteran having a great season but about to command a massive payday when he hits free agency this winter.

And while Milwaukee already has a highly-touted replacement in rookie Joey Ortiz, Adames’ value in the clubhouse has been just as critical to the team’s success as his .249/.336/.434 slash line, 16 home runs and .770 OPS.

Arnold saw first-hand how the trade of Josh Hader at the 2022 deadline impacted clubhouse chemistry. Whether or not that now-infamous deal is the reason the Brewers slipped out of contention and missed the playoffs that season can be debated to no end but Arnold doesn’t seem inclined to take any chances this time around.

“He’s the heartbeat of this team,” Arnold said. “He plays every day. His energy is something that we couldn’t replace.”

That doesn’t mean that teams aren’t still trying to pry him away and it doesn’t mean Arnold won’t at least listen.

“With Willy, look, you can never shut the door on anything, like we’ve talked about for years,” Arnold said. “I think it’s highly unlikely we would move Willy at the deadline here, just given how much he means to our team.”

Pitching is atop Arnold’s Deadline wish list. Ideally, adding a front-line starter would go a long way to stabilize a rotation that has been patchwork at best so far this season but with those types of pitchers hard to come by and usually come with a pretty hefty price tag.

Arnold said while the organization is willing to deal from its stockpile of young, developing talent in order to potentially land the type of pitcher — or any player — who could be the difference in a championship season, it has to be a deal that helps now while not harming the chances of success down the road.

“We’re certainly proud of the stockpile of prospects that we have,” Arnold said when asked about their involvement at the top of the pitching market. “I think we also need those guys to sustain success here. We’re not opposed to shopping in that big aisle for somebody that can help us. We just want to do that responsibility.”

Even if Arnold isn’t able to swing a major deal in the next few days, the Brewers stand to bolster their roster with internal additions as a handful of their injured players return from the injured list.

Topping that list is All-Star closer Devin Williams, who’s yet to pitch this season after undergoing surgery to repair stress fractures in his back during spring training but has been dominant during a recent minor league rehab assignment and might only be “a few day” from making his 2024 debut.

Williams alone is the kind of deadline addition teams dream of making, let alone doing so without having to give up anything in return.

Milwaukee also stands to get back lefty DL Hall, one of the two players acquired in the January deal that sent Corbin Burnes to Baltimore. Hall began the season as a starter but could serve in a type of “flex” role down the stretch, similar to the way the Brewers used Hader and Burnes during their run to the NLCS in 2018.

Starter Joe Ross is working his way back from injury too as is reliever J.B. Bukaskaus.

And on top of all that, there’s still hope that Yelich might be able to recover from his back injury enough to lead Milwaukee through its final month and deep into October.

“He is in a really good spot mentally,” Arnold said. “His head and his heart are in the right place. He wants to help this team; it’s just whether his body responds. I think he wants to do everything he can to help the team this year, and that’s what he’s focused on. Certainly, there’s a lot of unknowns with what’s ahead for him.

“But he’s going to work really hard to be back and help us this year.”