The Milwaukee Brewers, who acquired catcher Bo Naylor and right-handed reliever Codi Heuer in a trade with the Guardians on Saturday morning, had a very quiet lead up to Monday’s trade deadline.
The prize of the trade deadline, left-hander Tarik Skubal, went to the mighty Dodgers on Saturday night as the rich got richer. Since that deal, rumors swirled that the Brewers would look to counter the move with some help of their own. It took almost all day, but the Brewers finally added a few reinforcements
right before the deadline. We’re here to grade those deals.
RHP Dustin May & LHP JoJo Romero for OF Josiah Ragsdale & OF Alexander Frias
The first deal of the day came just after 2 p.m. CT, as the Brewers made an intra-division trade with the rival Cardinals. In the deal, right-handed starter Dustin May and left-handed reliever JoJo Romero joined Milwaukee, with outfield prospects Josiah Ragsdale and Alexander Frias heading to St. Louis in the return.
May, who turns 29 next month, has shown flashes of his potential throughout his career. After being drafted in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Dodgers, he entered 2019 as the team’s No. 3 prospect (MLB No. 69) before debuting later that year. He got off to a solid start but immediately dealt with injuries — between 2019 and 2023 (five seasons), he made just 46 appearances (34 starts) with a 3.10 ERA, 3.76 FIP, and 174 strikeouts across 191 2/3 innings.
May then missed all of 2024 due to a pair of injuries, including this wild story where a bite of salad nearly killed him. He made his return with the Dodgers last year and struggled to a 4.85 ERA and 4.74 FIP over 104 innings before being shipped to Boston at the trade deadline, where he struggled even more with a 5.40 ERA and 5.39 FIP over 28 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals took a chance on him with a $12 million free agent deal this offseason, with a $20 million mutual option ($500,000 buyout) for 2027. This year, he’s made 21 starts, closing in on his career-high of 25 appearances (23 starts) last year. He has a 4.38 ERA, 3.14 FIP, and 106 strikeouts over 109 innings this year, with a few stellar starts in there, including a complete game shutout against the Padres and a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against Milwaukee back in May.
Romero, who turns 30 next month, was taken in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Phillies. He debuted with Philadelphia in 2020 and made 25 appearances with them across three seasons before being traded to the Cardinals at the 2022 trade deadline. Over the last five years, he’s made 216 appearances out of St. Louis’ bullpen, pitching to a 3.07 ERA, 3.60 FIP, and 207 strikeouts over 214 innings. That includes 43 innings this year, with a 3.35 ERA, 4.00 FIP, and 43 strikeouts, though he’s currently on the IL after undergoing an emergency appendectomy in mid-July. He’s expected to return around mid-August.
Going the other way, the Brewers sent a pair of up-and-coming outfield prospects in Ragsdale and Frias. Ragsdale, 22, ranked as Milwaukee’s No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline, hit .316/.441/.581 with 19 homers, 21 doubles, two triples, and 31 steals across 86 games between High-A and Double-A after being drafted in the seventh round a year ago.
Frias, 18, was an international signee out of the Dominican Republic in January 2025. After hitting .441/.518/.678 over 32 games in Rookie ball to begin this season, he was called up to Low-A, where he’s hit .236/.328/.418 with four homers, four doubles, two triples, 28 RBIs, and seven steals in 28 games.
Given the stage of development on both players, it’s clear this is a high risk/high reward trade for Milwaukee. While the jury is still out, I fear that one of those two (more likely Frias) could turn out to be a steal for St. Louis.
Brewers Trade Grade: C+
RHP Antonio Senzatela for LHP Mark Manfredi & SS Juan Martinez
In the Brewers only other deal of the day, the team acquired right-handed pitcher Antonio Senzatela in exchange for left-handed pitcher Mark Manfredi and shortstop Juan Martinez.
Senzatela, 31, has spent all 10 years of his career to this point in Colorado, a notoriously bad place to pitch. It shows in his stats, too, as he has a career ERA of 5.09, a 4.55 FIP, and 577 strikeouts over 874 1/3 innings. He agreed to a five-year, $50.5 million deal that kept him signed through 2026, with a 2027 team option for $14 million (no buyout).
Despite his rough career numbers, he’s had a bit of a renaissance in 2026, as the Rockies moved him to the bullpen full time. Over 34 appearances this year, Senzatela is 9-2 with a 3.61 ERA, 3.36 FIP, and 46 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings, also picking up the first three saves of his career.
To get Senzatela, the Brewers had to give up a pair of lower-level prospects in Manfredi and Martinez.
Manfredi, who our own Dave Gasper had ranked as his No. 39 prospect in the system back in June, was a ninth-round pick by Milwaukee in 2023 out of Dayton. He turned 26 last offseason, and he’s slowly but surely moved up through the ranks, reaching Triple-A for the first time this year. He’s worked purely as a reliever over the last two seasons, making 34 appearances this year between Double-A and Triple-A with a 3.35 ERA and 68 strikeouts across 45 2/3 innings.
Martinez, 19, was an international signee out of Venezuela and spent all of 2024 and 2025 at Rookie ball before being promoted to Low-A Wilson earlier this year. In 18 games with the Warbirds, he hit .209/.321/.269 with a homer, a double, six RBIs, seven runs, and six steals. He also appeared in 40 games with the Arizona Complex League Brewers earlier this season, where he mashed with a .356/.476/.598 line with six homers, 12 doubles, a triple, and 21 steals.
Given that neither Manfredi or Martinez seems like a super flashy prospect at this point in their development, I think this is a relatively safe trade, especially if Senzatela is able to pitch as well as he has thus far in 2026.
Brewers Trade Grade: B+
Do you think the trade deadline moved the needle for the Brewers? Were you waiting for them to make a splashy move? What do you think Milwaukee’s World Series odds (currently set at +850 by FanDuel) are? Weigh in below.
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