1 Starter, 1 Bat & 1 Bullpen Arm for Brewers to Target at Trade Deadline

Brewers starting pitching trade target: Chad Kuhl, SP, Colorado Rockies

As I mentioned initially, as good as the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation has been, looking for upgrades wouldn’t be such a bad idea–especially given the unpredictability that comes with their offense.

As they have all season, the Brewers will need to continue to lean on their starting rotation quite heavily. Chi Chi Gonzalez would likely be more effective out of the bullpen, and while Jason Alexander found success, the underlying numbers show that it isn’t sustainable. Meanwhile, Adrian Houser has taken his lumps this season.

Enter Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chad Kuhl, who is currently playing out a one-year deal worth $3 million–a very affordable contract for Milwaukee to absorb.

In 87.1 innings that have spanned 16 starts this season, Kuhl has posted a 4.02 ERA and a 1.351 WHIP–neither of which really stand out. His strikeout rate of 16.9% and walk rate of 8.9% don’t leap off the page either.

With that said, Kuhl has averaged around a 22% strikeout rate the previous three seasons, which could mean he is in store for a bump in that regard, as water often finds its level. His walk rate is also the lowest it’s been since 2018, and Kuhl has done a good job of keeping the ball in the yard.

If there is a concern, several of Kuhl’s advanced numbers, such as hard-hit rate, average exit velocity, and whiff percentage, are all below league average, according to Baseball Savant. So perhaps some regression is on its way.

However, even with that being the case, Kuhl very well may end up being one of the better starting pitchers available at this year’s deadline. For what it’s worth, he is the 17th-ranked trade candidate by MLB Trade Rumors.

All stats via Baseball Reference, Baseball Savant, and Fangraphs.