The biggest obstacle in the Milwaukee Brewers' journey to their first World Series championship was the LA Dodgers. Ahead of the trade deadline in early August, Milwaukee negotiated with the Detroit Tigers targeting two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal (29), but suffered the disappointment of having him taken by the Dodgers.
According to a behind-the-scenes account of Milwaukee's championship run reported by The Athletic on the 29th (Korean time), they were close to acquiring Skubal last summer. Needing a bold move to win the World Series, Milwaukee targeted the "pre-free agent" Skubal on the trade market and offered three prospects: infielder Luis Peña, utility player Zett Williams and outfielder Josh Adamcheski.
Detroit wanted a hitting prospect along with a young starting pitcher. But Milwaukee, choosing to keep second-year emerging prospect Logan Henderson, offered three hitting prospects to persuade Detroit. The Dodgers quickly exploited that opening. Detroit made the Skubal trade happen by giving up pitching prospects River Ryan and Brad Smith plus top outfield prospect Javier Hooper to the Dodgers.
After Skubal's move to the Dodgers became known, there was a sense of disappointment inside Milwaukee. Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers recalled, "There was a lot of expectation in the clubhouse that Skubal would come to Milwaukee." Players had been hearing trade rumors and had hoped for Skubal to join Milwaukee, so the disappointment was considerable.
They couldn't let that mood linger. Brewers manager Pat Murphy called a team meeting. According to players' memories at the time, Murphy told them, "We are enough. The players in this room are enough. We don't need anyone else," calming the players' disappointment.
Although they failed to acquire Skubal, Milwaukee continued its surge without wavering. In mid-August they took three of four games on a road trip to Los Angeles, building momentum. In particular, in the final game of the series, the young pitcher Henderson, whom Milwaukee had kept instead of trading, earned the win with seven innings and one run allowed, defeating Skubal, who went six innings and allowed two runs, in a starting pitching matchup.
Finishing the regular season with the best record among the 30 teams (103-59, .636), Milwaukee thoroughly dismantled the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). They avenged last year's four-game sweep loss in the NLCS by sweeping 4-0 and advanced to the World Series for the first time in 44 years. In game 1, they beat Dodgers starter Skubal, handing him the loss (5 innings, 2 runs), easing the regret over the failed trade.
Riding that momentum, they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in the World Series and savored the joy of reaching the top for the first time in their 58th season since their founding in 1969. As Murphy said, it was a championship achieved with the existing players without Skubal.
Murphy said, "I don't remember if I said that. That doesn't mean I didn't say it," and late in the process he admitted his feelings at the time of the failed trade, saying, "I would have liked to have gotten Skubal." Murphy, too, was disappointed, but he concealed it and delivered a strong message to the players, producing the result of a first championship.
Although they missed out on Skubal, Milwaukee acquired two pitchers on the trade deadline. They brought in starter Dustin May and reliever JoJo Romero from the St. Louis Cardinals. Matt Arnold, Milwaukee's senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager (Director General), said, "Scott Harris, Detroit's president, told me by phone that he would not send Skubal to Milwaukee. I really appreciated his honesty."
Thanks to Detroit's consideration, Milwaukee quickly executed plan B and bolstered the mound. May, who split time between starting and long relief and posted a 5.73 ERA in five postseason appearances (two starts, 11 innings), experienced the joy of a second World Series championship since his 2020 Dodgers days. Romero pitched well in seven postseason games (8 innings), going 2-1 with a 1.13 ERA, reinforcing Milwaukee's bullpen and helping secure the title.
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