After failing to land Tarik Skubal, Brewers get Dustin May and 2 relievers in trade-deadline deals

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers had their sights set on acquiring a top-tier pitcher before the trade deadline — namely Tarik Skubal — but had to shift gears when the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner ended up with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Instead, the Brewers, who entered Monday tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the major leagues, settled for veteran starter Dustin May, who was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals shortly before the deadline.

Milwaukee also got left-handed reliever JoJo Romero in the deal. In exchange, the Brewers sent minor league outfielders Alexander Frías and Josiah Ragsdale to the Cardinals.

The NL Central leaders bolstered their bullpen further by obtaining reliever Antonio Senzatela from the Colorado Rockies for left-hander Mark Manfredi, who has split time between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville, and infielder Juan Martínez, who has played with the Rookie ACL Brewers and Class A Wilson this season.

“The fans have every right to have any opinion they want about what we should or shouldn’t do,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said before Monday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. “But nobody wants to win more than the guys in that (clubhouse).”

Murphy called prospects in the Brewers' highly touted minor league system the “lifeblood of an organization like ours.”

“We’re all working in a framework that has to make sense, so it’s hard to make trades,” he said.

General manager Matt Arnold said the Brewers “were in on a lot of things” as the deadline approached.

“There’s certainly some things where you come up short, and you’ve just got to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and try to do what you can to get the next thing,” Arnold said. “And ultimately, we were able to accomplish a lot over the last 48 hours that really helped the team.”

Arnold declined to discuss the Brewers' failed effort to swing a deal for Skubal, who landed with the team that swept the Brewers in last season’s National League Championship Series.

“I’m not going to talk about specific guys,” Arnold said. “Obviously, we were in a lot of different things, and like I said, if you’re able to access what you can, you get it, and if not, you move on.”

The speculation on social media, the news media and elsewhere as the trade deadline approached has had a negative impact on his team, Murphy said.

“Everybody’s aware of everything. Everybody hears names and all that kind of stuff,” he said. “But we’ve got to go play baseball, and this has affected us. That’s the reality. And I don’t think it’s healthy. We can’t try to pretend it’s not there. Can’t lie to the players.”

The Brewers' acquisitions will “help make us a bit stronger,” Murphy said, noting that the team’s pitching staff has been riddled with injuries.

Arnold expressed confidence that May, Romero and Senzatela, who were expected to arrive in Milwaukee late Monday or early Tuesday, will serve key roles as the Brewers look to reach the World Series for the first time since 1982.

“They’re tough and they’re experienced. They’re going to fit in really well,” Arnold said.

May, 28, went 5-7 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 starts for the Cardinals this season. He had 106 strikeouts in 109 innings. On May 27, May carried a no-hitter into the eighth at Milwaukee but ended up taking the loss as the Brewers rallied for a 2-1 win.

Over his eight-year major league career, he is 24-27 with a 3.99 ERA in 92 games (78 starts) with the Dodgers, Red Sox and Cardinals. May missed the 2024 season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and an esophageal tear. He has a mutual option for the 2027 season.

Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison, a first-half standout who landed on the injured list July 11 with tightness in his pitching arm but is expected to return soon, overlapped with May in Boston and called him “a great guy with great stuff.”

“It’s just wicked sweepers, wicked sinker, changeups that fall off the table,” Harrison said. “His stuff is nasty.”

Romero, 29, was 1-3 with a 3.35 ERA in 44 relief appearances for the Cardinals this season. He is currently on the 15-day injured list recovering from an appendectomy. Romero has 43 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched and has stranded 20 of 28 inherited runners. He can become a free agent after the season.

Senzatela, 31, had spent his entire 10-year career with the Rockies, appearing in 212 games (145 starts). He has pitched exclusively in relief this season, going 9-2 with a 3.61 ERA and three saves in 34 appearances.

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St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks, left, reacts with pitcher Dustin May, right, during the second inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 24, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Le)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May reacts after an out against Cincinnati Reds' JJ Bleday during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 24, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Le)

CHICAGO (AP) — For the Chicago Cubs, the trade deadline was all about pitching. The rotation, and the bullpen.

Chicago acquired right-hander Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the last-place New York Mets on Monday for touted infield prospect Jefferson Rojas. The Cubs also added reliever Ryan Zeferjahn and left-hander Braxton Garrett in two other deals ahead of Monday's deadline.

Those moves were completed one day after the Cubs augmented their rotation by landing Kevin Gausman in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“In some ways we were as focused as I can remember in a deadline,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “It was very clear we needed to add pitching.”

The Cubs weathered a series of pitching injuries on their way to a 63-49 record and the top spot in the NL wild-card standings going into Monday night's matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They also trailed NL Central-leading Milwaukee by 6 1/2 games.

Led by All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs' group of position players has been in place for most of the season. But Hoyer wanted to make sure the pitching staff was equipped for the rest of the season and a possible postseason run.

“I think we’re more talented than we were 48 hours ago,” he said. “Like I said, I think these guys have battled and they’ve done a really good job. We’ve used so many different guys. I think our coaching staff has done a terrific job with them as well. But certainly I think providing more talent and more depth was something that was critical.”

Some of Chicago's injured pitchers are nearing a return. Right-hander Edward Cabrera (hamstring/abductor) and hard-throwing reliever Daniel Palencia (flexor strain) are scheduled for rehab appearances with Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday. Hoby Milner (appendicitis) is expected to pitch for Iowa on Tuesday.

The Cubs got Zeferjahn from the Los Angeles Angels for two minor leaguers: catcher Moisés Ballesteros and right-hander Mason McGwire — son of retired slugger Mark McGwire. Garrett was acquired in a deal with the Miami Marlins for minor leaguer infielder Jonathon Long and right-hander Jace Beck.

The 28-year-old Zeferjahn is 4-3 with a 3.66 ERA and four saves in 45 games this season. The right-hander has 75 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings.

“I think he’s getting better,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I think it’s an improving player.”

Garrett was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Garrett, who turns 29 on Wednesday, had a 3.66 ERA in 159 2/3 innings with Miami in 2023.

“We’re going to need depth. We’re going to need innings,” Hoyer said. “He’s likely to provide that here. But there’s also a future play as well. Like I said, we always thought highly of him.”

Holmes appears just about ready to return from a broken right leg that has sidelined him since mid-May. He was 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts before getting hurt.

The 33-year-old right-hander has a $12 million player option for 2027 that he's expected to decline in order to become a free agent again. He was an All-Star reliever with the New York Yankees before signing with the Mets ahead of the 2025 season and successfully converting to a starting role.

Holmes fractured his right fibula May 15 when he was hit by a low line drive while pitching against the Yankees. He made his third minor league rehab start Sunday, allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings for Class A Brooklyn.

Hoyer said the team plans to meet with Holmes before a decision is made about his next step.

“I think we love the fit from a shape standpoint,” Hoyer said. “I mean he’s a fantastic groundball guy, doesn’t give up home runs. I think putting that kind of guy in front of this defense makes a ton of sense for us.”

Holmes went 16-12 with a 3.26 ERA in 40 starts and two relief appearances for the Mets overall.

Taylor, 32, batted .241 with 10 homers, 28 RBIs and a .794 OPS in 67 games for New York this season. The reserve outfielder, better known for excellent defense, has been on a remarkable tear at the plate since returning June 26 from a strained right hip. He can become a free agent after the World Series as well.

Chicago also acquired pitcher David Peterson from the Mets for minor league infielder Cole Mathis in late June.

The 21-year-old Rojas was hitting .270 with 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and an .800 OPS in 91 games at Double-A Knoxville this season. He was the second-ranked prospect in Chicago's system and No. 63 overall in baseball, according to mlb.com.

AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick in New York contributed to this report.

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New York Mets' Tyrone Taylor reacts after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, July 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Mets' Tyrone Taylor hits a three-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Monday, July 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)