The Milwaukee Brewers raised eyebrows across Major League Baseball when they completed one of the most significant trades of the deadline, sending two of their promising outfield prospects to the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for veteran pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero. At first glance, the deal appeared expensive, especially considering both pitchers are set to become free agents after the season. However, a deeper look suggests Milwaukee believes the pair are ideal fits for its pitching development system and could deliver far more value than many initially expected.
The Brewers acquired May and Romero by parting with highly regarded prospects Josiah Ragsdale and Alexander Frias, two young outfielders who had climbed rapidly through Milwaukee’s farm system. Many analysts immediately viewed the trade as an overpayment because both prospects had significantly increased their stock this season, while May has battled injuries throughout his career and Romero has primarily served as a dependable middle reliever.
Despite the criticism, Milwaukee’s front office appears confident that its internal evaluations differ from the public consensus. While Ragsdale and Frias developed into exciting prospects, they remained behind several other outfielders on the Brewers’ organizational depth chart. The club seemingly believed it could afford to sacrifice future talent in exchange for immediate pitching help as it pursues another postseason run.
The biggest attraction is Dustin May, whose traditional statistics with the Cardinals may not fully reflect how well he has actually pitched. Although he carried a 4.38 ERA into the trade, several advanced metrics paint a much more encouraging picture. His expected ERA, Fielding Independent Pitching, and other analytical measurements all suggest he has performed like an above-average starting pitcher despite the ordinary surface numbers.
Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold praised May’s electric arsenal after the trade, pointing to the right-hander’s dominant outing against Milwaukee just weeks earlier as evidence of the talent the organization believes it is acquiring.
Much of May’s improvement stems from major changes to his pitch mix. After returning from his second elbow surgery last season, he struggled to regain the effectiveness of his fastballs and relied more heavily on breaking pitches that were often difficult to command. This year, however, he has rediscovered his identity as a fastball-focused pitcher while also reintroducing his curveball and changeup to give hitters additional looks.
Perhaps the most noticeable improvement has been the return of his velocity. During his peak years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, May regularly approached triple digits with his fastball. Following surgery, his velocity dipped into the mid-90s, but this season he has regained much of that lost power, consistently throwing around 97 mph while also producing his hardest cutter in several years.
Velocity alone does not explain the improvement. May has also adjusted his arm angle, allowing each of his fastballs to create more deceptive movement. His four-seam fastball now carries through the strike zone more effectively, his cutter features sharper late break, and his signature sinker continues to generate exceptional downward movement despite the mechanical changes.
The sinker, in particular, may be the pitch that most excites Milwaukee’s coaching staff. Thanks to a unique grip and improved seam-shifted wake characteristics, the ball sinks far more than hitters anticipate based on its spin. The result is one of the steepest sinkers in baseball, making it extremely difficult for opposing hitters to square up consistently.
Because all three of May’s fastballs now leave his hand with similar appearances before breaking in dramatically different directions, hitters often struggle to recognize which pitch is coming until it is too late. That ability to tunnel multiple fastballs is something the Brewers have emphasized throughout their pitching development program and makes May an especially attractive addition.
Milwaukee’s pitching coaches are expected to further refine May’s approach by balancing the usage of his four-seam fastball, sinker, and cutter more evenly against both right-handed and left-handed hitters. If those adjustments prove successful, the Brewers believe May could resemble the dominant version of himself that once ranked among baseball’s brightest young starters.
JoJo Romero may not generate the same headlines, but Milwaukee sees him as another valuable fit within its pitching philosophy. Like May, Romero relies heavily on a power sinker that produces exceptional downward movement and consistently generates ground balls. His release point and mechanics create an unusually steep angle toward the plate, making his sinker particularly difficult for hitters to elevate.
Since 2021, Romero’s sinker has consistently produced ground-ball rates of at least 60 percent, giving him the profile of an ideal bullpen weapon. Once he returns from an appendectomy, the Brewers expect him to strengthen the relief corps by inducing weak contact while reducing the workload on the club’s highest-leverage relievers.
Ultimately, Milwaukee’s front office appears to be betting that its player development system can unlock even more from both pitchers. While many observers initially viewed the trade as an overpay because of the high-caliber prospects surrendered, the Brewers believe they acquired two arms whose skill sets align perfectly with the organization’s strengths.
If May continues to build on his improved fastball combination and Romero returns healthy to provide reliable late-inning relief, what initially appeared to be a risky trade could ultimately become one of the most valuable deadline deals of the season for Milwaukee.
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