Sabathia’s View on Missed Opportunity
Former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia has expressed his disappointment regarding the team’s failure to acquire Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal at the 2026 trade deadline. Sabathia, who was famously traded to the Brewers in 2008, stated on his show, “MLB According to CC,” that he believed Milwaukee “kind of blew it” by not landing Skubal.
Sabathia suggested that the Los Angeles Dodgers were the only team whose acquisition of Skubal could significantly impact the Brewers’ season. He noted that Milwaukee had been a top team throughout the summer, but the trade of Skubal to the Dodgers could be a major setback. Sabathia envisioned a scenario where Skubal, paired with Jacob Misiorowski, could have helped the Brewers compete against the Dodgers in October.
The Dodgers’ current rotation, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a healthy Shohei Ohtani, alongside Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, was highlighted by Sabathia as potentially one of the best ever assembled, assuming all pitchers remain healthy. This concern stems from the Brewers’ experience in last year’s National League Championship Series, where the Dodgers swept them 4-0 after their key pitchers were healthy for the postseason.
Brewers’ Offer and Criticisms
The situation surrounding Skubal’s trade has drawn comparisons to Sabathia’s own move in 2008. Both pitchers were AL Central players and reigning Cy Young Award winners when they were traded in their final year before free agency. Both were considered “rental” players with the potential to significantly alter the postseason landscape, though the Dodgers are reportedly interested in retaining Skubal long-term.
The Brewers’ last trade of similar magnitude to the Sabathia deal involved sending top prospect Matt LaPorta and other players, including future five-time All-Star Michael Brantley, to Cleveland. In the recent Skubal trade, the Dodgers acquired the pitcher for three prospects: outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith. Hope and Ryan are considered top 100 prospects, with Ryan being an older prospect approaching 28 years old.
Reports from Adam McCalvy of MLB.com indicate that the Brewers also presented an offer of three elite prospects, including two within the top 100. One executive from another team suggested that the Brewers were willing to offer more in aggregate than Los Angeles, in addition to taking on the remainder of Skubal’s contract. Brewers general manager Matt Arnold reportedly felt his team was in a position to secure Skubal before the Dodgers’ deal was finalized.
Logan Henderson, a 24-year-old starting pitcher for the Brewers, was mentioned in trade rumors and has shown strong performance in the major leagues, with statistics comparable to Skubal’s this season. McCalvy’s reporting suggested that the Tigers were looking for a controllable Major League pitcher in the deal.
Reactions to the Trade Outcome
Brewers manager Pat Murphy has pushed back against the notion that the team did not do enough to acquire Skubal. However, others, like Matt Snyder of CBS Sports, have criticized the Brewers’ approach, labeling it “cowardice.” Snyder argued that this was a moment for the Brewers to do everything necessary to not only acquire Skubal but also prevent the Dodgers from doing so.
Snyder pointed out that the prospect package given up by the Dodgers was light and something the Brewers could have matched. He quoted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who stated that “there’s nothing that we did that no one else couldn’t have done.” Snyder placed blame on the Tigers for their decision and, to a lesser extent, on the Brewers and Rays for not being aggressive enough.
The Brewers possess one of the top farm systems in Major League Baseball. They recently utilized their prospect pool by trading Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale to St. Louis for starter Dustin May and reliever JoJo Romero, with Frias immediately becoming the St. Louis Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect. Milwaukee has historically built its roster through homegrown talent and strategic acquisitions, making prospect trades a significant decision.
According to MLB.com, the Brewers’ offer for Skubal reportedly included 19-year-old shortstop Luis Peña as the headliner. Peña is considered one of the top 25 prospects in the sport by various ranking lists, placing him above Hope on all lists and above Ryan on most. While Peña has faced some physical issues this year, including dehydration and a hamstring strain, he has a .297/.382/.407 slash line with two home runs and 20 stolen bases in 42 games in High-A.
The Tigers ultimately favored the Dodgers’ offer, which included Ryan, a pitcher who could potentially join their rotation soon, whereas Peña would likely not be ready for a couple of seasons. The Brewers’ interest in Skubal was widely known, and the teams are set to meet next week in a four-game series at Dodger Stadium, where the top seed in the National League could be decided.
Source: eu.jsonline.com
Mason Reed
Sports reporter covering football, basketball and international competitions.