The Rundown: Let’s See How Short King Brewers Bounce Back This Time, Bellinger Stays in Bronx, MotU Trailer

This one is going to be something of a blow-by, as the only salient news is merely Cubs-adjacent. The leading story should have a pretty significant impact on the NL Central, however, as the Brewers traded Freddy Peralta and swingman Tobias Myers to the Mets for a pair of prospects. You would think this would chop one of Pat Murphy‘s legs out from under him, but we all thought the same thing when they dealt Corbin Burnes to Baltimore.

Flipping Josh Hader to the Padres didn’t feel like a crippling blow, but you don’t expect a team to improve after getting rid of an elite closer. Somehow, the Crew just keeps pressing forward by finding younger, cheaper alternatives as their divisional domination continues. As hard as it is to see them weathering this storm with as much aplomb as Lieutenant Dan, something tells me Matt Arnold will conjure a pair of magic legs.

Or maybe it’s a magic arm, whether that’s newly-acquired pitching prospect Brandon Sproat or Tread lefty Drew Rom. I fully expect both to shove, especially against the Cubs. MLB Pipeline has the 25-year-old Sproat at No. 6 in Milwaukee’s system, and he should break camp with the big club after logging just under 21 innings over four starts for the Mets last year.

He’s got a big fastball that comes in a little flat, and that could get him in trouble against big league hitters. His changeup is a real weapon, and his three breaking balls — curve, slider, sweeper — get whiffs and grounders. If Sproat leans more on his sinker than his four-seam, or if he gets more ride on the heater, the Brewers might have something.

Rom is a 26-year-old who has pitched in part of an MLB season with the Cardinals after spending several years in Baltimore’s system. He missed all of 2024 with shoulder issues and came back to toss 23.1 innings between Single- and Triple-A in ’25, all as a starter. There’s not a ton of data on him, but he appears to be a low-slot fastball/splitter guy with a sinker and slider. While there’s nothing on paper to suggest he’ll be a weapon, this is the Brewers we’re talking about.

The other half of their return for Peralta and Myers is diminutive utilityman Jett Williams, who comes in at No. 3 on their prospect list. Drafted 14th overall in 2022 out of Rockwall-Health HS in Heath, TX, the 5-foot-7 Williams is the exact kind of grindy, hitterish dude who could become a star in Milwaukee. At the very least, he fits the profile of a guy who can make a living off being a Cubs killer over the next few years.

But hey, maybe this is the point at which the Brewers finally stumble after getting rid of a top-end pitcher in order to avoid paying him.

Bellinger Back to Yankees

It was pretty much fait accompli once the Mets traded for Luis Robert Jr., and we got the predictable news on Wednesday that Cody Bellinger was returning to the Yankees. The five-year, $162.5 million deal wasn’t what he’d been seeking in terms of either length or total value, but the structure of the contract could play in his favor. Bellinger gets a $20 million signing bonus with a $32.5 million salary in each of the first two seasons, after which he can opt out with $85 million in his pocket. He’s also got an opt-out after the third year, though both options will be pushed back if the 2027 season gets banged.

If he continues to play well for the Yankees, it’s entirely possible that Bellinger could opt out after the second year and still command well over $80 million in a new deal. The Yankees even got a little bit of a discount on the overall cost by waiting things out, so this may work well for both sides.

More News and Notes

• The Cubs have only two prospects ranked in Baseball America’s top 100: Moisés Ballesteros (36) and Jaxon Wiggins (78). That might not seem like much given how some of their young talent has recently matriculated from the list, not to mention Owen Caissie being traded, but it’s a pretty solid indication that the system is not very robust.
• BA EIC JJ Cooper looked at every MLB player who debuted since the publication started its rankings in 1990 and found a very strong correlation between rank and future production. I would think it’s even stronger with the advent of better and more readily available technology (cell phone camera, Pocket Radar, Trackman, HitTrax).
• Former Cubs great Taylor Rogers has agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the Twins.
• X predictably went down as I was looking for the specifics, but the Brewers could potentially field a defensive lineup with players who are all 5-foot-11 or shorter.
• Found it: The Crew could have two guys at 5-11; two at 5-10; one at 5-9; one at 5-8, and two at 5-7.
• Speaking of X, we caught quite a bit of blowback for a tweet suggesting Matt Shaw could be a Red Sox trade target. Lots of folks who lean a certain way politically got big mad about it, even though there was nothing at all that would have triggered a reasonable person. Besides, we’ve been writing about the possibility of Shaw as trade bait for a while now.
• Neither Shaw nor Nico Hoerner will be moved unless Jed Hoyer is bowled over by an offer, but the Cubs are going to keep listening.

Trailer Time

As promised yesterday, we’ve got the first full trailer for Masters of the Universe. It’s a little choppy, but the characters look very true to the original toys and animated series. My inner child is jumping up and down right now, and I can’t wait to go see it in theaters this June.