The Chicago White Sox are looking for talent wherever they can find it. Lately, they have made a habit of adding players cast off by the Milwaukee Brewers to round out their roster.
It makes sense given that the Brewers are currently the best team in baseball by a wide margin. They have a reputation for developing talent. Milwaukee has also been good at finding players that other organizations give up on.
Tobias Myers, Blake Perkins, and Isaac Collins are all players making positive contributions at the big league level after not working out with the organizations that drafted them. Myers even spent some time in the White Sox farm system before becoming an effective MLB pitcher in Milwaukee last season.
The White Sox also have a connection to Milwaukee on their coaching staff. Bench coach Walker McKinven was on reigning NL Manager of the Year Pat Murphy's staff last season. It could be a big reason for the affinity Chicago has had for ex-Brewers.
White Sox success stories from former Brewers
Shane Smith became an All-Star in 2025 after the White Sox plucked him from the Brewers' farm system with the No. 1 pick in the Rule 5 Draft. Smith burst onto the scene with a 2.37 ERA through his first 13 starts.
Smith struggled over his next five starts as fatigue started to set in as he got closer to his career-high in innings. He also required a 15-day IL stint after the All-Star break with an ankle sprain. The rest seems to have helped, and I think Smith has looked much better recently with a 2.51 ERA over his past three starts.
Tyler Alexander has also turned things around in Chicago after he was cut by the Brewers this season. He has become an effective left-handed long reliever ever since arriving on Chicago's south side via Uber in early June. Alexander has posted an ERA of 3.07 in 44 innings. Alexander is a free agent after this season, but he has definitely earned himself another big league contract with how he's done in a White Sox uniform.
Adrian Houser was brilliant for the White Sox after he signed with the team during the season. Houser had a solid career in Milwaukee with a 4.00 ERA and 3.6 bWAR over seven seasons. He flamed out with the New York Mets in 2024 and could only get a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers this past offseason.
Houser opted out of that deal in May and signed with the White Sox when the club needed a starting pitcher after Martín Pérez went on the 60-day IL with an elbow injury. He posted a 2.10 ERA in 11 starts and the White Sox were able to flip him to the Tampa Bay Rays for Curtis Mead and two other pitching prospects at the trade deadline.
The White Sox have also had some failures in acquiring players with ties to the Brewers.
Some ex-Brewers have been huge failures with the Sox
The Andrew Vaughn for Aaron Civale trade earlier this year is looking bad for the White Sox. Vaughn has become a folk hero in Milwaukee with an average over .300 and an OPS over .1000. The Brewers are also 26-5 in games that Andrew Vaughn has played in.
Civale has done a decent job eating innings for the White Sox, but no contender wanted to trade for him at the deadline, and he has a 4.87 ERA in 11 starts for Chicago.
Vinny Capra had a .074 average when the Brew Crew let him go in early May. He did not fare much better for the Sox when he was added to the roster in mid-May. He posted a .190/.205/.238 slashline in 23 games for the Sox before he was designated for assignment.
Bryse Wilson was one of the team's major free agent acquisitions (which is sad) this past offseason after having a solid year in Milwaukee in 2024. Wilson was terrible on the mound for the Sox with a 6.95 ERA, and he was designated for assignment. Wilson is currently pitching for the White Sox Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights.
Relievers Bryan Hudson and Elvis Peguero were the latest former Brewers that the Sox kicked the tires on. Neither lasted long on the 26-man roster and are now pitching for the Knights. Peguero showed some potential and could be back before the end of the season. Both pitchers have contract control beyond 2025.
I get why the White Sox are taking a chance on players from such a solid organization. However, if the Brewers could not salvage some of these guys, it would be hard to envision the White Sox being able to do it.