Brewers' biggest spring training standout should put the Cubs on high alert

Look, there's no way I'm sleeping on the Milwaukee Brewers ever again. It doesn't matter who they trade or how little they spend in the offseason. Matt Arnold has built an organization that flat-out knows how to win year-in and year-out, regardless of any noise surrounding the team.

Since 2022, the Brewers have traded away Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams and, most recently, Freddy Peralta. Their record since the start of the 2023 season? 282-204. Oh, and they've won the National League Central three years running. So excuse me if the Peralta trade hasn't soured me on what the Chicago Cubs' I-94 rival brings to the table this year.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden (subscription required) highlighted one player from all 30 teams who is getting lots of attention this spring and - to the surprise of nobody, one of the pieces that came back in the Peralta trade, Brandon Sproat, was tapped as the Brewers' representative.

Sproat, a former University of Florida standout and second-round pick, got his first taste of the big leagues last summer with the Mets, making four starts for New York. Then, he was sent to Milwaukee, along with Jett Williams in the deal that saw Peralta and Tobias Myers head to Queens.

Brewers' MLB roster, elite farm system equals bad news for the Cubs

Profiled as a 'mid-rotation starter' when fully developed, Sproat has a mid-to-upper 90s heater, sinker, slider, sweeper and change-up. He's not fully polished, but the signs are all saying the same thing: the Brewers may have nailed the return on yet another major salary dump trade, which is bad news for a Cubs team that hasn't been able to solve their Milwaukee problem in some time.

On the heels of a franchise record 97 wins a year ago, Milwaukee not only looks strong - even after trading Peralta and NL Rookie of the Year finalist Caleb Durbin (who, coincidentally, was Bowden's standout pick for the Red Sox in this piece) - but boasts one of the best farm systems in baseball. In other words, there's no end in sight for the Brewers' perennial player development pipeline.

Yes, the Cubs were widely considered winners of the offseason. But come next Thursday when the regular season begins, that means nothing. Already facing the prospect of opening the year without Seiya Suzuki, expect another year-long battle between the two foes - and take nothing for granted, because the Brewers show no signs of letting up anytime soon.