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Milwaukee Brewers Trade Nestor Cortes for Speedy Outfielder Amid Disappointing Jackson Chourio News

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Robin M Adams | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 10:56 PM ET

The Milwaukee Brewers, particularly the front office, have drawn the ire of their fans today by failing to acquire a big power bat to boost the team’s sometimes inconsistent offense. Eugenio Suarez, whom fans of multiple franchises coveted, was traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Seattle Mariners. Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, whom the Brewers had been linked to earlier this week, ended up going to the San Diego Padres.

In the end, the asking price for these sluggers was too rich for Milwaukee to pay. They ended up costing multiple top-30 prospects for their news teams to acquire them, and the Brewers simply were not willing to pay that price.

They did, however, pull off a trade with the Diamondbacks, sending a player to be named later or cash to Arizona for starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery and relief pitcher Shelby Miller. Both are currently injured and Montgomery is out for the year. Miller, however, will begin a rehab assignment soon, and he and his 1.98 ERA this season will soon give the Brewers bullpen much needed reinforcements.

The Milwaukee Brewers Also Traded Nestor Cortes to the San Diego Padres for Brandon Lockridge

Milwaukee Brewers Expect Yet Another Starting Pitcher to Return from Injury in 10-14 Days 1 Mar 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Nestor Cortes against the San Francisco Giants during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In a not so surprising move, the Brewers traded left-handed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Jorge Quintana to the Padres for outfielder Brandon Lockridge. Cortes made just two starts for the Brewers before going on the injured list, but has completed his rehab assignment and is ready to pitch in the Majors again.

The Brewers are getting 28-year-old outfielder Brandon Lockridge from the Padres in exchange for Nestor Cortes, per a source.

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 31, 2025

Cortes was originally acquired by the Brewers, along with Caleb Durbin, in the Devin Williams trade with the New York Yankees this past winter.

The addition of Lockridge was not one any fans had on their radar, but the recent Jackson Chourio news helps explain why Milwaukee made the move that they did.

Milwaukee Brewers Star Outfielder Jackson Chourio Is Headed for the Injured List

Milwaukee Brewers Trade Nestor Cortes for Speedy Outfielder Amid Disappointing Jackson Chourio News 2 Jul 29, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (11) hits a triple against the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

On Tuesday night, Chourio laced a line drive to right center field Milwaukee’s win over the Chicago Cubs. He legged out a stand-up triple, but was immediate removed from the game with what the Brewers called a hamstring spasm.

They had hoped that Chourio would be able to avoid the injured list, but it does not sound like that will be possible:

Jackson Chourio is expected to land on the injured list with his hamstring strain so Brandon Lockridge would join the big league team in Washington D.C., per Matt Arnold.

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 31, 2025

Chourio is hitting .276/.311/.474 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI, and 18 stolen bases this year.

Lockridge, meanwhile, is a rookie who has played all three outfield positions. In 59 career games, he has hit just .210/.248/.280 with a home run, six RBI, and 10 stolen bases.

While playing with San Diego’s Triple-A team in El Paso this year (21 games), Lockridge was hitting .291/.408/.468 with two home runs, six RBI, and seven stolen bases.

The draw of Lockridge is that he is exceptionally fast. The drawback, however, is that he is unproven on the Major League level and is certainly not a power hitter.

But with Chourio headed to the injured list, the Brewers did not have many options and trading Cortes free up salary space for them to pay Montgomery.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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