No brainer why the Cubs need an elite closer. Perfect match with Craig Counsell. But why would the Brewers do this trade? They would get the Cubs 10th, 11th, and 15th best prospects according to fangraphs. Brandon Birdsell is a Cubs fan’s darling. He won minor league pitcher of the year for the club in 2024 and is exactly who a team like the brewers target and turn into a real arm. Why would the Cubs trade him? He’s relatively old and they have a lot of 5/6th starter players like Assad and Ben Brown. Ed Howard is a former first round pick who just hasn’t gotten it together in AAA. He has some upside and is semi-young at 22, and is a throw in to get the trade done. Finally, BJ Murray is another AAA bat who has some decent power and is an above average fielder. Just like Birdsell, he’s 24, but the Brewers tend to not care about age as much as other teams.