Eric Lauer Calls Out Brewers' Front Office for Trade Deadline Moves

It's been a rough August for the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite leading the NL Central for much of the season, they now find themselves five games behind the St. Louis Cardinals after a 7-11 start to the month.

Brewers players are growing frustrated by the recent slide, and some have taken to calling out the front office for the team's woes, including starting pitcher Eric Lauer. In particular, Lauer was upset with the trade of closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres at the beginning of the month.

Lauer believes the trade sent a bad message to Milwaukee's clubhouse that the organization is more focused on winning in the future than in the present, especially with the Brewers and Cardinals locked in a tight divisional race. Hader has been one of the best relievers in baseball in recent years, earning four All-Star selections from 2018-2022 and posting the highest strikeout rate in baseball (15.8 K/9) during that span.

Given Milwaukee's poor play since the trade deadline and subsequent demise in the standings, the loss of Hader seems to have had a negative effect on the club. He's struggled in San Diego, however, with a 16.20 ERA in five appearances for the Padres thus far, so it's hard to say he would've helped his old team much if he'd stayed.

While the Brewers are clearly disgruntled by their slipping performance, they'll need to quickly right the ship if they want to reclaim their perch at the top of the standings. FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds currently have St. Louis as -550 favorites to win the NL Central, while Milwaukee's odds have fallen to +450.