Brewers Must Be Aggressive on Robbie Ray at Deadline After Brandon Woodruff Injury

If the Milwaukee Brewers weren't already pushing the envelope for a starter before Brandon Woodruff's injury, then they definitely need to be after it.

With their ace pitcher headed to the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain which is expected to keep him on the sidelines for at least six weeks, the Brewers must be aggressive in hammering out a deal for a guy like Robbie Ray.

Their chances at making the postseason are slim at best if they don't acquire him to fill the void while Woodruff recovers. To say Woodruff was the only thing keeping their rotation afloat would be a massive understatement.

He's the only starter on the team with a minimum of 40 innings pitched to have a strikeout rate above eight batters per nine innings, and his 3.1 fWAR is worth more than that of fellow starters Zach Davies, Chase Anderson and Jhoulys Chacin combined.

With him out of the picture for the time being, the starting staff is in shambles. They have to turn to the trade market if they still want to gun for the postseason.

Ray is their only hope at salvaging the rotation. He's posted a respectable 3.95 ERA this year and has logged 162 strikeouts in 123 innings of work. He's the perfect trade target to keep this team afloat while Woodruff recovers. He could make a monster difference.

The Brewers don't have much of a choice considering their situation. They need to be aggressive in trading for Ray, otherwise they can kiss their chances of making the playoffs goodbye.