Five Small Deals The Brewers Could Make For Long-Term Help

[Harold Hutchison]

Much of the trade talk for the Brewers surrounds Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames, both of whom could fetch a big haul. But could some small-scale deals land the Crew a similarly (if less obviously) valuable payoff?

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The harsh economic realities exposed by the departure of Craig Counsell may drive the blockbuster moves that get the heat in the hot stove season, but the Brewers have a crowd in the outfield, the middle infield, and the bullpen. With their surfeit of talent, they could make some under-the-radar deals to address some areas of concern.

At the same time, these deals won’t involve the team's top young prospects. In these scenarios, the Crew keeps their young outfielders (Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Joey Wiemer and Garrett Mitchell) and the effective Tyrone Taylor, plus face of the franchise Christian Yelich. Here are five deals the Crew could make this winter, all rated as either fair or a minor overpay by BaseballTradeValues.com:

Cleveland Guardians get RHP Joel Payamps for RHP Hunter Gaddis and Competitive Balance Round A pick
Payamps pitched well out of the bullpen early in 2023 and became a top setup man for Devin Williams, but he has arguably been bypassed for late-inning work by Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill. That said, his 169 ERA+ would be tops in the Guardians bullpen. In return, the Crew gets starter Hunter Gaddis and Cleveland’s Competitive Balance A pick.

Gaddis gives the Brewers another starter as insurance behind Wade Miley and Joe Ross, both of whom have been known to spend time on the injured list in the past. Adding the pick makes up the difference between the value of Payamps, who still has three years of team control left, and the largely fungible Gaddis.

Kansas City Royals get LHP Hoby Milner and Competitive Balance Round B pick for LHP James McArthur and Competitive Balance Round A pick
Milner had been an unsung hero and earned a late-inning spot for the Crew, but the Royals’ desperation for bullpen help makes dealing him to Kansas City viable. (This one is complicated by the late-breaking news, which we learned Sunday, that they signed lefty Will Smith to stabilize that unit, but it's still possible to make it work.) While Milner is behind several other relievers on the Crew, he could be an invaluable weapon for Kansas City--especially if Smith assumes the closer role there. In return, the Crew gets reliever James McArthur and the Royals’ 2024 Competitive Balance A pick.

McArthur could be a lefty in the pen to replace Milner, but with a lot more team control (and he comes a bit cheaper). The Royals’ Competitive Balance A pick is also a nice add for the Crew, even if they have to chip in their own Competitive Balance B pick to make this deal work.

Colorado Rockies get OF Blake Perkins and SS Freddy Zamora for C David Isea, OF Aldalay Kolokie, and LHP Ervin Torres
With Chourio’s long-term deal in place, the Brewers will need to clear a 40-man roster spot. In this case, Colorado, who had poor performance from their outfielders in 2023, could be a nice destination for Perkins, whose spot on the Nashville-Milwaukee shuttle could be in jeopardy after the addition of Chris Roller. Zamora seems similarly blocked by the acquisitions of Vinny Capra and Oliver Dunn. The Crew relieves some of their middle-infield congestion, and the Rockies get potential help in the outfield and middle infield in return for three rookie-ball prospects.

Cincinnati Reds get RHP Elvis Peguero and SS Eduardo Garcia for Comp Balance B pick and $500,000 in international bonus money
Peguero started off well, but got hit harder as the season went on and has been bypassed by multiple relievers. That said, Peguero and Eduardo García can be moved to the Reds for a Competitive Balance B pick and $500,000 in international bonus money for the Crew to bolster their farm. The Reds are in just the right place to trade a little long-term value for the kind of pitching depth that they couldn't maintain down the stretch last season, as they faded from playoff contention.

Pittsburgh Pirates get LHP Ethan Small for 2B Wesley Zapata and $594,800 in international bonus money
Small has been on the Milwaukee-Nashville shuttle for two seasons and is on his last year of being optionable. With McArthur (or Milner, if you couldn't swing that deal) on the roster, Clayton Andrews having one more option year, and Aaron Ashby as an option from the bullpen, he could be moved. In return, the Crew gets second baseman Wesley Zapata, a switch-hitter with excellent OBP skills who’s posted solid numbers in the Pirates system, and some international bonus money.

Overall, these moves don’t seem like much, but the Brewers would get a starter with lots of team control for depth; a left-handed reliever whom they'd control through 2030; a young outfield prospect who can replace the outfielders dealt to acquire Dunn and Jake Bauers; another young pitching prospect; a young catcher; and a middle-infield prospect. They would also net two additional picks in the 2024 MLB draft, both of which would be in the Competitive Balance A round--giving the Crew a very good chance to stock their farm system with blue-chip talent with three picks in the top 40. They'd even add almost $1.1 million in international bonus money to bolster their farm system further and seek the next Chourio.

What do you think about these trades? Would you make these moves? Who else would you consider dealing? Let us know in the comments below.

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[Trax]

Like the moves.  I think we will begin to see Milwaukee making such moves soon now.  Hopefully along with bringing in at least 1 FA difference maker.