Four Prospects The Brewers Could Trade To Improve The MLB Team In 2025

[Harold Hutchison]

With a deep farm system, it is often inevitable that some prospects will find themselves heading elsewhere. But which prospects should the Brewers move? It can be a hard call that could be painful for Brewers fans down the road.

Let’s look at four possibilities, which are either among the Brewer Fanatic Top 20 or the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospect lists.

3B Brock Wilken (#8 MLB Pipeline, #7 Brewer Fanatic)
.199/.312/.363 in 402 AB, 15 doubles, 17 home runs, 63 BB, 133 K with Double-A Biloxi

Take away a horrible August and September (and Arizona Fall League), and Brock Wilken had a decent year despite a real injury scare early in the 2024 season. However, his late-season slump and his struggles in the Arizona Fall League may make it worth the Brewers’ while to consider selling (relatively) high on their 2023 first-round pick.

Wilken had a pure three-true-outcomes bat over the year. The problem was his batting average didn’t cross the Uecker line, and he only stole one base over the course of the season. Still, it was his first full professional season, and he arguably warrants a mulligan after his injury in 2024.

It’s not as if there aren’t other options at third base in the system. Tyler Black held it solidly in 2023 in Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville, though defensive concerns may keep him off the cornerstone in Milwaukee. Mike Boeve looks like a left-handed version of one-time Brewer Jeff Cirillo. Eric Bitonti brings a good power profile from the left side of the plate. Luke Adams has posted a strong three-true-outcome bat similar to Wilken’s but has also stolen 58 bases over his two full seasons in professional ball.

It’s not that Wilken is a bad option, but the Brewers arguably have several other great options for the hot corner, and as a firmer first-round pick, Wilken can net a better return.

---

SS Jorge Quintana (#25 MLB Pipeline)
.250/.361/.380 in 200 AB, 14 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 33 BB, 51 K with FRk DSL Brewers 1

Quintana was one of three shortstops the Brewers signed before the 2024 season. He wasn’t horrible. The switch-hitter flashed speed and on-base skills. However, offensively, he was overshadowed by Jesus Made and Luis Pena.

Made earned Brewer Fanatic Short-Season Minor-League Hitter of the Year honors with an excellent season in which he drew more walks than strikeouts. At the same time, Pena flashed elite contact-hitting skills and posted a .393 batting average.

Quintana got a $1.7 million bonus to sign with the Brewers, who haven’t been shy about trading infielders in the lower levels of the minors for help elsewhere (the Crew traded Jhonny Severino for Carlos Santana in 2023, packaged Alex Binelas with David Hamilton and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the deal that brought Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee, and dealt Gregory Barrios for Aaron Civale in 2024). Quintana may be the next to be moved along those lines.

---

SS Filippo Di Turi (#23 MLB Pipeline)
.225/.358/.294 in 320 AB, 15 doubles, two triples, one home run, 64 BB, 84 K with Rk ACL Brewers and Single-A Carolina

Di Turi is another switch-hitter, and he’s got OBP skills galore. The issue here is a lack of pop and a high strikeout rate, particularly with Carolina. He’s been bypassed by 2023 draft pick Cooper Pratt, who reached as high as Double-A Biloxi. He's facing Made and Pena as potential competition in 2025.

That said, he received a $1.3 million bonus, and he could be enticing enough given the .358 on-base percentage he displayed, even in a down year.

---

2B/OF Dylan O’Rae (#26 MLB Pipeline)
.217/.356/.265 in 475 ABs, 14 doubles, three triples, one home run, 87 walks, 122 strikeouts between Advanced-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi

O’Rae’s biggest asset is his speed – 106 stolen bases in two full professional seasons. That and excellent on-base ability make him a potential threat at the top of a lineup. His low batting average is not as bad as it looks, either – he spent half the year in Biloxi as a 20-year-old, over three and a half years below the league’s average age. He’s a lot like Esteury Ruiz, who the Brewers acquired in the Josh Hader deal, only with more positional versatility and better plate discipline.

O’Rae faces a lot of competition at either the middle infield or the outfield in the Brewers system. Still, the Brewers were able to turn Ruiz into a package of William Contreras, Joel Payamps, and minor-league pitcher Justin Yeager. Could the same be done with O’Rae?

Which top prospects do you think the Brewers should consider moving? Let us know in the comments below!

View full article

[SF70]

Wilken-DiTuri-O’Rae can get moved yesterday as far as I’m concerned, but I don’t think they have a ton of trade value.

Quintana I’d hold, especially after the second-half of the season improvement he made on both sides of the ball. Real short stops with his power potential just don’t get traded.
 

Areinamo should be in demand, like Barrios was this past season. It would hurt to lose him but he could be a nice piece in a package. 

Same with Baez, especially after his showing in Arizona.

With a 3-5 year big-league keystone combo of Ortiz-Turang likely not interrupted unless by big-time prospects Pratt-Pena-Made-Quintana, the team, imo, can afford to package 3 of the 4 prospects you listed along with the 2 I listed.

 

[Matt]

Seems like this is a list of guys you don't trade because their value, if they have any, couldn't be any lower. 

[BrewerFan]

19 hours ago, SF70 said:

Wilken-DiTuri-O’Rae can get moved yesterday as far as I’m concerned, but I don’t think they have a ton of trade value.

Quintana I’d hold, especially after the second-half of the season improvement he made on both sides of the ball. Real short stops with his power potential just don’t get traded.
 

Areinamo should be in demand, like Barrios was this past season. It would hurt to lose him but he could be a nice piece in a package. 

Same with Baez, especially after his showing in Arizona.

With a 3-5 year big-league keystone combo of Ortiz-Turang likely not interrupted unless by big-time prospects Pratt-Pena-Made-Quintana, the team, imo, can afford to package 3 of the 4 prospects you listed along with the 2 I listed.

 

They can, but they shouldn't because of your first sentence.

Wilken...he was awful. Someone would be taking a flier on him. I'd rather send him back to AA, let him reset and see what you have. Worst case you lose marginal trade value and you trade him in a year. Best case...he's the guy you thought he was...what, 15 months ago when he was a 1st rd pick fresh off an ACC record for HRs with a 70 arm and decent enough mobility with Ortiz/Turang in the IF or he plays first.

 

Quintana-No for similar reasons. This is how you end up throwing Tatis Jr into a trade. He was highly touted, he had a good 1st year(Made and Pena are NOT the benchmark) and he's got a LOT of talent one year after being signed. 

6'2 SS who was considered the top sing for the Brewers less than a year ago? Yeah, I like Made, Pratt, Turant, Ortiz...we're not going to have too many talented SS's and I can't believe he has that much value. 

Di Turi...I'm still not seeing a ton of value, but some upside.

 

O'Rae, I'm alright with him. He's further along, he's a more known commodity, he's a good, solid, all-around player who I think could help a team in the next year or two as a utility player who puts the ball in play, steals bases...

Luke Adams would hurt, but I think he's got some value, guys like Boeve, Black. Areinamo is another one. 

There's a sweet spot. A former top prospect one year in after he struggles and loses most of his value or a 17/18-year-old who has some success and you know he's got a high ceiling., Those are the guy I'd stay away from trading...

 

 

[SF70]

I’d like to see the team trade some of their Carolina non-Bitonti-Adamczewski IF depth just to open things up for some of the talent below. 

Sometimes having too much depth can be an issue getting PT for some of your top prospects. I want the team to have the room to aggressively promote when warranted.

[biedergb]

Agree that selling most of this cohort will be selling low. Outside of Quintana, who like any DSL player would be labelled as a "lottery ticket" in a trade. 

Wilken - last year looked like a pillar of the infield for a decade, now he had a season that will make him look like EBJ bust territory. The truth is somewhere in-between for him, and unless it is part of a big trade where he needs to be included, I'm not sure how a trade value would fit, as he would likely be valued less than the former 1st rounder by most execs I would think.

DiTurri will not move any needle, but is a great player to develop. He has some hitting skills, plays good defense, and is still so young.

ORae - hard to peg, because he is so so young (20) and was at AA in the worst hitting environment (Southern League). Impressive to move up so quickly at that age, but also without a true defensive position.

Most likley to move- Black, or even Lara who is so young and is holding his own, but may not have a future with on OF of Chourio, Frelick, Mitchell and having to compete with Payne and Yophery.

[Playing Catch]

21 minutes ago, SF70 said:

I want the team to have the room to aggressively promote when warranted.

But what's the rush? The MLB team doesn't exactly have a ton of holes for the next couple of seasons. We all acknowledge the current Adames-sized hole in the infield, but most of the other slots are filled, and will most likely remain so.

If there is a Chourio-level prospect, there is always room to promote. But otherwise, there's no hurry. Let them take a full-season at each stop, if necessary. That just means the FA clock starts later, and the Brewers can enjoy more of their peak performance.

[SF70]

1 minute ago, Playing Catch said:

But what's the rush? The MLB team doesn't exactly have a ton of holes for the next couple of seasons. We all acknowledge the current Adames-sized hole in the infield, but most of the other slots are filled, and will most likely remain so.

If there is a Chourio-level prospect, there is always room to promote. But otherwise, there's no hurry. Let them take a full-season at each stop, if necessary. That just means the FA clock starts later, and the Brewers can enjoy more of their peak performance.

I want the best promoted aggressively when warranted because of offering extentions at young ages makes better sense.

Pratt at 21-22. Made-Pena at 20-21. 
etc.

[CheeseheadInQC]

10 hours ago, SF70 said:

I’d like to see the team trade some of their Carolina non-Bitonti-Adamczewski IF depth just to open things up for some of the talent below. 

Sometimes having too much depth can be an issue getting PT for some of your top prospects. I want the team to have the room to aggressively promote when warranted.

So, Di Turi? Bitonti might see more time at first base rather than third, but there are definitely enough plate appearances to go around with usually using the DH on an infielder, especially given that it wouldn't shock me if any remaining infielders beyond Made, Pena, Bitonti, Adamczewski and Di Turi see time in the outfield.