Brewers Future Values Big Board: Ranking The Trade Value Of Brewers Players, #6-10

[Ryan Pollak]

How much value do MLB-ready players and fast-rising prospects have in the Brewers future? Here's another look at the trade value of some of the young, up-and-coming Brewers.

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

 

Well, we are halfway through our list of Milwaukee's top 20 trade pieces. It’s fair to say the Brewers already have plenty of options. Sure, they can sell off players with expensive contracts like Rhys Hoskins (although you won’t get much for him), but they can also part ways with the younger players with hopes of building their team. Expendable pieces like Garrett Mitchell can be moved to build on a position they really need help at. (I’m looking at you, hot corner.)

Before we get started, if you haven’t read the first two parts, you can review them here:

• 20-16
• 15-11

Now that you're up to speed, let us look at higher-value trade pieces—these being between 10 and 6 on our list. As always, remember, the ranks are based off club control, the likelihood of trading the player, the durability, the salary, age, and the statistics. Today, we’re going to start with a top prospect in the farm system who’s probably itching to get back on the field.

10: Jeferson Quero C: 2023 Minor League Stats: 90 G, .262/.339/.441, 88 H, 28 XBH, 16 HR, 49 RBI, 47 R, 38 BB, 68 SO, 5 SB, Free Agent: TBD
How is the Brewers' top prospect (according to MLB Pipeline) only 10th on this Top 20 list? Well, Jeferson Quero has had a ton of ups and downs in his career.

Let’s start with the good, as he was awarded the Minor League Gold Glove at catcher in 2023. With plus-plus defensive upside at the most valuable position on the diamond, Quero has developed into one of the best minor-league catchers and could easily be a starting catcher in any organization. To top that off, he threw out a little over a third of base stealers during the 2023 season.

His bat really emerged and made him a hot commodity in 2023, too. He has a chance to be a dangerous two-way catcher, one of the rarest commodities in baseball. However, with the signing of Gary Sánchez, the resurgence of Eric Haase, and William Contreras simply existing on this roster, Quero would probably have spent considerable time with Nashville in 2024.

But his season was cut short, thanks to a torn labrum in his throwing arm during his Triple-A debut that required surgery. He is expected to be back to full strength by Opening Day, but there’s no telling how that injury could affect him in the long-term, diminishing his value.

The Brewers already used one of his minor-league options, but age is on Quero’s side: he's just 22. He could compete with Haase for backup catcher duties, giving him the keys to eventually take over for Contreras should the team move on from the All-Star slugger. However, Contreras has three years of club control remaining.

While he could be a great trade piece for catcher-needy teams, it’s going to be hard to part ways with Quero due to his injury uncertainty. Contreras is expected to make around $7.6 million in arbitration this year and he’s not going to get any cheaper. If there is no long-term extension soon, the Brewers will want to have this prospect as a much cheaper, hopefully similarly valuable alternative.

9: Blake Perkins OF: 1.133 Years, Career Stats: 188 G, .234/.318/.337, 123 H, 32 XBH, 10 HR, 63 RBI, 82 R, 65 BB, 154 SO, 28 BB, Free Agent: 2030
Not long after the Brewers announced they were trading Hunter Renfroe to the Angels, Perkins was signed to a one-year, major-league contract during the 2022-23 offseason. They were already his third professional organization; he'd failed to crack the majors during his time in the Washington and Yankee systems. He seems to have found a home, though, thanks to his stellar defense and usable (if below-average) bat. He played only a small role in 2023, but it blossomed into a semi-regular one in 2024.

We saw a little bit of improvement in his bat last season, as he hit six home runs and drove in 43 runs, with a .240 batting average and a .647 OPS. He might be the best defensive outfielder even on a roster loaded with great ones. But he’s going to have to battle for at-bats with Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick.

Likely, if Mitchell remains healthy and productive during the 2025 season, Perkins will get lost in the shuffle. Right now, he’s at the highest value it’s ever been. With five years of club control, this could be the right time to sell the switch-hitting outfielder. He’s an expendable option from the outfield and could be part of a nice package for another position of need.

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• Twins Daily: Could Twins Land the Best Defensive Center Fielder in MLB Via Trade This Offseason?

8: Abner Uribe RHP: 0.121 Years, Career Stats: 46 G, 3.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 45.0 IP, 53 K, 32 BB, Free Agent: 2031
It's been a while since we talked about the young flamethrowing right-hander. Nonetheless, this guy could be a great back of the bullpen arm for any organization.

Uribe has an extraordinary fastball, capable of reaching speeds well into triple digits. He went sinker-heavy during his truncated 2024, rather than evenly mixing in his four-seamer, but it was reasonably effective. The opposing batters had a 24% whiff rate and a .179 batting average. His sweeper is his out pitch, though, with the heaters meant mostly to set it up,

In 32 appearances in 2023, he struck out 39 batters allowing only six runs and 16 hits in 30.2 innings. He carried a 247 ERA+ while having a 1.17 WHIP. He was looking to continue his success in 2024, but that didn’t exactly happen. The last we saw of Uribe in Milwaukee, he had an altercation with Jose Siri of the Rays in early May. Uribe was suspended by MLB for six games while Siri was given a three-game suspension. Instead of having him serve the suspension, the Brewers optioned Uribe to Nashville. There, not long afterward, he injured his knee and needed season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

Uribe will be ready to go for the 2025 season. However, he will have to serve that suspension before pitching in the regular season. The good news is the suspension has been reduced to four games, which doesn’t seem like a lot for a relief arm, but that would still be one less arm from a bullpen for some time.

Because he was optioned down last season, Uribe has one minor-league option left. Because he is under a year of service time, the Brewers have six years of club control. He is also only 24, so he would be a nice youthful arm for any bullpen. He could be a great change-of-scenery candidate, but the Brewers would go into any negotiation knowing they were selling low on a talented arm.

7: Sal Frelick OF: 1.072 Years, Career Stats: 202 G, .255/.326/.339, 170 H, 41 XBH, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 95 R, 67 BB, 115 SO, 25 SB, Free Agent: 2030
Of the non-Chourio outfielders, if the Brewers purely wanted to maximize the return they could get by dealing someone, it would probably be Frelick. His glove and his years of team control make him a great little piece.

Frelick isn’t meant to be a home run-hitting, power bat, but he's improved already since reaching the big leagues, and there seems to be room left for more. A .259 batting average, a .655 OPS, and a .306 BABIP are alright for a guy who hit two home runs all season. The 14.9% strikeout rate, along with a 7.4% walk rate, also helps the on base percentage.

Defense rapidly became his calling card, of course. Climbing walls, laying out for balls in the gap, and throwing himself into barriers when needed, Frelick played fearless, excellent ball in both right and center field this year, en route to a runner-up finish for the Fielding Bible Award in right. The Brewers can continue to use that glove in the outfield, or they can attempt to move Frelick back into the dirt, where he flirted with a conversion to third base last offseason.

With versatility on the field, great defense, and the ability to get on base, he has a ton of value. Because of his significance to the team, any trade would have to be for the right price that can benefit the team immediately.

6: Mike Boeve INF: 2024 Minor League Stats: 79 G, .338/.415/.471, 99 H, 24 XBH, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 44 R, 40 BB, 54 SO, 2 SB, Free Agent: TBD
During the 2024 season, a ton of prospects started soaring through the system. Logan Henderson, Eric Bitonti, Craig Yoho, and Brett Wichrowski all had great seasons. But 2023 second-round pick Mike Boeve was impressive with the Timber Rattlers and Shuckers last year, in a way that stood out even relative to those.

After he was drafted in June, he flew through the Arizona Complex League and was placed on the High-A team. Boeve was hitting .553/.642/.632 in 13 games to start the 2024 season before being called up to Double-A. He continued his success with the Shuckers, hitting six home runs and notching 28 RBIs with a .306 batting average and a .821 OPS. He only played 66 games with the team as he was battling injuries throughout the summer. He was placed on the 7-day injured list in early July and was activated about a month later. Not too long after that, he was placed on the injured list again and was eventually transferred to the 60-day list.

Boeve rose through the system as impressively as anyone last year, and could be a cornerstone of the team's future infield. But with Brice Turang, Joey Ortiz, and Tyler Black already making their debuts, there’s a logjam starting to form. That’s not even mentioning Boeve’s teammates Brock Wilken and Cooper Pratt, who are looking to make their debuts in Triple-A soon.

He doesn’t swing a power bat, nor does he have lightning-fast speed, but any team could use a contact hitting bat like his. The former Omaha Maverick is only 22 years old and isn’t Rule 5 eligible yet, so there is no reason to rush him through the system. But the way he’s performing could be attractive for teams who need that infield depth for the future.

According to MLB Pipeline, Boeve could debut as soon as 2025, so time could be of the essence. It might come down between trading him or Black. But that’s a story for another day. Tune in tomorrow for the final iteration of this series.

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Do you think anyone should be higher or lower on this list? What other players do you think the Brewers could put on the trade block? Who do you think could bring the most value back? Let us know in the comments.

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[Doug B]

You think Sal Frelick has more trade value than Jeferson Quero? Not many teams have won with a slap hitter in right field. 

[Outlander]

The criteria is weird making the rankings useless. Can just pick names out of a hat and there is no difference. An article ranking trade value or most likely to be traded could be interesting but combining both and adding even more criteria loses too much focus IMHO.

[brewfanmn]

On 11/15/2024 at 1:44 PM, Doug B said:

You think Sal Frelick has more trade value than Jeferson Quero? Not many teams have won with a slap hitter in right field. 

Yeah, nobody's won anything with a non-power-hitting corner outfielder, except for...

• Houston in 2022 (Brantley)
• Washington in 2019 (Eaton)
• Boston in 2018 (Benintendi)
• Houston in 2017 (Aoki)
• Chicago in 2016 (Heyward)
• Kansas City in 2015 (Gordon)
• San Francisco in 2014 and 2012 (Blanco)
• Boston in 2013 (Victorino)

Frelick has been worth 2.7 fWAR in his first 747 major league plate appearances. He's 24 years old, just won a Gold Glove, has speed, doesn't strike out, and is under team control for 5 more seasons. He has immense trade value. If anything he is too low on this list.