Realistic Trade Options?

[Turning2]

Around social media, Brewer fans are begging for trades to upgrade 3B and or SS.  Problem is, are there any realistic targets? (realistic as in - proven hitters, and within feasible budgetary bounds). And what amount of prospect capital would be an acceptable trade value? All the people hollering for trades never name names and at what cost to the farm system. So, who could reasonably be traded for (including affordability) that actually makes a significant impact/upgrade, and what would you be willing to give up?  I realize a lot of that is highly subjective. As I look at 3B stat leaders, nobody really jumps out as a realistic target with nearly guaranteed upgrade / impact qualities.                        

[liveforoctober]

So just as an FYI we do have a separate forum for trade ideas/rumors and there has been quite a bit of chatter about this over there if you were curious what many posters have been thinking...

[Scooterfletcher]

For guys we might want:

Luis Rengifo Angels can play 3rd and middle infield.   Generally has been a plus war guy and can hit for average quite well typically.   Free agent to be so the cost should be something like Zavier Warren maybe.

Luis Urias As is an old friend that has done fairly well this year and can play all over the infield.   An upgrade on Monty at worst and at best rotates in around the IF or replaces a slumping bat.   Should cost nothing more than a lotto ticket or two.

These are the two names I most see helping accentuate our infield prowess by deadline time.  

[Mr Southpaw]

Maybe Ryan McMahon of he does not cost too much? I would be willing to trade Boeve, C Rodriquez and a low level non top 30 for him.

[Playing Catch]

15 hours ago, Turning2 said:

As I look at 3B stat leaders, nobody really jumps out as a realistic target with nearly guaranteed upgrade / impact qualities.   

You buried the lede.

[Playing Catch]

I don't mean to be so negative about it, it's just that I don't see anyone that could be available that is good enough to part with decent prospects that aren't difficult to acquire for some other reason. And this has been a conversation for 9 months.

My opinions...

- Very few of us are willing to part with any of the top 5 to 10 Brewers prospects for anything short of a "sure" thing, and nearly all the "sure-things" are already in the playoff hunt.

- Nearly all of the names that have popped up for the last 9 months have pretty significant warts on their profiles, be it a defensive ability/flexibility (Burger?), a significant red flag with one metric or another (Suarez?), injury concerns (Moncada?), lack of a big-league record of success (Luis Urias?), significant salary/contract questions or team-specific challenge (Devers/Arenado).

- The teams that SHOULD trade guys haven't shown the willingness to do so (Orioles/Rockies).

- The current roster/org already has controllable big-league assets and infield prospects (although a few months away from debuting.

 

[Turning2]

15 hours ago, liveforoctober said:

So just as an FYI we do have a separate forum for trade ideas/rumors and there has been quite a bit of chatter about this over there if you were curious what many posters have been thinking...

Thanks. Still new around here. It looks like its in the right forum, but perhaps mods moved it for me. Can't remember where I posted it to. 

[Playing Catch]

Miguel Vargas?

Prospect overpay for C.J. Abrams or Zach Neto?

 

[Turning2]

11 minutes ago, Playing Catch said:

I don't mean to be so negative about it, it's just that I don't see anyone that could be available that is good enough to part with decent prospects that aren't difficult to acquire for some other reason. And this has been a conversation for 9 months.

My opinions...

- Very few of us are willing to part with any of the top 5 to 10 Brewers prospects for anything short of a "sure" thing, and nearly all the "sure-things" are already in the playoff hunt.

- Nearly all of the names that have popped up for the last 9 months have pretty significant warts on their profiles, be it a defensive ability/flexibility (Burger?), a significant red flag with one metric or another (Suarez?), injury concerns (Moncada?), lack of a big-league record of success (Luis Urias?), significant salary/contract questions or team-specific challenge (Devers/Arenado).

- The teams that SHOULD trade guys haven't shown the willingness to do so (Orioles/Rockies).

- The current roster/org already has controllable big-league assets and infield prospects (although a few months away from debuting.

 

I agree with virtually every word of that opinion. It's the reason I posted it. Keep seeing people wanting trades, and I just don't see any realistic options that make sense. Just about every possible acquisition isn't enough of an upgrade to justify retarding the development of several prospects unless they're willing to spend that capital. I think we're at where we're going to be for a couple of years until the prospects come up, and people are just going to have to get used to it. Maybe they make a big move in free agency to land at least one real bat, but I'm not sure who might be available offhand. 

[TURBO]

12 hours ago, Mr Southpaw said:

Maybe Ryan McMahon of he does not cost too much? I would be willing to trade Boeve, C Rodriquez and a low level non top 30 for him.

Major major major risk.  Look at his numbers away from Coors Field.  No thanks, I mean, absolutely no thanks.

[Mr Southpaw]

On 6/20/2025 at 8:45 PM, TURBO said:

Major major major risk.  Look at his numbers away from Coors Field.  No thanks, I mean, absolutely no thanks.

That is why I would not give up too much for him.  He does have great defense, which the Brewers and I love.  I look at him as similar to Don Money back in the day. Sit him at number six or seven in the lineup.  If we could get great defense and 20 home runs for the next two years, I would be happy.  Maybe a change of scenery and winning more than losing would help.

[wallus]

McMahon is a little less appealing now that Durbin has shown elite defense himself 

[jay87shot]

The Braves have been better and there GM said they will be buyers not sellers but in reality they should trade a couple players. Their farm has gotten thin and Sale is out for a bit, I havent checked but I also think they are just a little over the 2nd tax bracket so saving some money might be in their interest. I think Ozzie Albies would be a great guy to go after. Push Turang to SS, Albies has 2+ affordable years so we could trade him with 1 year left as is our tradition. I would love Olsen or Riley but financially that doesn't work.

Albies has had injuries and isn't hitting great b lut he would be an affordable bat that has the power upside we could use. My guess is we would have to give up 2 top 10 org. prospects and 2 smaller but not insignificant pieces.

Henderson, Boeve, Hunt, and Peguero for Albies???

I get there are a few circumstances this would need to go through to be plausible before the deadline.

[brewmann04]

2nd base is not an issue 

[Guest]

I think everyone is going to be disappointed when they overpay for a middle reliever.

[wallus]

Can we "trade" Koenig to the Sounds for Yoho?

[jay87shot]

4 hours ago, brewmann04 said:

2nd base is not an issue 

Well by moving to Turang to SS they would be fixing SS and then Ortiz and Durbin would split 3rd and utility. Possibly improving both IF spots.

Right now Ortiz and Durbin have been good enough to get by. My thinking with Albies is that he is possibly the best power bat we could get. Eugenio Suarez is better but the Dbacks are 5 games or so ahead of the Braves and I went with a fresh idea.

 

[jay87shot]

39 minutes ago, wallus said:

Can we "trade" Koenig to the Sounds for Yoho?

We have 8 reliable options in the big league bullpen with the 2 upside lefty long men (Ashby/Hall). Add in Yoho, Peguero, Payamps, and Hudson in AAA and we have magnificent bullpen depth to trade a bullpen option or two if it means getting something valuable. I think Koenig is miscast as the 8th inning guy. I kind of like moving Ashby into the 7/8th inning spot with Uribe and having Koenig be more of the 5/6th inning guy with Mears and matchups.

[Joseph Zarr]

18 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

We have 8 reliable options in the big league bullpen with the 2 upside lefty long men (Ashby/Hall). Add in Yoho, Peguero, Payamps, and Hudson in AAA and we have magnificent bullpen depth to trade a bullpen option or two if it means getting something valuable. I think Koenig is miscast as the 8th inning guy. I kind of like moving Ashby into the 7/8th inning spot with Uribe and having Koenig be more of the 5/6th inning guy with Mears and matchups.

To this end, I personally think LHP DL Hall is a serious candidate to be packaged in a deadline deal. A rebuilding team somewhere can potentially latch on to the idea they can turn him into a rotation piece given he is using all three heaters. He has been given am extremely long leash since becoming a Brewer. Injuries have obviously gravely impacted his time but so has a real lack of any form of consistency.

[jay87shot]

12 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

To this end, I personally think LHP DL Hall is a serious candidate to be packaged in a deadline deal. A rebuilding team somewhere can potentially latch on to the idea they can turn him into a rotation piece given he is using all three heaters. He has been given am extremely long leash since becoming a Brewer. Injuries have obviously gravely impacted his time but so has a real lack of any form of consistency.

I like that idea, he is young enough and the stuff has been good enough that he could get us a nice piece back. In reality he is like our 10th starter once Woody and Cortes are back and will likely be a long relief option for use the next couple years. 

[Lathund]

15 hours ago, jay87shot said:

The Braves have been better and there GM said they will be buyers not sellers but in reality they should trade a couple players. Their farm has gotten thin and Sale is out for a bit, I havent checked but I also think they are just a little over the 2nd tax bracket so saving some money might be in their interest. I think Ozzie Albies would be a great guy to go after. Push Turang to SS, Albies has 2+ affordable years so we could trade him with 1 year left as is our tradition. I would love Olsen or Riley but financially that doesn't work.

Albies has had injuries and isn't hitting great b lut he would be an affordable bat that has the power upside we could use. My guess is we would have to give up 2 top 10 org. prospects and 2 smaller but not insignificant pieces.

Henderson, Boeve, Hunt, and Peguero for Albies???

I get there are a few circumstances this would need to go through to be plausible before the deadline.

2024-2025

Ozzie Albies: 87 wRC+
Joey Ortiz: 87 wRC+

And things like Statcast data does show a change in his underlying profile too, so it's not as if Albies is just getting unlucky. I don't know why he'd regress so at 27-28, but he has. It'd be absolutely insane to give up that package for two years of Albies, and Henderson is the reason for that. Look at what even mediocre FA starters cost on the market, and then consider what 6 years of Henderson (Even if he turns out to "only" be a back of the rotation guy) is worth to the Brewers. That's what the Brewers should be hoarding. 

But really, the main issue is that the Albies of the last two years is only a marginal upgrade. Yes he is not making much, but increasing salary and giving up real prospects is something you only do for actual impactful upgrades.