Will the Brewers Trade a Starting Pitcher Before MLB Trade Deadline?

[Ryan Pollak]

Image courtesy of © Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Brewers have quite the set of arms for the rotation heading into the 2025 All-Star break. But with other areas on the field looking to need some sort of upgrade in the last half of the season, do the Brewers consider trading away any of their starting pitching?

The Brewers already parted ways with right-hander Aaron Civale, trading him to the White Sox. However, with Jacob Misiorowski thriving since his MLB debut and Brandon Woodruff having triumphantly returned to the mound, it’s still looking like quite the logjam.

All-Star Freddy Peralta, Jose Quintana, and Quinn Priester round out the rotation. Not only that, but Nestor Cortes is expected to return shortly after the break, and Robert Gasser will be ready to chip in some innings down the stretch. Last year’s breakout pitcher Tobias Myers and promising rookies Chad Patrick and Logan Henderson are all sitting in Triple-A Nashville, waiting for their number to be called to return to the big leagues.

With all these extra arms, should the Brewers consider including one of them in a trade? Here are some reasons why they will consider trading a starting pitcher—and a few reasons why they shouldn’t. As in the past, we will treat this like a point-counterpoint.

Trade Them: We Need to Upgrade the Infield
Losing Willy Adames in free agency meant the Brewers needed to find their new shortstop for the 2025 season and beyond. Instead of signing a replacement infielder in free agency like Ha-Seong Kim, Yoán Moncada, or Amed Rosario, the Brewers opted to go with in-house options, moving Joey Ortiz to short and keeping the likes of Vinny Capra and Andruw Monasterio as options at third base. They did get Caleb Durbin in the Devin Williams trade, but at the time, he had yet to make his MLB debut.

Thus far, they haven’t made up for their losses. Capra has a .074 batting average on the season and couldn't even stick on the White Sox roster. Monasterio has taken more of a high-energy bench role.

Durbin has done well at third base both defensively and offensively, hitting a sturdy .261/.348/.363 across 72 games. However, Ortiz has taken a step back, hovering around the dreaded Mendoza Line. Granted, Ortiz had an incredible month of June, but has only had three hits in 22 plate appearances thus far this month and was benched at the start of this week for taking a poor approach at the plate.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins sustained a thumb injury that will probably keep him out of action until mid-August. Unless they look to add any first basemen at the deadline, the Brewers will have to rely on the likes of Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn to fill the void in the lineup. There are, then, multiple possible places where the team could use an offensive boost.

When it comes to shortstops, the options on the trade market are bare. The most likely to be on the move is Isiah Kiner-Falefa of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he probably won’t cost one of the pitchers on the roster. Maikel García is an appealing target who would definitely command some young pitching in a package, but he's less likely to be dealt.

First base has a better market. The biggest name that will likely be on the move is All-Star Ryan O’Hearn. Josh Naylor has also become a hot name, as the Diamondbackis have sputtered. While there isn’t much noise, Nathaniel Lowe can also be a name to watch out for amid the Nationals' likely makeover.

The third base market, however, is going to be the position to look out for. We have already heard potential trade rumors about power-hitting third basemen such as Eugenio Suárez, Ryan McMahon, Nolan Arenado and even Alex Bregman. There is already a ton of interest from teams like the Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, and New York Yankees—not to mention the Brewers' chief rivals, the division-leading Cubs.

If the Brewers want to outbid these other teams, then perhaps they need to throw in one of the young pitchers who are major league-ready, to entice the selling club.

Keep Them: The Kids Are Alright
One of the better ways for players to get through their slumps is to take days off and play through them. Why would you replace the young gun in the lineup with a veteran rental?

Last year, Jackson Chourio wasn’t performing well in the first two months of the season. Rather than sending him down to the minor leagues and replacing him, the Brewers continued to play it out with him and let him figure it out. Not only did he figure it out, but he became a Rookie of the Year candidate.

This year, Durbin also rose to the occasion after having quite the slump. At one point, he was hitting .169/.265/.236 in the middle of May. The Crew's patience with him has paid off wonderfully.

Getting a rental piece for the infield is fine, but you don’t have to sell out to get a veteran. As mentioned earlier, the Brewers may not have to give up a pitcher to get their upgrade. Buying a low-risk, high-reward player at the deadline might give just enough time for Ortiz to figure out his swing decisions, and for other young infielders to get big-league experience. Along with Kiner-Falefa, Moncada, Luis Urías, and Ramon Urías could be great depth for a team that may need it. It’s not a huge acquisition, but it could be enough to leapfrog the Cubs and win the division.

As for first base, the Vaughn/Bauers platoon doesn’t have to be amazing for the team to do well. Hoskins is only gone for a month and will return by the final month of the season. Besides, Vaughn himself is a trade acquisition already made, and he's hitting .429 with a 1.4 Win Probability Added in his first handful of games with the Brewers. This is his trial run for next season, assuming Hoskins won’t be back for 2026.

The Brewers are fine and don’t need to sell even depth pieces for two-month rentals. The kids are alright, ready to develop, and want to play now.

Trade Them: The Young Guns Are Waiting
Some of the young starters stashed in Nashville need chances to pitch in the big leagues. While it makes sense Patrick was sent down, Myers was just named International League Pitcher of the Week. Henderson had a 1.71 ERA as part of the Brewers rotation, and was still sent down. He’s not really struggling, either, as he has a 3.01 ERA in 68 2/3 innings in Triple A. Neither is Carlos Rodriguez, who has a 2.64 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP in Nashville.

What exactly are they waiting for? An opening. An opportunity to perform in MLB and compete for a ring with a big-league team. They have proven, time and time again, that they are major league-ready. So how can they get that chance?

There are two ways: trade a veteran, or trade one of those youngsters. The Brewers have already traded Civale to the White Sox, giving him a chance to start in the major leagues while giving Misiorowski his chance to shine for the Brewers. A similar deal might be required with either Cortes or Quintana, to keep space open for Priester and/or Patrick down the stretch.

 

Keep Them: They Can Wait Until Next Season
The performance of the arms in Triple A has been nothing but sensational. It can get very frustrating that they aren’t utilizing their talents and “wasting away” in the minors. This is especially true when all four of the guys performing well in Nashville are on the 40-man roster and have pitched at some point for Milwaukee this year. However, they will have plenty of opportunities to thrive in the 2026 season. I know it’s hard not to be a major part of a playoff team’s success, but the players blocking Patrick, Henderson and Myers are aging veterans who might not be with the team next season.

Of the starting pitchers that are on the roster, Quintana, Cortes, and very likely Woodruff are going to be free agents after this season. This will open opportunities for not only the boys in Triple A, but those like DL Hall and Aaron Ashby who can get another chance in the starting rotation come 2026.

This young wave of pitching will have four, five, and maybe six years of club control that will keep the team competitive for years to come. How the Sounds and Shuckers will look after those promotions will be determined. Otherwise, they can add arms to the farm system through the draft.

There are other ways to improve the team at the trade deadline. The Brewers have a deep farm system and could part ways with other prospects in hopes of succeeding both now and in this franchise’s future.

Trade Them: Veteran Contracts Are Expiring
Sure, the guys in the minors can wait a year, but what about the veteran arms? Sure, they give a team veteran leadership that can help groom the younger players for their careers. Ultimately, though, they're on the way out the door. Why not extract some value from them via trade?

Unlike Adames, keeping these veteran arms and letting them walk next year isn’t going to give them a draft pick. The only one who can be offered a qualifying offer is Cortes, and he hasn’t been healthy enough to earn a contract worth more than $20 million.

Isn’t this what small-market teams do: sell expensive contracts for something that’ll help their future? No one in the group will net them a huge haul, but they can shift resources to optimize their future.

Keep Them: They Are in the Playoff Hunt
Trading during contracts is always enticing for a small-market team. However, you can throw that out the window when they are in a playoff push.

The Brewers currently hold the second Wild Card spot and are only one game behind the Cubs in the NL Central. Their starting pitchers have a 3.39 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. As of now, the worst starting pitcher on the team is technically Cortes (9.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP), and that’s because he's only had two starts.

Even if the Brewers sell off those aging veterans, they are only going to get lottery-ticket prospects or fungible depth pieces. It's probably not worth even risking another 2022 situation, when a trade that sent a good player away from a contending team seemed to ripple negatively through the clubhouse.

Trading a fan favorite like Hader in 2022 confused the team, and the fan base turned on the front office. It pretty much set the tone for the rest of the season. Trading someone like Peralta (one of the few in this discussion who would bring back a major return) is a non-starter, for this and other reasons.

That doesn’t mean the Brewers aren’t going to trade Peralta next year. But with an $8 million club option, that is a bargain price compared to anything else in free agency.

Conclusion:
The Brewers don’t need to trade any of their starting pitchers to improve their batting order. However, they might have to use them in a trade package if they want a big bat. We'll see how willing they are to take some of the risks involved in compromising depth in one area to improve it in another.

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Will the Brewers trade one of their starting pitchers? What do you think the Brewers could get in return? What player would you like to see get traded to the Brewers? Let us know in the comments.

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[Trax]

A guy like Cortes I'd be looking to trade once he has established he's indeed healthy and productive.

I wouldn't give him away but obviously you're not going to get a lot.  A lower level young prospect the team was high on but didn't get a year or so ago the likely return.

As far as others I'd listen but depending on the player it would take the top of his value level, or with some beyond.  Just don't go out and give up a top prospect or two for a rental or old guy with a bad contract.  I like the present roster and we can win with it.

[endaround]

The Brewers should trade from their pitching but not from anyone on the major league roster or even the 40 man roster.  While the Brewers have a bunch of starters,  many have issues that may need another starter available to cover.

Peralta-OK

Woodford-Coming off injury and has already had some set backs while rehabbing

Cortes-Coming off injury and may never really be healthy anytime soon

Quintana-He is 36, velocity is already down form last year and any dead arm period would be a killer.

Patrick-Innings limit

Henderson-Innings limit

Misiorowski-innings limit

Priester-OK

Myers-OK

There are just so many ways in which the Brewers  could end up short on starters. Given they have a bunch of guys with options it doesn't make sense to move anyone.

Now there are a bunch of pitchers that could be moved: Letson, Yoho (if they aren't going to give him any innings in MLB not sure what the next steps are), Wichrowski, Crow, Meccage, Hardin, (Gasser probably isn't health enough right now). I am sure that list contains someone's favorite pitcher in the Brewer system, but these guys should be available and more replaceable given the Brewer's ability to produce pitchers.

 

 

[Brian]

On 7/14/2025 at 12:16 PM, Trax said:

A guy like Cortes I'd be looking to trade once he has established he's indeed healthy and productive.

I wouldn't give him away but obviously you're not going to get a lot.  A lower level young prospect the team was high on but didn't get a year or so ago the likely return.

As far as others I'd listen but depending on the player it would take the top of his value level, or with some beyond.  Just don't go out and give up a top prospect or two for a rental or old guy with a bad contract.  I like the present roster and we can win with it.

What a bust Cortes was, either the Yanks or Nestor or both sure pulled the wool over our eyes.  Hope he comes back and fools me with a great 2nd 1/2 of 2025.