Ranking Milwaukee Brewers Trade Targets at Shortstop and Third Base

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © David Frerker-Imagn Images

It's been a very uneven season for Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz—so much so that, despite early patience from the team and a resurgence that briefly rewarded it, manager Pat Murphy benched Ortiz for an unacceptable approach at the plate in the week before the All-Star break. Caleb Durbin's trajectory seems to be more stable, and he's batting .308/.400/.421 since June 1, but don't overlook his splits. Against right-handed pitchers, Durbin is still hitting just .232/.329/.316 this year, and even that is propped up by 11 times being hit by pitches. That skill is likely to stick around for him, but it's not enough to make him a good hitter against right-handed hurlers. His .921 OPS against southpaws is disguising a real vulnerability there, and his ideal role might be as a platoon partner for Brice Turang and a utility man.

Therefore, you can't go far lately without hearing Brewers fans discussing the possibility of a trade before this month's MLB trade deadline to bring in a superior infield option for the team. Now that they trail the Chicago Cubs by just one game in the NL Central and are one of the best teams on the senior circuit, the urgency and interest of those conversations have only risen. To clarify the banter a bit, here are the 12 players who could feasibly be on Matt Arnold's radar in the coming fortnight, ranked from most to least desirable as Brewers targets.

1. Maikel García - IF - Kansas City Royals
This would be one of those moonshot trades, the likes of which I've already begged the Brewers to do this month. The cost would be astronomical—but so could the returns on investment be. García, 25, has four and a half years of team control left, though he'll be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two guy in 2026. He's an American League All-Star this year, so named after batting .297/.354/.454 in 386 plate appearances in the first half. He has 25 doubles, three triples and eight home runs this year, and although he's been much less efficient on the bases this year than when he stole 37 bags in 39 tries in 2024, he can have an impact on the bases, too. A right-handed batter, his bat speed is up this year, and he's lifting it more, but the swing decisions have come a long way in a short time. His 13.5% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate are each the best of his career, and would be the best of many people's.

Defensively, the fit would be perfect. García is a perfectly competent shortstop who (thanks to his more famous and higher-paid teammate, Bobby Witt Jr.) plays third base for the Royals instead. That, along with the fact that García will start making real money next season and get expensive before he reaches free agency, is why he could be pried away from Kansas City, if the price is right. It would also allow him to slide gorgeously into the fluid left side of the Milwaukee infield, playing lots of short but (if Ortiz isn't involved in the deal, which he might well be) sometimes sliding over to the hot corner, too. Yes, the cost would be huge, but García is a great fit for the team and would be a long-term addition.

2. Josh Smith - UTIL - Texas Rangers
Same song, different verse. Smith is older (28 next month), one year closer to free agency, and not a Super Two guy, and he bats left-handed, rather than right. Everything else about García is largely true of Smith, though, from the Rangers not being able to play him at shortstop—they have 325 million reasons to let Corey Seager age as slowly as possible—to the improving contact skills. Smith doesn't hit the ball as hard as García does, but at .277/.353/.416, he's a well-rounded hitter. He's also a versatile fielder, and the fact that his best spot is third base works perfectly. He has an .845 OPS against righties this year but has scuffled against lefties; he'd become a medium-term not-quite-everyday infielder and a partner to Durbin for the balance of 2025.

Again, the price tag would be big, but Smith is a plug-and-play upgrade to the roster and his style suits the Brewers' well.

3. Ryan McMahon - 3B - Colorado Rockies
This potential fit has been talked to death, so I won't rehash it here. You can find a full breakdown of what makes him intriguing, despite his rough numbers for the worst team ever, here. For now, suffice it to say that McMahon would offer two and a half years of control, with the ability to slide over to first base if his bat plays the way I think it would with the Brwwers. If not (or if the need is just so much more pronounced at third that such a move is unthinkable), he'd certainly be a good balance for Durbin, just as Smith would. His contract would keep the price in young talent low. McMahon is also a tremendous defender, underrated in some circles. That counts for a lot, where the Brewers are concerned.

4. Eugenio Suárez - 3B - Arizona Diamondbacks
All three of the players above him on this list are plus defenders. All three come with multiple years of team control. Suárez is an impending free agent who can just barely stick at the hot corner. That should make him less appealing than each of the above, but also than some of those below him here. On the other hand: think about all those dingers.

Suárez would deliver a dynamic that this team is sorely lacking. He hits for power no one on the team can match, and unlike any of the three above him, you could confidently slot him in third or fourth for the balance of the season without worrying at all about it. He's also a righty batter who hits righty hurlers better than lefties, so if Murphy is nimble and willing, he could swap him out for Durbin whenever the team faces a lefty and grab an extra iota of tactical value for his team.

It's not yet clear that the Diamondbacks are willing to move even their rental players, but that feels more likely than not. Suárez probably won't fetch an exorbitant return, but that's precisely why the Brewers should be interested in jumping in.

5. Isiah Kiner-Falefa - IF - Pittsburgh Pirates
I feel pretty certain that García could still be an above-average shortstop, if given that job on a regular basis. That's not a consensus opinion, though, and Smith has shown himself to be stretched at short. Among players who will be available this month, the one who looks most clearly likely to be a plus defender at short is Kiner-Falefa, who's also much better than average at putting the ball in play at the plate. He's a good runner, too. He utterly lacks power, which makes him a bit redundant for this roster, but his floor is higher than those of either Ortiz or Durbin, and his ceiling is much better than that of Andruw Monasterio. Pittsburgh is almost certain to trade Kiner-Falefa somewhere in the second half of this month; it wouldn't cost much to ensure that that 'somewhere' is Milwaukee.

6. José Tena - 3B - Washington Nationals
The Nationals optioned Tena, 24, to Triple A in mid-June, for reasons not entirely clear to anyone. He'd batted .267/.366/.400 over the previous month when he was sent down, and he's raked to the tune of .293/.398/.453 for Rochester. A lefty batter who struggles to generate power and catches the ball very deep in the hitting zone, Tena makes up for the lack of pop by hitting line drives and making good swing decisions. He's not a great defender at third, but he'd be a neat complementary piece for the Brewers—and he'll have five more years of team control even after this season. This is an opportunity for a kind of prospect-for-prospect challenge trade, only the Brewers probably see what the Nationals seem not to: that Tena is ready to be more than a prospect even down the stretch in 2025.

7. Yoán Moncada - 3B - Los Angeles Angels
The second half of this list gets briefer treatment, for now, than the first half. Moncada is a good example of why. When healthy, this year, he's been a strong hitter, with a .231/.326/.479 line and seven home runs in just 36 games. The volume is more telling than the intensity, though. It's risky to acquire a player to stop a gap down the stretch when they have a track record of being unavailable for long stretches, and doubly so if (as Moncada will) they hit free agency at the end of the season.

8. Royce Lewis - 3B - Minnesota Twins
Don't overlook the possibility that the Twins will shake up their inconsistent, oft-injured core this summer by trading Lewis (and others). He's had a bad year at the plate, even between two stints on the injured list with hamstring strains, and he's very much a project. On the other hand, unlike Moncada, he offers team control within which to complete that project and the upside of youth.

9. Amed Rosario - IF - Washington Nationals
At 29 years old, Rosario looks like he ate the lithe early-20s shortstop he was as a rookie for lunch. That's not meant derogatorily, though. He's blossomed into a solid hitter, especially this season, with a faster and steeper swing that's creating more damage without sacrificing contact. He belongs at third base, now, but would be a fine contributor there. The frustration of this deal would lie in admitting that the team just should have signed him when he was freely available this winter.

10. Jordan Lawlar - IF - Arizona Diamondbacks
Want to go find a shortstop being crowded out of their team's picture and in need of a fresh start, the way the Brewers did with Willy Adames in 2021? The analogous opportunity in 2025 is Lawlar, who keeps being called up for unsuccessful half-cups of coffee and then sent back to Triple-A Reno, where he ruthlessly lays waste to minor-league arms. If Arizona does trade Suárez, of course, it will open the hot corner for Lawlar, but perhaps the team will choose to retain (and perhaps attempt to re-sign) Suárez, instead. In that case, even as Lawlar convalesces from a late-June hamstring strain, the Brewers should check in on his price.

11. Ramón Urías - IF - Baltimore Orioles
Yes, he's just Luis's brother, and yes, Luis Urías is having a better year. However, the Brewers' final two months with Luis in the organization were a bit awkward, and that might not be a reunion either side wants. Instead, the Crew could target Ramón, who is a solid defender at third and a tolerable one at second or first; commands the strike zone fairly well at the plate; and has a year of team control left after this year.

12. Lenyn Sosa - IF - Chicago White Sox
Last but not least, there's Sosa, a personal cheeseball of mine whose offensive skill set I think some team other than the White Sox will be happy they unlocked in a year or two. He doesn't have star-caliber upside; he's too sloppy for that. His strike zone is erratic and his defense can be, too. However, he also has a career-high nine homers already this year, in less than full playing time. He's hitting the ball harder and lifting it more, and a smart new team could boost those trends by cleaning up some swing decisions. The Brewers, as ever, are a good candidate to make such a player better.

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Who's your favorite target for Milwaukee this July? Which of these rankings looks wrong to you? Let us know in the comments.

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[Brian]

Colorado's Ryan McMahon is a bum and he is your #3 pick? Good D but can't hit a lick. 

[CheezWizHed]

I tend to lean towards the long-term fixes instead of the rentals.  If we are able to swing Lawlar and Smith, that would go a long way to fixing our infield. 

[Ben Lepak]

For the life of me, I can't understand people's infatuation with Ryan McMahon. He's slashing .189/.265/.324 away from Coors this season. Know who that sounds like? Joey Ortiz

Not to mention he's owed $16M/year for two more years yet. That would make him the second highest paid player on the Brewers for the next two seasons. For a team that tried to unload Hoskins's similarly priced contract all offseason, you think they're gonna take on $32M for a 84 OPS+ hitter?  Yikes

And before anyone suggests giving up MORE prospects for MEHcMahon in order for the Rox to eat part of that salary, I'd remind you that Colorado already looked foolish with how they handled the Arenado trade. I don't think any team is going to persuade them to eat say, $20M for some back end of the top 30 prospects. 

Do not let this happen

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm not ready to relegate Durbin to a career platoon player at 2B.  He's a 2.0 WAR player in less than 100 games in the major leagues.  Though he's short, he uses that to his advantage, plus he's got the build of a power hitter and I think he's a 15-20 homer guy in the next couple years.  If they were to add Suarez, I think Yelich plays more in the outfield down the stretch and Durbin still is a big part of the team, There's also this thing called the "clutch gene", that some of us still believe in and Durbin has it in spades.

[Brian]

21 hours ago, Ben Lepak said:

For the life of me, I can't understand people's infatuation with Ryan McMahon. He's slashing .189/.265/.324 away from Coors this season. Know who that sounds like? Joey Ortiz

Not to mention he's owed $16M/year for two more years yet. That would make him the second highest paid player on the Brewers for the next two seasons. For a team that tried to unload Hoskins's similarly priced contract all offseason, you think they're gonna take on $32M for a 84 OPS+ hitter?  Yikes

And before anyone suggests giving up MORE prospects for MEHcMahon in order for the Rox to eat part of that salary, I'd remind you that Colorado already looked foolish with how they handled the Arenado trade. I don't think any team is going to persuade them to eat say, $20M for some back end of the top 30 prospects. 

Do not let this happen

This is at least the second article on getting him and agree 100% if you can't hit at Coors where the ball hardly moves and fly's further than anywhere else, you won't hit in Milwaukee either. 

[keephopealive]

Bregman not even a consideration for the article?

[Brian]

20 hours ago, keephopealive said:

Bregman not even a consideration for the article?

Alex Bregman Signing New Contract with Red Sox. 

[Brian]

Caleb Durbin stats last 30 games. 

Duration	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Last 7 Games	20	2	6	0	1	2	1	0	.300	.417	.350
Last 15 Games	43	7	16	0	3	6	4	2	.372	.471	.419
Last 30 Games	92	20	30	2	10	11	13	3	.326	.422	.413

 

 

[tmwiese55]

To the Durbin talk, with several of the names being 3B I think the idea would be Turang to SS and Durbin being the primary 2B.  Certain guys on the list could provide a lot of mixing and matching, but the general idea would be that Ortiz is the one pushed out

[Team Canada]

1 hour ago, Brian said:

Alex Bregman on Signing New Contract with Red Sox. 

If this was intended to be a link, it's not.

[ghostdrew]

3 hours ago, Ben Lepak said:

For the life of me, I can't understand people's infatuation with Ryan McMahon. He's slashing .189/.265/.324 away from Coors this season. Know who that sounds like? Joey Ortiz

Not to mention he's owed $16M/year for two more years yet. That would make him the second highest paid player on the Brewers for the next two seasons. For a team that tried to unload Hoskins's similarly priced contract all offseason, you think they're gonna take on $32M for a 84 OPS+ hitter?  Yikes

And before anyone suggests giving up MORE prospects for MEHcMahon in order for the Rox to eat part of that salary, I'd remind you that Colorado already looked foolish with how they handled the Arenado trade. I don't think any team is going to persuade them to eat say, $20M for some back end of the top 30 prospects. 

Do not let this happen

Don't you think as with the Vaughn pickup that Ryan McMahon would benifit with a change of location and look at his 4 years before20 plus homers 80 rbi  n a .240 BA great defender at 3rd 

[Matthew Trueblood]

3 hours ago, keephopealive said:

Bregman not even a consideration for the article?

Yeah, Bregman's not going anywhere. 

4 hours ago, Ben Lepak said:

For the life of me, I can't understand people's infatuation with Ryan McMahon. He's slashing .189/.265/.324 away from Coors this season. Know who that sounds like? Joey Ortiz

Not to mention he's owed $16M/year for two more years yet. That would make him the second highest paid player on the Brewers for the next two seasons. For a team that tried to unload Hoskins's similarly priced contract all offseason, you think they're gonna take on $32M for a 84 OPS+ hitter?  Yikes

And before anyone suggests giving up MORE prospects for MEHcMahon in order for the Rox to eat part of that salary, I'd remind you that Colorado already looked foolish with how they handled the Arenado trade. I don't think any team is going to persuade them to eat say, $20M for some back end of the top 30 prospects. 

Do not let this happen

For the life of ME, I can't figure understand people's lack of vision with regard to McMahon as a post-Rockies reclamation project who can be acquired cheaply. So I guess we're at an impasse. 😄

Bat speed's way up this year. Lifting the ball, pulling the ball, lifting the ball to the pull field way more than ever before. Great patience at the plate, extreme combination of fluid athleticism and soft hands at third. Swing-and-miss is an issue, but not an insurmountable one. Dude's had some success in the big leagues and is trapped in the worst org in baseball. Rescuing him would be a good idea.

[Joseph Zarr]

6 minutes ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

 

For the life of ME, I can't figure understand people's lack of vision with regard to McMahon as a post-Rockies reclamation project who can be acquired cheaply. So I guess we're at an impasse. 😄

Have you thought of what Greggory might think? That could give you pause. 

On second thought, no. That further solidifies the soundness of your thinking. I take it all back.

[Brian]

1 hour ago, ghostdrew said:

Don't you think as with the Vaughn pickup that Ryan McMahon would benifit with a change of location and look at his 4 years before20 plus homers 80 rbi  n a .240 BA great defender at 3rd 

No I don't because Colorado is the easiest place to hit hands down. Also, the hardest place to pitch with the thin air. 

[Ben Lepak]

2 hours ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

Yeah, Bregman's not going anywhere. 

For the life of ME, I can't figure understand people's lack of vision with regard to McMahon as a post-Rockies reclamation project who can be acquired cheaply. So I guess we're at an impasse. 😄

Bat speed's way up this year. Lifting the ball, pulling the ball, lifting the ball to the pull field way more than ever before. Great patience at the plate, extreme combination of fluid athleticism and soft hands at third. Swing-and-miss is an issue, but not an insurmountable one. Dude's had some success in the big leagues and is trapped in the worst org in baseball. Rescuing him would be a good idea.

Acquired cheaply? Ok, mayyybe in terms of prospect capital, tho if that we're the case why hasn't he already been moved in any of the last few seasons? Then the not cheap part - pay him $16M a year (in addition to what he's owed yet this year) for two years. That's basically going to amount to the Brewers' prized free agent acquisition for the next two years. And you suggest losing his defensive value by moving him to first or balancing (platooning?) him at third with Durbin?

Sorry, I don't see the Brewers ponying up that kinda money for a guy who has been, at best, a league average hitter in 9 years. The Brewers have corner infield prospects who'll arrive during McMahon's contract. They need a rental, not an expensive roll of the dice based on hope. Gimme IKF if we want a glove-first mediocre bat. He better fits the Brewers' most glaring need at SS too.

[Turning2]

MIL needs a power hitter for a serious pennant chase and WS championship. Period. There is only one obvious choice on that list. I would trade his lacking defense at 3B for 20 HRs in the back half of the season. But that is only IF I thought they should go in that big. Not sure I do. Depends on the prospect cost for a 3 month rental. Everyone other than Saurez is either a move mostly trying to upgrade for 2026, or not a serious upgrade (McMahon shouldn't even be in the discussion). They can probably only afford , or have the will to make one big upgrade. It's pretty much Suarez from that list. None of the SS options have the power to make enough difference in my view. 

[Terry]

IKF is just a luckier version of Joey Ortiz, but with a worse glove. Tbh I'll be extremely disappointed if that's the trade deadline acqusition. Also not sure why we're still using road numbers to evaluate Rockies' player performance, despite the hangover effect being mentioned time and time again as the ball move differently.

McMahon didn't get moved in previous seasons because he specifically told GM he wanted to stay in Denver because of his daughter and wife.

[Ben Lepak]

53 minutes ago, Terry said:

IKF is just a luckier version of Joey Ortiz, but with a worse glove. Tbh I'll be extremely disappointed if that's the trade deadline acqusition. Also not sure why we're still using road numbers to evaluate Rockies' player performance, despite the hangover effect being mentioned time and time again as the ball move differently.

McMahon didn't get moved in previous seasons because he specifically told GM he wanted to stay in Denver because of his daughter and wife.

I’m not advocating for IKF, but if you ask me which guy I prefer, gimme the one that costs 1/10 the price of McMahon and there’s no commitment to beyond this year. He also fills a bigger hole. I think everyone can agree SS is the Brewers’ biggest need. They need to move on from Ortiz.

If the Brewers are trying to upgrade third, I'm with @Turning2 on wanting Suarez, tho Shane Smith just hit him last night. Curious to see what the return is for his bat. Suarez is the only hitter who we can count on to supply power to this lineup. However, Durbin has been good lately, so that’s tough to do to him. I’m not taking a gamble on McMahon mayyybe potentiallyyyy being an upgrade over Durbin at McMahon’s salary. Brewers are cheap and will have other players to pay.

[Terry]

3 minutes ago, Ben Lepak said:

I’m not advocating for IKF, but if you ask me which guy I prefer, gimme the one that costs 1/10 the price of McMahon and there’s no commitment to beyond this year. He also fills a bigger hole. I think everyone can agree SS is the Brewers’ biggest need. They need to move on from Ortiz.

If the Brewers are trying to upgrade third, I'm with @Turning2 on wanting Suarez, tho Shane Smith just hit him last night. Curious to see what the return is for his bat. Suarez is the only hitter who we can count on to supply power to this lineup. However, Durbin has been good lately, so that’s tough to do to him. I’m not taking a gamble on McMahon mayyybe potentiallyyyy being an upgrade over Durbin at McMahon’s salary. Brewers are cheap and will have other players to pay.

Sure move on from Ortiz and turn to a guy with worse underlying numbers both offense and defense wise.

[Ben Lepak]

8 minutes ago, Terry said:

Sure move on from Ortiz and turn to a guy with worse underlying numbers both offense and defense wise.

Sure, underlying metrics are nice. They’re like a warranty on brake pads tho

[Turning2]

23 minutes ago, Ben Lepak said:

However, Durbin has been good lately, so that’s tough to do to him. I’m not taking a gamble on McMahon mayyybe potentiallyyyy being an upgrade over Durbin at McMahon’s salary. Brewers are cheap and will have other players to pay.

Rewarding an improving player who has been pretty good lately with less playing time does seem backwards, but it happens. Durbin has earned his spot as the roster currently exists, but trades alter the roster makeup obviously. If Contreras wasn't having a down year, he might be hanging around 12 HRs. If Mitchell was available and producing as expected he might be be contributing 10-15 HRs by this point. If Rhys wasn't having a down power year, he might be around 16. If those things were so, I'd be quite content leaving Durbin at 3B for the time being. But we know the reality. True, they are winning without all that power currently, but I wouldn't count on that continuing when Oct rolls around. Regardless, I'm fine if they don't upgrade at 3B too.

[Outlander]

McMahon has been a below average hitter his entire career, not going to change now. Plus he makes way too much money, just not going to happen with the Brewers. Could potentially see a Josh Smith deal being made and the type of player the Brewers would go after with years of control. More difficult to pry Garcia from the Royals. Probably too much competition for Suárez.

[PBTank]

Josh Smith has been a player I would like to see them acquire for a while now.  At worst, he's a platoon partner for Durbin.  I'd rather have him on the roster than Mona.  

 

I'm sure it would have to be pitching going to the Rangers.  Not sure if it would have to include someone like Myers or if they could go a little deeper into the prospect pool.

[Snoebird]

I'll stick to my call of the Twins' Willi Castro, a 2024 all-star, to replace Monasterio and provide tremendous versatility, and the Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn, a 2025 all-star, to replace Bauers and provide left-handed slugging from first base, DH, PH and a corner outfield.