Trading for Eugenio Suárez is What Brewers Hired Pat Murphy For

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

A team like the Milwaukee Brewers always has to be thinking beyond the season at hand. They always have to be working on player development, which means maintaining depth, exercising patience, and keeping lanes to playing time open for players under long-term team control. That comes with certain opportunity costs, but it's how a small-market team blossoms into a miniature dynasty. It's Matt Arnold's cross to bear—and Pat Murphy's, too.

This year, the dilemma that organizational setup is posing for the team comes in the form of Eugenio Suárez, who is positively perfect for a team lacking only right-handed power in the lineup on the champion's checklist. A free agent at year's end, Suárez looks like as good a fit as any team could ask for, when they already boast a young, cost-controlled core and have the best record in baseball. Alas, he plays third base—where the Brewers have benefited tremendously from the production of an ever-improving Caleb Durbin, the diminutive rookie whom they control through 2031. Adding Suárez would throw a roadblock in front of a key player who was the centerpiece of an offseason deal for the team's former relief ace, who has delivered huge value for them and embodies their whole philosophy and identity neatly.

On the other hand, this team has been around a long time, and they've never won the World Series. Not since 1982 have they had as good and clear a chance to change that, and there's no alternative acquisition who would advance those odds as well as Suárez would. That creates a quandary.

Here's where having Murphy in the manager's office should make the key difference for this team. Murphy demands that the Brewers play hard-nosed, take-what-they-can't-keep-from-you baseball. He trusts veterans more than young players, but demands the same energy and high-intensity play from those veterans that he can get from those youngsters. He's a tough-love skipper in the old-school mold, as he proved when he benched Joey Ortiz recently for a failure not to run out a ball or show up hours before a game, but to make the kind of high-caliber swing decisions he expects. He will bring young players along; he's proven that. He also won't coddle them, and as a result, everyone in that clubhouse already understands and expects him to treat them with the respect they earn—and no more. He's shown them that he won't unduly bend to the whims of the highest-paid players in the room, by often sitting Rhys Hoskins when he struggled last year and batting the respected veteran sixth even when he's hit well this season.

Murphy is willing to move players around defensively. He's willing to communicate, compassionately but bluntly, that certain players won't play every day, and to hold them to a high standard of preparation and performance, anyway. He's the perfect guy to manage the juggling act that will become necessary if this team lands Suárez.

Durbin would need to play second base against most left-handed starters. That's just fine; it's his best defensive position anyway. Brice Turang is easily replaceable in those situations, with a .273/.316/.327 line against them this year. Against righties, meanwhile, Durbin could find the odd day in the outfield, or (if Turang can slide to short, which Murphy doesn't want to do but is open to) at the expense of Joey Ortiz. He would lose playing time for the balance of this year, and he'd lose a lot of reps at third base, but that's how the game goes. Murphy is one of the best skippers you could ask for, if you needed to communicate that to a young player enjoying a low-grade breakout.

There's some emotional scar tissue in that room, but there's also a lot of solid leadership. Suárez, one of the game's more lovable players, would fit nicely there, and his personality would provide further insulation against friction. Murphy could make this work; it wouldn't derail or degrade Durbin's development. Meanwhile, the Brewers would become slightly more likely to finally make it back to the World Series for the first time in over 40 years. They'd be a powerhouse for the balance of this year, and their development pipeline would easily backfill the young pitchers they would have to trade to acquire Suárez. They're in a good position to strike, not only in terms of the strength of their farm system and their place in the standings, but based on how their manager has run the show over his first season and a half at the helm. They ought to leverage that.

 

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[Harold Hutchison]

A better solution? Include Ortiz in the package for Suarez, and have Turang slide to short for the rest of 2025, let Durbin handle second. The Crew doesn't give up as many young pitchers, 

I'd also package Brock Wilken in the mix - per MLB Pipeline, the Brewers still would have two Top 10 3B prospects at Double-A Biloxi (Luke Adams and Mike Boeve) after shipping Wilken off. As for pitching, send over Coleman Crow and Carlos Rodriguez, two young, high-level pitchers.

Brewers get: Suarez

D-Backs get: Ortiz, Wilken, Crow, Rodriguez

Or Suarez could play first base...

[Brian]

34 year old Eugenio Suárez's HR power:  7 home runs in last 7 games -  - what's the cost of prospects or Skrilla Stacks? 

Chicago Cubs have inquired about acquiring Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez ahead of the trade deadline. Suárez, a power hitter in the final year of his contract, is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Cubs, Yankees, and Mariners.  

Primary Position: Third base.  Secondary Position: First base. 

[SF70]

This is a year to spend prospect capital to improve the BL team with the bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs within reach. 
 

Agree the team has tons of organizational SP depth that they won’t miss. They also have tons of minor-league IF depth they also won’t miss.

Rental upgrades seems like the way to go. 1B-3B-utility IF-HL bullpen arm. Either or even all of them can be addressed without gutting the team’s minor-league system.

[Brewer77]

2 hours ago, Harold Hutchison said:

A better solution? Include Ortiz in the package for Suarez, and have Turang slide to short for the rest of 2025, let Durbin handle second. The Crew doesn't give up as many young pitchers, 

I'd also package Brock Wilken in the mix - per MLB Pipeline, the Brewers still would have two Top 10 3B prospects at Double-A Biloxi (Luke Adams and Mike Boeve) after shipping Wilken off. As for pitching, send over Coleman Crow and Carlos Rodriguez, two young, high-level pitchers.

Brewers get: Suarez

D-Backs get: Ortiz, Wilken, Crow, Rodriguez

Or Suarez could play first base...

If that’s what it takes to get Suarez then the bidding went fully off the rails

[Harold Hutchison]

24 minutes ago, Brewer77 said:

If that’s what it takes to get Suarez then the bidding went fully off the rails

A high price for a rental, yes. But Suarez may be enticed to stay for at least one more year, especially with a deep playoff run. 

[endaround]

5 minutes ago, Harold Hutchison said:

A high price for a rental, yes. But Suarez may be enticed to stay for at least one more year, especially with a deep playoff run. 

No he won't and the Brewers aren't going to spend money on him.

[Brewer77]

17 minutes ago, Harold Hutchison said:

A high price for a rental, yes. But Suarez may be enticed to stay for at least one more year, especially with a deep playoff run. 

Highly unlikely. He’s 34 and in the middle of a career year. He’s going to be looking for that final contract and price himself out of Milwaukee 

[Underachiever]

The Dodgers added six players at the deadline last year. SIX! Did they fret and worry about fragile clubhouse chemistry or did they just try to make the team better? I’m so tired of hearing about chemistry. Make the moves to make the team better.

[Devinep]

Suárez has never played 1B but he’s a bigger,slower infielder so I wonder if he would fill in there also. And that would relieve some of the “where will Durbin get AB’s?” Concerns 

[Team Canada]

Does whoever trades for Suarez get to extend a QO?

[Turning2]

Any talk of trading a prospect capable of slugging 25-30+HRs annually should be illegal. MIL is dying of thirst for a home grown power bat. Wilken K's a lot, but if you think he can hit. 225ish with 35 HRs, you don't trade that away. 

If they went hot for Suarez, maybe Meyers, either Made or Pena, and Black. AZ gets major league ready / experienced, controllable SP, a top SS prospect and guy who needs a chance to latch on with someone at the top level. I like Black, but he just doesn't have a position in MIL. AZ might give him a shot at 1B if Naylor is gone after '25 or traded at the deadline. 

The mention of Made might seem odd after my thoughts on Wilken, but he's years away from MIL. He could always wash out yet. Plus they would still have Pratt and Pena. 

[OldHeidelberg]

I think Suarez value may be comparable to Machado in 2018 who we were all interested in at the time. Machado was younger and more highly regarded but Eugenio's big season probably makes up the difference. Looking back Dodgers gave up 5 prospects including a top 100 guy in Yusniel Diaz. he didn't pan out but Baltimore has gotten 5 WAR out of Dean Kramer. We didn't have the prospect depth the Dodgers did back then but we could easily come up a package that matches that. Ideally, Zona wants a controlled advanced SP and Myers, Henderson, or Gasser could be the big piece of the trade. That may be the advantage we have over other suiters.

It's 2 months, I don't really think Durbin is an issue. He will still get playing time and will be back next year.

[wallus]

14 minutes ago, Team Canada said:

Does whoever trades for Suarez get to extend a QO?

No

[Team Canada]

2 minutes ago, Turning2 said:

The mention of Made might seem odd after my thoughts on Wilken, but he's years away from MIL

It does, and Made could easily be the #1 prospect in all of baseball next year.  "Years away" may only be 2 years. That's not that far.

[Jake McKibbin]

22 minutes ago, Team Canada said:

Does whoever trades for Suarez get to extend a QO?

Can't extend a QO to anyone acquired during their final year of control.

That being said, given Arizona are still in the hunt and would be losing that QO, that may factor into their valuation of him

[Turning2]

4 minutes ago, Team Canada said:

It does, and Made could easily be the #1 prospect in all of baseball next year.  "Years away" may only be 2 years. That's not that far.

Maybe not preferable, but with the competition for Suarez, it's going to be costly. It's natural to want to rank prospects, but it's no guarantee they measure up to expectations. Not saying this is the trade I want, but just that it might take something on that level, pain for the gain. 

[endaround]

54 minutes ago, Turning2 said:

Maybe not preferable, but with the competition for Suarez, it's going to be costly. It's natural to want to rank prospects, but it's no guarantee they measure up to expectations. Not saying this is the trade I want, but just that it might take something on that level, pain for the gain. 

And Suarez could easily turn into what he has been for the majority of his career, a solid but far from Aaron Judge type bat. Most projections have him worth about 1.5 wins the rest of the season. Let's say he is having a special season and add on another win. So 2.5 wins and he's has  a salary of about $7 million remaining. At $9 million a win, he has an excess value of $15.5 million.  That is a FV 45+ and a FV 45 prospect with a FV 40 or FV 35+ added.  So fair value might be Payne, Gassear, and Boeve.  That third piece is where you can add some more value to meet a bidding war (Crow, Yoho, Quintanta instead).  Anyone in the Brewer top 5 or so prospects is a heavy overpay.

[Turning2]

40 minutes ago, endaround said:

And Suarez could easily turn into what he has been for the majority of his career, a solid but far from Aaron Judge type bat. Most projections have him worth about 1.5 wins the rest of the season. Let's say he is having a special season and add on another win. So 2.5 wins and he's has  a salary of about $7 million remaining. At $9 million a win, he has an excess value of $15.5 million.  That is a FV 45+ and a FV 45 prospect with a FV 40 or FV 35+ added.  So fair value might be Payne, Gassear, and Boeve.  That third piece is where you can add some more value to meet a bidding war (Crow, Yoho, Quintanta instead).  Anyone in the Brewer top 5 or so prospects is a heavy overpay.

Agreed, it's a gamble. Suarez could come in at a high cost of resources and flop miserably. If they would take Payne, Gasser and Boeve or Quintana, I think you have a heart attack racing to make that trade. (And I like all those players). You could start with that offer, but with deep pockets also in the mix, the ante is probably going to be raised.

[MattK]

1 hour ago, endaround said:

And Suarez could easily turn into what he has been for the majority of his career, a solid but far from Aaron Judge type bat. Most projections have him worth about 1.5 wins the rest of the season. Let's say he is having a special season and add on another win. So 2.5 wins and he's has  a salary of about $7 million remaining. At $9 million a win, he has an excess value of $15.5 million.  That is a FV 45+ and a FV 45 prospect with a FV 40 or FV 35+ added.  So fair value might be Payne, Gassear, and Boeve.  That third piece is where you can add some more value to meet a bidding war (Crow, Yoho, Quintanta instead).  Anyone in the Brewer top 5 or so prospects is a heavy overpay.

It sure seems 2026 major league ready pitching is one of the Crew's strengths, and depth.  If Suarez is the big piece to acquire this week, shouldn't 2 or even 3 of Gasser, Myers, Crow, Henderson, Carlos Rodriguez, etc ... be the main part of the deal, with maybe a lower minor leaguer (Quintana) as a cherry?  Would hate to see them trading not out of their depth, and prefer to keep as many prospect upside guys around as possible, 

[Tdog2433]

Why can't we get rid of one of these older SP & bring Patrick back up & then you have a lot less money out there on that mound and comparable pitcher to boot.   Possibly trade Patrick if you're not going to use him...... he's not getting younger & he is or was regarded as a possible ROY candidate 

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 minute ago, Tdog2433 said:

Why can't we get rid of one of these older SP & bring Patrick back up & then you have a lot less money out there on that mound and comparable pitcher to boot.   Possibly trade Patrick if you're not going to use him...... he's not getting younger & he is or was regarded as a possible ROY candidate 

Subtracting pitching and contending is a dangerous game to play. One injury, you're sweating. Two injuries, you're suddenly in trouble.

There's always the offseason to sort this out.

[Rick Daltons Flamethrower]

I am a little late to the party but your article Matty True was right on target. Not sure what it would take to get Suarez but this is the year to be aggressive at the trade deadline. Sounds like he would also be a great addition to the clubhouse. Your take on having a coach like Pat Murphy hit the bullseye. Super article!  

[TURBO]

On 7/23/2025 at 8:25 AM, Harold Hutchison said:

A high price for a rental, yes. But Suarez may be enticed to stay for at least one more year, especially with a deep playoff run. 

Nah, money talks.  He'll be long gone by 2026 opening day, to think otherwise is just fooling yourself.

[BrewerFan]

On 7/23/2025 at 10:28 AM, Turning2 said:

Any talk of trading a prospect capable of slugging 25-30+HRs annually should be illegal. MIL is dying of thirst for a home grown power bat. Wilken K's a lot, but if you think he can hit. 225ish with 35 HRs, you don't trade that away. 

If they went hot for Suarez, maybe Meyers, either Made or Pena, and Black. AZ gets major league ready / experienced, controllable SP, a top SS prospect and guy who needs a chance to latch on with someone at the top level. I like Black, but he just doesn't have a position in MIL. AZ might give him a shot at 1B if Naylor is gone after '25 or traded at the deadline. 

The mention of Made might seem odd after my thoughts on Wilken, but he's years away from MIL. He could always wash out yet. Plus they would still have Pratt and Pena. 

No, not a shot. 

And sure he may be "years" away from Milwaukee. I'd expect him to move up to HiA this year. Maybe start in HiA next year and then move to AA next and...once you hit AA, you're on the verge, but probably 2 years away. 

You don't trade players like Pena or Made for a rental. 

On 7/23/2025 at 10:28 AM, Turning2 said:

Any talk of trading a prospect capable of slugging 25-30+HRs annually should be illegal. MIL is dying of thirst for a home grown power bat. Wilken K's a lot, but if you think he can hit. 225ish with 35 HRs, you don't trade that away. 

And this is how you started this post. So Wilken is off the table, but Made(or Pena who some have ranked even higher) is? 

Made is a home grown power bat... at SS who walks and steals bases. 

This is like trading Chourio 3 years ago. Just a non-starter for 2 months of a guy who performing well above his career norms.

Hell, If Aaron Judge was available... I probably wouldn't trade Jesus Made or Luis Pena(I'd definitely trade Wilken or Adams). 

But there's a direct contradiction here. It's just an issue of impatience on your part. Wilken...AA(though out for the year) and Made in LowA. Not a good way to determine value.