The Top 105 Trade Candidates at MLB Trade Deadline, with Notes on Brewers Fits

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Mariners acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Diamondbacks Thursday night, thwarting Brewers fans who had started hoping for Naylor to be among the team's upgrades in the runup to the trade deadline. The good news is that there are still a great many deals left between now and next Thursday afternoon. To figure out where the Brewers might (and perhaps, where they should) turn next, here's a ranking of the 105 players I regard as most plausible trade candidates.

This is not meant to be an entirely exhaustive list, and it's not based on the likelihood of being dealt. Nor does it expressly bake in team control, although that's an indirect factor. The goal is to rank players from most to least impactful on the pursuit of a World Series in 2025. However, roster flexibility still matters to teams when they trade for players in such a pursuit, and salary is always a major constraint in trade considerations. The closer a player is to free agency, the less roster flexibility they're likely to offer, and the more money they are likely to be making. Thus, all else equal, players with more (affordable) team control will still crawl ahead of some who might be equal or better players.

For what it's worth, I would have ranked Naylor in the second half of the 20s on the list below. Maybe you'll vehemently disagree, with that or other rankings. Let's find out.

1. Joe Ryan, RHP, Twins

2. Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Diamondbacks: It would be uncharacteristic for the Brewers to trade a major haul for a rental player. That's what Suárez is, and it's what it would take to acquire him. That said, doesn't it feel like this year, this team, and this fit are unique? In such a case, maybe something uncharacteristic can fairly be expected.

3. Dylan Cease, RHP, Padres

4. Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Guardians

5. Jhoan Duran, RHP, Twins

6. Edward Cabrera, RHP, Marlins

7. Jacob deGrom, RHP, Rangers

8. Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, Rangers

9. MacKenzie Gore, LHP, Nationals

10. Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox

11. Seth Lugo, RHP, Royals

12. David Bednar, RHP, Pirates

13. Ryan O’Hearn, 1B/OF/DH, Orioles: Again, it would just be an engagement of a few months. Whereas Suárez is inciting a bidding war that will push the price tag up to an uncomfortable place, though, O'Hearn feels gettable. He'd be an utterly inarguable upgrade over Jake Bauers, and could make the worrying over whether Andrew Vaughn can keep this up or Rhys Hoskins can return at full strength largely moot. He'd also be good insurance against further injury to Sal Frelick, Christian Yelich, or William Contreras, in that he's a very capable DH who could fill in there when Hoskins or Vaughn is in the lineup.

14. Merrill Kelly, RHP, Diamondbacks

15. Kris Bubic, LHP, Royals

16. Sandy Alcántara, RHP, Marlins

17. Jesús Sánchez, RF, Marlins

18. Cade Smith, RHP, Guardians

19. Robert Suarez, RHP, Padres

20. Ryan Helsley, RHP, Cardinals

21. Griffin Jax, RHP, Twins

22. Willi Castro, UTIL, Twins: Talk about a guy who's a fit for almost everyone. Castro is a switch-hitter with power and some improved plate discipline. He brings a little speed and a lot of defensive versatility, and he's a plus-plus clubhouse guy. The price tag wouldn't be huge, and the upside could be; Castro can help all over the infield.

23. Drew Rasmussen, RHP, Rays

24. Taylor Ward, OF, Angels: Right-handed power is the top need for this team, and Ward offers it. Unlike Suárez, he doesn't play a position of apparent need for the team, but unlike Suárez, he's also under team control for 2026. The Angels front office is one the Brewers are comfortable working with, too.

25. Zac Gallen, RHP, Diamondbacks

26. Pete Fairbanks, RHP, Rays

27. Harrison Bader, OF, Twins

28. Carlos Santana, 1B, Guardians: If it's a dramatic improvement in defense at the cold corner you want, Santana brings it. He's been part of this team and clubhouse before. He's a solid veteran and switch-hitter. He'd be a low-grade addition, perhaps, but it'd be a joyous reunion, and he might shore up the defense a bit.

29. Sonny Gray, RHP, Cardinals

30. Ryan Jeffers, C, Twins

31. Yandy Díaz, 1B, Rays

32. Mitch Keller, RHP, Pirates

33. Ryan McMahon, 3B, Rockies: This remains an interesting potential fit, but it's not clear that the Brewers will want to allocate the amount of money owed to McMahon to a player like him for the next two-plus years. For that matter, it's still not clear that the Rockies will be willing to trade him.

34. Charlie Morton, RHP, Orioles

35. Trevor Larnach, OF, Twins

36. Cedric Mullins, OF, Orioles

37. Luis Severino, RHP, Athletics

38. Aaron Bummer, LHP, Team from Near Atlanta

39. Ramón Laureano, OF, Orioles

40. Kyle Freeland, LHP, Rockies

41. Zack Littell, RHP, Rays

42. Adrian Houser, RHP, White Sox

43. Danny Coulombe, LHP, Twins

44. John Schreiber, RHP, Royals: Two righty relievers in the middle of this list got significant bumps up on the basis of their roster flexibility. Schreiber is one. He can still be optioned to the minors, so though the team control isn't long-term and the sheer stuff is more seventh inning than ninth, he's a fantastic candidate to add to a team hoping that improved health will give them ample depth come September and October.

45. Anthony Bender, RHP, Marlins: Bender is the other guy who gets the "still optionable" bump here. Both guys would have been in the 50s, anyway, but it's important to have the ability to shuttle fresh arms into the roster late in a season, with a close race on for the division crown.

46. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Nationals: It's been a down year for Lowe, which opens the door a crack for the Brewers to buy low on him. His approach has gotten much worse; he usually controls the strike zone exceptionally well. Team Swing Decisions could probably fix that in a jiffy, and unlike O'Hearn, Lowe is under team control for 2026.

47. Carlos Estévez, RHP, Royals

48. Dennis Santana, RHP, Pirates

49. Brock Burke, LHP, Angels: There are few things the Brewers need less than another lefty reliever, but Burke (who's under team control for 2026, too) gets ground balls and has some interesting 'unlocks' lurking, as teams like to code such things. The Crew could target him and turn him into a slightly different, much better hitter in short order.

50. Adolis García, OF, Rangers: More right-handed power with team control for 2026, García also comes with some awesome postseason bona fides. He's having a down year, too, though, and it's not quite as clear as with Lowe that it would be a quick fix.

51. Michael Soroka, RHP, Nationals

52. Luis Robert Jr., OF, White Sox

53. Phil Maton, RHP, Cardinals

54. Andrew Kittredge, RHP, Orioles

55. Yoán Moncada, 3B, Angels: Over the winter, the Brewers were unwilling to make a medium-sized bet on the health and the needed skill recovery on which hinged any hope of a Moncada renaissance. Now, though, he's stayed healthy enough and enjoyed enough of that restoration to open some eyes. The Crew could make use of the both-sides pop he's shown in Anaheim.

56. Amed Rosario, IF, Nationals: An even lower-cost alternative to Moncada, Rosario also offers the ability to at least stop a short-term gap at shortstop, second base or in the outfield. He's not a natural platoon partner to Caleb Durbin and he can't play short with any regularity anymore, but Rosario would be a clear upgrade to the bench and a fine part-time contributor.

57. JoJo Romero, LHP, Cardinals

58. Gregory Soto, LHP, Orioles

59. Jose Quintana, LHP, Brewers: Hey, we know him!

60. Nestor Cortes, LHP, Brewers: Him too!

61. Taj Bradley, RHP, Rays

62. Pierce Johnson, RHP, Suburbanites

63. Jeffrey Springs, LHP, Athletics

64. Dane Myers, OF, Marlins

65. Randal Grichuk, OF, Diamondbacks

66. Brock Stewart, RHP, Twins

67. Kevin Ginkel, RHP, Diamondbacks

68. Sam Haggerty, OF, Rangers

69. Seranthony Dominguez, RHP, Orioles

70. JP Sears, LHP, Athletics

71. Kyle Finnegan, RHP, Nationals

72. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS, Pirates: While he doesn't offer the same impact or upside as Moncada or Rosario, Kiner-Falefa is a better fit for the Brewers than either of them. He could take over for Joey Ortiz and play shortstop as much as they want or need him to, down the stretch. He's a very good defender who also offers some versatility.

73. Jake Cronenworth, IF, Padres

74. Wandy Peralta, LHP, Padres

75. Tommy Pham, OF, Pirates

76. Zach Eflin, RHP, Orioles

77. Raisel Iglesias, RHP, Highwaymen

78. Jorge Soler, DH/OF, Angels

79. Josh Bell, 1B/DH, Nationals

80. Royce Lewis, 3B, Twins

81. Michael A. Taylor, OF, White Sox

82. Caleb Ferguson, LHP, Pirates

83. Mike Tauchman, OF, White Sox

84. Chris Paddack, RHP, Twins

85. Tyler Kinley, RHP, Rockies: The Brewers rescued one guy whose breaking ball they adored from the thin air of Coors Field, when they dealt for Nick Mears last year. Might they do it again, with the slider-spamming Kinley?

86. Kenley Jansen, RHP, Angels

87. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pirates

88. Miguel Andujar, 4C, Athletics: As unsexy as his profile is (impending free agent, poor defense, low walk rate and even less power), what Andujar does well, he does very well. Mostly, that means putting the ball in play, and using the middle of the field. The Brewers would probably like that bundle of skills, assuming it doesn't cost them much to acquire it.

89. Ramón Urías, 3B, Orioles: Both members of the Urías family can be found atop the Ideal Attack Angle leaderboard for MLB. Ramón is a below-average overall hitter, but his approach and contact profile fit what the Brewers like, and he'd provide Durbin insurance on the infield.

90. Luis Rengifo, IF, Angels

91. Austin Slater, OF, White Sox

92. Enyel De Los Santos, RHP, A Team from Georgia

93. Luis Urías, 2B, Athletics

94. Christian Vázquez, C, Twins

95. Ty France, 1B, Twins

96. Andrew Chafin, LHP, Nationals

97. Aaron Civale, RHP, White Sox: Civale is an intere.... gotcha.

98. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals

99. Andrew Heaney, LHP, Pirates

100. Jakob Junis, RHP, Guardians: If you're searching for a pitcher who can give you multiple innings per outing in the bullpen, you could do a lot wor.... gotcha again.

101. Kyle Hendricks, RHP, Angels

102. Sean Newcomb, LHP, Athletics

103. Tomoyuki Sugano, RHP, Orioles

104. Luis Garcia, RHP, Nationals

105. Tyler Anderson, LHP, Angels

The scary truth, of course, is that some players beyond even this very long list will be traded. On the other hand, many, many players on this list will not be dealt. The sole purpose here was to sketch out a hierarchy of possible targets, by situatiing them within the wider context of the market as a whole—not just what suits the needs or capacities of the Brewers.

View full article

[Brewer77]

I’m going to keep banging the drum for Willi Castro as the Jerry Hairston Jr of 2025

[Brian]

55 minutes ago, Brewer77 said:

I’m going to keep banging the drum for Willi Castro as the Jerry Hairston Jr of 2025

The Brewers seem to love multi-position players. 

[Ben Lepak]

1 hour ago, Brewer77 said:

I’m going to keep banging the drum for Willi Castro as the Jerry Hairston Jr of 2025

He's this year's Tyler Saladino!

[gregmag]

This is a heroic effort that brings out some less-discussed scenarios. Thank you!

[Jim French Stepstool]

O'Hearn might be the closest thing to a "move the needle" or "impact bat" (or whatever the latest cliche is) type of acquisition they might actually have a chance of pulling off. I believe it when I read that Arizona is asking for the moon for Suarez. I also think the ask for him may tick down a little next week but still would be too rich for our taste.

I love the Castro-Hairston comp. I'd certainly at least explore what Minnesota is thinking there.

It wouldn't surprise me if we A) wind up acquiring Kiner-Falefa and B) see it result in a hailstorm of protest.

[Snoebird]

12 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

O'Hearn might be the closest thing to a "move the needle" or "impact bat" (or whatever the latest cliche is) type of acquisition they might actually have a chance of pulling off. I believe it when I read that Arizona is asking for the moon for Suarez. I also think the ask for him may tick down a little next week but still would be too rich for our taste.

I love the Castro-Hairston comp. I'd certainly at least explore what Minnesota is thinking there.

It wouldn't surprise me if we A) wind up acquiring Kiner-Falefa and B) see it result in a hailstorm of protest.

I've been pushing for Castro and O'Hearn from the jump as replacements for Monasterio and Bauers. Robert Murray reports that the Brewers are also considering a backup catcher replacement for Haase. I would recommend Ryan Jeffers. He's done considerable damage against the Brewers, likes hitting at AmFam and, from my view in Twins Territory, would up his game in a pennant race. The Twins lack catchers in their system, so the Brewers likely would have to dangle Quero or Dinges in a trade for Castro and Jeffers. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, Snoebird said:

 The Twins lack catchers in their system, so the Brewers likely would have to dangle Quero or Dinges in a trade for Castro and Jeffers. 

I don't know if I buy the reports about their searching for a Haase replacement. But I don't want to deal either of our young backstops for those two. In that case I'd much rather roll with Haase & concentrate on Castro alone.

Jeffers would be a nice backup piece but there are bigger priorities IMO.

[wallus]

5 hours ago, Snoebird said:

The Twins lack catchers in their system, so the Brewers likely would have to dangle Quero or Dinges in a trade for Castro and Jeffers. 

Way too much for those guys. I'm okay with dealing Quero for a controllable player in a positional need.