Question of the week: Name your preferred trade candidate!

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm working on creating more integrated content with our userbase, so I'm trying different stuff. Something I'd like to hear is each of your preferred trade targets this July. Just list one, and please keep it reasonable (or rationalize your insanity, if that's even possible).

So, who is "your guy" this July?

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

Freddy Peralta (just to watch heads explode)

we roll with some combo of Miz, Harrison, Patrick, Henderson in the playoffs….

but Peralta replacing Sproat or Gasser gets us the 1 seed.

plug in Jett, Pratt, and Lockridge and I think we clean up the black holes in our lineup.

[owbc]

20 minutes ago, TwinsBrewersWorldSeries said:

Freddy Peralta (just to watch heads explode)

we roll with some combo of Miz, Harrison, Patrick, Henderson in the playoffs….

but Peralta replacing Sproat or Gasser gets us the 1 seed.

plug in Jett, Pratt, and Lockridge and I think we clean up the black holes in our lineup.

That would be objectively hilarious. 

Joe Ryan is mine. It would be Skubal but I think he might go ahead of the deadline and we are more concerned about October than getting more regular season starts. 

I think we have enough trade capital to get a TOR starter without sacrificing future success. Additionally, it serves as a de facto bullpen upgrade for the postseason. 

There are a couple outfielders with a few years of control that also intrigue me, especially someone like Kerry Carpenter who was a postseason god last year. 

[liveforoctober]

I understand we are just speculating - but it might be a really weird trade deadline year. Lockout looming in the background ... but more importantly the AL is underperforming so wildly that a team like the Red Sox (currently 9 games under .500) are only 4 games out of a wild card spot. The entire American League will probably still think they are in it well into summer..

[cragi]

skubal

[nate82]

Highly unlikely but if Witt becomes available that is the only player I would go after.  Unfortunately the next best player Yordan Alvarez plays a position that we already have a bunch of players at DH (Contreras, Yelich, Bauers, Vaughn and Sanchez).  Now a few could be removed and wouldn't be missed but Yelich is a DH only at this point in his career unless you want to see him on the IL a lot.  

Another possibility in Buxton but like Yelich is probably more of a DH going forward.  So no fit there either.  

I don't like Abrams so going to pass on him.

Duran looks horrible in Boston like Keston Hiura bad, he would be an improvement over Frelick but only a slight improvement.  The best offer I would give the Red Sox for Duran would be something like Wilken straight up for Duran.  This offer would get rejected by the Red Sox but I just don't see the value in trading for Duran who looks like his 2024 season was just a fluke.  Duran gives me Bill Hall vibes and I liked Hall.  

Sandy Alcantara probably makes the most sense for the Brewers and I don't think he will cost an elite prospect to get.  Something like Adams, Gasser and a lower level prospect for Alcantara.  For the Brewers it gives them a veteran starter and for the Marlins it gives them a young 1B/DH prospect a LHP prospect and a wild card.  I don't think Alcantara will have much value and this may even be an overpay for him.  

Then a trade for a bat or two.  Trade for Jo Adell and have him platoon with Mitchell in RF, I think you only need to give up a minor prospect here for Adell.  Move Bauers to LF and move Chourio to CF.  Trade Vaughn, Wilken and a player to be named later to the Red Sox for Wilson Contreras and $10mm.  The $10mm is to pay for half of Contreras' option for 2027.

Trade Frelick and a minor prospect to the A's for Severino.  

After all trades Miz, Harrison, Alcantara, Woodruff (if he returns) and Severino in the rotation from the deadline on.  This then allows you to put Woodruff in the bullpen for the playoffs where I think he will excel.  

The starting lineup looks something like Chourio, Turang, William Contreras, Wilson Contreras, Yelich, Bauers, Mitchell/Adell, Pratt, Williams. On the bench you have Lockridge, Hamilton/Ortiz/Leonard/Black and Sanchez.  

Probably none of these are realistic trades other than the Alcantara trade.  

 

[TURBO]

5 hours ago, nate82 said:

Trade Vaughn, Wilken and a player to be named later to the Red Sox for Wilson Contreras and $10mm.  The $10mm is to pay for half of Contreras' option for 2027.

The starting lineup looks something like Chourio, Turang, William Contreras, Wilson Contreras, Yelich, Bauers, Mitchell/Adell, Pratt, Williams. 

No way I can root for that douchebag in a Brewers uniform.

Nope, I want nothing to do with that idiot.

[liveforoctober]

I might be missing something here. 

Why would we trade Vaughn and prospects for a guy who might no longer be a better hitter than Vaughn, costs over twice as much as Vaughn, and hates our team?

[nate82]

1 hour ago, liveforoctober said:

I might be missing something here. 

Why would we trade Vaughn and prospects for a guy who might no longer be a better hitter than Vaughn, costs over twice as much as Vaughn, and hates our team?

Huh?

[liveforoctober]

8 minutes ago, nate82 said:

Huh?

Right. I didn't say Vaughn has had a better career than Contreras? I said he MIGHT be the better hitter moving forward. Vaughn just passed a half season with Milwaukee and he was 1.8 war in that time. Contreras has been a 3 to 4 war player per year in his career. Contreras is 34. Vaughn is 28. I would assume one of those guys has possible room for upward growth yet and one of those guys does not. 

Contreras might outhit Vaughn this year and next. There is a fair argument to be had that he won't.

[nate82]

3 minutes ago, liveforoctober said:

Right. I didn't say Vaughn has had a better career than Contreras? I said he MIGHT be the better hitter moving forward. Vaughn just passed a half season with Milwaukee and he was 1.8 war in that time. Contreras has been a 3 to 4 war player per year in his career. Contreras is 34. Vaughn is 28. I would assume one of those guys has possible room for upward growth yet and one of those guys does not. 

Contreras might outhit Vaughn this year and next. There is a fair argument to be had that he won't.

Are you sure you are looking at his 2026 stats?  He has a 148 wRC+ in 2026.  I don't see Vaughn coming anywhere close to that.  The best Vaughn has done is a 113 wRC+ in 2022.  He only has one more season with the Brewers and is a FA in 2028 the same as Contreras.  Contreras has an option next year at $20mm which is a rather reasonable option for his production which you are probably looking at a 120 wRC+ hitter.  I don't think you can expect Vaughn to be a 120 wRC+ hitter going forward.  

Best case scenario for Vaughn is a 110-115 wRC+ season from him.  He will also be making around $10-15mm next year in his final year of arbitration.  

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

7 minutes ago, nate82 said:

Are you sure you are looking at his 2026 stats?  He has a 148 wRC+ in 2026.  I don't see Vaughn coming anywhere close to that.  The best Vaughn has done is a 113 wRC+ in 2022.  He only has one more season with the Brewers and is a FA in 2028 the same as Contreras.  Contreras has an option next year at $20mm which is a rather reasonable option for his production which you are probably looking at a 120 wRC+ hitter.  I don't think you can expect Vaughn to be a 120 wRC+ hitter going forward.  

Best case scenario for Vaughn is a 110-115 wRC+ season from him.  He will also be making around $10-15mm next year in his final year of arbitration.  

Vaughn is a platoon player at the moment.  I can’t see paying him $10M+ to be a part time player.

WC is a better player now and it likely to be for the next 1.5 years.  Who cares how good Vaughn is 2 years from now (maybe 1 year from now) when he plays for someone else.

i loved Vaughn mania last year, but we need a better full time player like WC

[liveforoctober]

17 minutes ago, nate82 said:

Are you sure you are looking at his 2026 stats?  He has a 148 wRC+ in 2026.  I don't see Vaughn coming anywhere close to that.  The best Vaughn has done is a 113 wRC+ in 2022.  He only has one more season with the Brewers and is a FA in 2028 the same as Contreras.  Contreras has an option next year at $20mm which is a rather reasonable option for his production which you are probably looking at a 120 wRC+ hitter.  I don't think you can expect Vaughn to be a 120 wRC+ hitter going forward.  

Best case scenario for Vaughn is a 110-115 wRC+ season from him.  He will also be making around $10-15mm next year in his final year of arbitration.  

That all sounds about right. So you are anticipating a 120wRC+ from Contreras and if we are not giving Vaughn credit for being a different hitter with Milwaukee... Then a 105+ish wRC+ from Vaughn.

Fair play. I disagree but I'm not mad at the opinion. 

[jay87shot]

Byron Buxton, I would love a SS/3B but I dont see a difference maker really being available.

I will give a shout out to Reid Detmers, I think he is a guy like Harrison that has the tools to be a top line guy but needs to get out of LA. I think he is a cheaper under the radar Brewers style addition that makes sense. 4.57 ERA, 2.81 FIP, 10.7 k/9, 2.7 bb/9, 2 plus years of control, and cheaper arby years. Everything is there for a big turn around and a relative cheap price.

[Branyanisthegoat]

I will 2nd Detmers, guy clearly has the ingredients and is in a terrible org, seems like a guy the Brewers could do wonders with.

Think the lineup will be okay come playoff time, and especially going forward, but they could always use another big time lefty that can eat up some innings come playoff time.

[BrewCrew8675309]

So much fun info to take in here. 

AVaughn almost has to be on his way out; 10mil is a lot to onboard for what, as of now, seems to be a platoon player at Jake's more natural position. Pratt and Jett may be up soon to take some pressure to fill a void on the left side. The new CBA may mean that Milwaukee finds money to reinvest in vets/pay Made to reach the salary floor. Cameron Wagoner and Stiven Cruz have been playing well enough to add to the 40 next year, but not exciting enough to trade away for proper value; relievers will have to be moved to make way. It has been noted on podcasts that Matt Arnold does not really trade away top prospects...so the wheeling and dealing from the roster has to come from lower prospects or flagging vets. Zerpa is to the 60-day IL soon to free up a roster spot. Trading for Peralta to return would be a great dig at Stearns and a marketing boom for a team that usually trades away heroes. 

Could be out: AVaughn, Yoho, DL Hall, comp picks (if any), Gasser, JD Thompson, LAdams, Wilken, Carlos Rodriguez are all options.

 

I like it that Reid Detmers makes sense here...LOTS to like. Lower FIP than Soriano and has a 1.143 WHIP and a SO/9 over 10.  As noted above, he is not an expiring contract. LAA has no top 30 prospects at 3b (aside from an 18 year old c/3b) and Moncada has not been what they wanted there. Any collection of Wilken and a lefty or two to get it done...but bidding may mean a much bigger package to be sent away. Vaughn could be included to platoon at 1st or take over for Solar at DH. (I am not focusing on exact value of trades, just throwing out players that may fill the roster holes either way)

 

My choice is...Aroldis Chapman...pushes pen leverage down a player and can keep Ashby at the multi-inning lefty role. Uribe and Megill plus Chapman means a non Miz/KHarrison playoff starter needs only go a few innings to get to Patrick or Ashby before the 7th, 8th, 9th innings are gassed out. A collection to BOS including Yoho and Adams might win the bidding war. 

 

What will really happen is...a very Brewers trade that no one will like...a 40 man pitcher for an outfielder that does one thing kinda well and is on an expiring contract. Lane Thomas can hit lefties and play all 3 positions. It is going to happen and I am sorry.  He is the Daniel Norris or Trevor Rosenthal of field players and I just cannot see us not getting Lockridge back and picking up a utility OF to replace Perkins and it will only cost a McGee or Woodford and possibly an A ball lottery ticket to make room for Wagoner and/or SCruz on next year's 40 man roster.

[rickh150]

Joe Ryan….for this season and next

[Brian]

33 minutes ago, rickh150 said:

Joe Ryan….for this season and next

I would say the same thing but his elbow soreness this season is very concerning.