Brewer Fanatic Readers Pitch Trade Ideas for the Brewers

[Turning2]

26 minutes ago, Underachiever said:

I know you were talking about improving the offense, but to say that a 97-win team last year, and a team on pace for 100 wins right now, is mailing it in, is just a bad take. The front office that can build that somehow is mailing it in according to you.

Damn, that's just insulting. And no, I don't work there, nor know anyone who does.

"I think they're just content to compete enough to sell tickets" made me laugh out loud. 

That 97 win offense crapped itself once it faced the Dodgers. Toronto did not crap themselves. So - the Dodgers ridiculously unfair starting pitching can be competed against under the right circumstances. MIL doesn't have the money that Toronto does, but it does have prospect capital to leverage. The front office didn't exercise that leverage. If you disagree, show me the trade that added to that 97 win offense that helps it not crap itself if they face LAD in the playoffs again. Now tell me they didn't mail it in regarding improving the offense. 

It's not insulting to the front office. I understand their business model. They are about staying in the black financially first and foremost. Makes perfect business sense. That means nurturing low cost, in house talent rather than gamble and leverage that prospect resource. And that is understandable.

But as such, it's OK to call a spade a spade. They made moves and non-moves to keep the business (known as the Milwaukee Brewers Corporation) in good financial health. I don't blame Mark A for his admission of providing a summer of entertainment, because that is what the mission statement must be for a small market team and its investment group. I'm just saying let's not pretend that they did things when they didn't. They gambled on some guys taking the next step up, staying healthy, matching at least last year's production etc. They didn't add a proven bat..... again.  There is never a guarantee that a new acquisition will produce offensively compared to past seasons either. But it is a measured, calculated move trying to improve rather than just hoping internal assets will blossom and that the fans will stay invested, intrigued enough to keep spending money.  

[sveumrules]

45 minutes ago, Turning2 said:

Toronto did not crap themselves.

The Blue Jays signed Kaz Okamoto (4/$60M) and traded for Jesus Sanchez ($6.8M) to reinforce their offense, plus signed Dylan Cease for 7/$210M, Tyler Rogers for 3/$37M, and old friend Cody Ponce for 3/$30M on the pitching side.

They went from a 112 wRC+ and 4.93 R/G in 2025 to a 95 wRC+ and 4.08 R/G so far this year and currently sit at 30 W - 33 L with a -7 run differential on the season.

The Brewers mailed it in and went from a 107 wRC+ and 4.98 R/G in 2025 to a 101 wRC+ and 5.02 R/G so far this year. They are at 37 W - 23 L with a +89 run differential.

The Brewers have gone from 86 to 92 to 93 to 97 wins over the last four seasons, from +37 to +81 to +136 to +172 run differential, all while shedding player, coaching, and front office talent every year along the way.

They are on pace to improve on both of those totals again this year, where they might get another shot at the Dodgers in the postseason. Maybe they'll lose to the superior team again, or maybe they'll strike a blow to Capitalism on the eve of offseason labor negotiations.

Toronto performed better than us in their short series against the Dodgers last fall, and beat us in Offseason Activity no doubt, but they somehow aren't as well positioned for a rematch as the mail it in Brewers are.

[BrewerFan]

Quote

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.

Oh C'MON!!! I've been saying this for a MONTH... nothing! Someone else says it right after the last time I said it and they get credit! I'm FURIOUS😁

 

Actually, it came up right after I said I think he'd been too good recently and we'd have to wait for him to start to revert back, THEN I'd trade for him.

 

As for Skubal, I do not believe for a moment his salary(pro-rated THIS year) is too much... and if it is out of the Brewers budget, then I'd agree with the many, many fans who irrationally call Attanasio cheap. 
I don't believe he is. I absolutely believe the Brewers would be willing to pay the money, 18M or whatever it may be... to add Skubal to the rotation.

Likewise, I believe they'd pay Bobby Witt Jr prices... in salary. The Brewers are conservative... but if you believe Forbes, they operate with about 20-24M in net revenue. I think that's a fair number. I also believe Attanasio when he says the money is there to add ANY player for this year...though not explicitly this year, he said it the year Soto was traded, there was no package they couldn't absorb in one season.

[BrewerFan]

On 6/4/2026 at 1:53 PM, Trax said:

All guys mentioned will require major comp.   

 

The only one that really intrigues me is the least likely, Bobby Witt Jr.

I know he's not available but if he were for the right return what would that return be?

Jett Williams, Brady Ebel, Luis Lara, Tyson Hardin and Jared Koenig?  

Too much?   Too little?

 

I was... debating this. The argument was we'd be "lucky" to get him for Made, Pena+ 3 other prospects along the lines of Fischer, Letson and... I don't recall who the 5th was. 

I do NOT agree we'd be lucky, but I do think... he's the one guy on here that I'd give up ELITE prospects for. Not Made. I don't think I'm trading Made for anyone in MLB save for some fantastical Ohtani trade where the Dodgers assume the deferred years. That trade would add SO much money to the Brewers... you'd probably be able to increase your payroll by 100M(Dodgers are getting an additional 200M in sponsorship deals... assume the Brewers would get 1/4th of that with the biggest name in Baseball Globally). 

But that's a silly idea as it'd never happen. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Turning2 said:

 

But as such, it's OK to call a spade a spade. They made moves and non-moves to keep the business (known as the Milwaukee Brewers Corporation) in good financial health. I don't blame Mark A for his admission of providing a summer of entertainment, because that is what the mission statement must be for a small market team and its investment group.

This is SUCH an intellectually dishonest take of what he said. They have basically the same approach as the Packers have... which is to be competitive year after year... they just don't have the finances. You sound like if they don't do what the Bucks did(just to keep it all local)... they just got lucky and guessed right on players.

No, the goal is OBVIOUSLY to win a World Series. 

He was articulating why he's not chasing the CC Sabathia type trades, NOT saying they're goal isnt' to win a World Series. 

 

5 hours ago, Underachiever said:

I know you were talking about improving the offense, but to say that a 97-win team last year, and a team on pace for 100 wins right now, is mailing it in, is just a bad take. The front office that can build that somehow is mailing it in according to you.

Damn, that's just insulting. And no, I don't work there, nor know anyone who does.

"I think they're just content to compete enough to sell tickets" made me laugh out loud. 

It's that stupid comment Attanasio made. It's too easy to... twist that into "we're not here to win a World Series," rather than making a point of how hard it is to compete with the fiscal disadvantages and saying they're trying to keep the team competitive year after year, put a good product on the field within their means and... OBVIOUSLY the goal is to win one. 

[Snoebird]

Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes are both available on an Astros team looking to rebuild. Pena becomes a free agent after '27, so Cooper Pratt could become the main trade bait for both of them.