Three Sneaky-Good Outfielders The Brewers Could Trade For

[Cory Sparks]

Image courtesy of IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Milwaukee Brewers have a pretty well-rounded team heading into the final third of the season, there’s always room to improve. Christian Yelich has had his fair share of injuries, Jackson Chourio started the year bruised up, and Garrett Mitchell is still looking for his first 100-game season in five tries (although he’s a few games away). Let’s take a look at three outfielders who could fill out the Brewers’ depth chart at the position.

JJ Bleday - Cincinnati Reds

Maybe there’s a bit of a divisional rival tax if a deal goes through here, but the Cincinnati Reds outfielder can be a contributor on a contender. For one, he’s had remarkable pop this year. The 2019 fourth overall pick has 17 homers in just north of 300 at-bats, and his advanced analytics are off the charts. 

All of his power starts with the bat speed, a mark that’s listed at 73.9 miles per hour, good enough for the 71st percentile. He’s barreling the ball 10.5 percent of the time (66th percentile), and his sweet-spot percentage of 43.1 is one of the best in all of baseball. Bleday’s spray chart shows that he’s a strong pull-side hitter, but in the post-shift era, that doesn’t hurt him much as long as he can hit for power. Our breakdown on the top 2026 trade candidates list reads as follows:

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A change of scenery and the cozy confines of Great American Ballpark have helped Bleday enjoy a power breakout, and there’s a concrete underpinning for the improvement that teams will love: a big increase in bat speed. However, he’s always been a patient, slightly unathletic hitter who pulls the ball and lifts the ball a lot. He’s just become a more extreme version of that guy this year. 

Mickey Moniak - Colorado Rockies

Mickey Moniak is a former first overall pick, and outside of some injury issues this season, he’s putting together one of the best years of his professional career. The former Philadelphia Phillies draft pick, now a Colorado Rockies hitter, has slugged 16 home runs with a .279 batting average. 

The 28-year-old has a strong sprint speed of 28.2 miles per hour, good enough to nestle him in the 73rd percentile as a rangy left fielder. He has especially mashed the fastball this year, hitting .319 with seven of his 17 long balls on the season against most hurlers’ primary option. His breakdown reads as this:

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He’s cold lately, but the massive bat speed he’s tapped into over the last year-plus is intact. He hit 24 home runs in a breakout 2025, and he’s headed for a similar stat line in 2026. He doesn’t walk as much as you’d like or play good defense, but he’s the kind of left-handed power bat many teams need just to balance and deepen their lineup.  

Taylor Ward - Baltimore Orioles

Taylor Ward has had mass appeal for the last couple of trade deadlines, and 2026 may be no different. The Orioles are well below .500, making them likely sellers. Ward, a 32-year-old slugger, entered 2026 with 61 homers over the course of the last two seasons. While he only has seven round-trippers this time around, the measurables show he’s still valuable. 

Ward’s sweet-spot percentage is up there with the best of them at 36.9 percent (77th percentile), and his approach is one of the best in all of baseball. Ward chases just 14.2 percent of the time (100th percentile), and his 17.1 percent walk rate is also near the top of major league hitters. His breakdown on our trade candidates list is this:

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He’s running one of the game’s highest walk rates, and doing it in very sustainable fashion. He’s a complementary piece for a great team, but a strong one, capable of mashing lefties but not someone you need to platoon altogether. The Orioles won’t want to give him a qualifying offer this winter, anyway. They need to get something for him while they can. 

What do you think, should the Brewers trade for one of these outfielders?

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[ghostdrew]

Rather Jake MC carthy  from Rockies or Spencer steer from the reds

[Jim French Stepstool]

If they add an OF I would hope it's a RHH. I would certainly at least check in on Ward.

[jay87shot]

With Lara playing so well and Lockridge on rehab I cant see us trading for OF. Especally with Bauers around and Yeli in an emergency. I like all 3 but there isn't much playing time for a need.

[Profbratsch]

Outfield is not the Achilles heel for the Brew Crew. IMO getting a front-line starter and another quality reliever should be the top priority. We have to counter the Dodgers' rotation should we meet them in the NLCS.

[nate82]

16 hours ago, Cory Sparks said:

Christian Yelich has had his fair share of injuries

I took this article serious until this part.  Yelich is not an OF he is a DH only at this point in his career.  The Brewers tend to agree with this statement as he has only played 11 innings in the OF this season.  Yelich is an emergency OF and by emergency I mean if the Brewers are down to Sanchez or Yelich playing in the OF kind of an emergency.  

[LouisEly]

Bleday isn't a FA until 2029 so the Reds are going to want a haul for him.

Moniak has a .652 road OPS.  He's padding his stats at Coors Field.

[dlk9s]

I don't see why in the world the Brewers would want to trade for an OF unless they are a real needle-mover. We have a good starting group and competent depth (though lacking power, but the entire team lacks power, so whatever). Unless you're getting an absolute masher, any difference will be marginal and not worth giving anyone up plus messing with intangibles like chemistry.

[dlk9s]

18 hours ago, Cory Sparks said:

Mickey Moniak is a former first overall pick,

[BrewerFan]

On 7/26/2026 at 10:48 PM, jay87shot said:

With Lara playing so well and Lockridge on rehab I cant see us trading for OF. Especally with Bauers around and Yeli in an emergency. I like all 3 but there isn't much playing time for a need.

Lara is fine, but we're not going to add a guy like Ward because of Lockridge?

He had a nice 4 game stretch with 3 games he went 2-4.
He has an xBA of .234, xSLG or .284

He's got good speed, draws walks... he's fine in the corner OF. 
Ward has a xSLG of .384... not great, but better than it's been and a xBA of .353

But it's their splits... and sample size that gives Ward a MUCH bigger edge-

Lockridge vs lefties-.265/.342/.294 636 OPS
Ward-.277/.419/.446 and an 864 OPS
Career?
Ward-.282/.364/.46 831 OPS
Lockridge-.234/.287/.336 .623 OPS

In short... Lockridge should not stop us from picking up a right handed power hitting bat. What does he do that we don't already have? Nothing. What's Ward do that we don't have? He's a RHed power bat. Lara, Chourio, Frelick when he's back, Hamilton if you need, Perkins, they can ALL do what Lockridge can(and yes, even lefties)...

[jay87shot]

15 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

Lara is fine, but we're not going to add a guy like Ward because of Lockridge?

He had a nice 4 game stretch with 3 games he went 2-4.
He has an xBA of .234, xSLG or .284

He's got good speed, draws walks... he's fine in the corner OF. 
Ward has a xSLG of .384... not great, but better than it's been and a xBA of .353

But it's their splits... and sample size that gives Ward a MUCH bigger edge-

Lockridge vs lefties-.265/.342/.294 636 OPS
Ward-.277/.419/.446 and an 864 OPS
Career?
Ward-.282/.364/.46 831 OPS
Lockridge-.234/.287/.336 .623 OPS

In short... Lockridge should not stop us from picking up a right handed power hitting bat. What does he do that we don't already have? Nothing. What's Ward do that we don't have? He's a RHed power bat. Lara, Chourio, Frelick when he's back, Hamilton if you need, Perkins, they can ALL do what Lockridge can(and yes, even lefties)...

Ward would be an upgrade over Lockridge for sure but as a platoon option he likely starts like 20-25 games and pinch hits. Add on that he only plays left so when he plays he moves Chourio to RF which isn't a huge deal. He really wouldnt provide value at DH because we have Vaughn after Yeli. My guess is a good rental bat like Ward costs 2 solid but not spectacular prospects say O'Rae/Bitonti and Dorchies/Dubaniwiecz. That is a pretty heavy price to pay for like 125 abs when we have Lockridge, Sal (eventually), and Perk.

I really like Ward and he fits a right handed power bat. I just dont see the playing time to warrant giving up 2 decent prospects.

 

[Cory Sparks]

On 7/26/2026 at 5:59 PM, Jim French Stepstool said:

If they add an OF I would hope it's a RHH. I would certainly at least check in on Ward.

Even with his HR numbers being down, the advanced analytics are encouraging!

[Cory Sparks]

1 hour ago, jay87shot said:

Ward would be an upgrade over Lockridge for sure but as a platoon option he likely starts like 20-25 games and pinch hits. Add on that he only plays left so when he plays he moves Chourio to RF which isn't a huge deal. He really wouldnt provide value at DH because we have Vaughn after Yeli. My guess is a good rental bat like Ward costs 2 solid but not spectacular prospects say O'Rae/Bitonti and Dorchies/Dubaniwiecz. That is a pretty heavy price to pay for like 125 abs when we have Lockridge, Sal (eventually), and Perk.

I really like Ward and he fits a right handed power bat. I just dont see the playing time to warrant giving up 2 decent prospects.

 

That's totally fair - I'm really curious to see how much value Ward truly holds, especially as more bats go via the market. It feels like the Mead/Early deal at least gave us a barometer

[Cory Sparks]

16 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

Lara is fine, but we're not going to add a guy like Ward because of Lockridge?

He had a nice 4 game stretch with 3 games he went 2-4.
He has an xBA of .234, xSLG or .284

He's got good speed, draws walks... he's fine in the corner OF. 
Ward has a xSLG of .384... not great, but better than it's been and a xBA of .353

But it's their splits... and sample size that gives Ward a MUCH bigger edge-

Lockridge vs lefties-.265/.342/.294 636 OPS
Ward-.277/.419/.446 and an 864 OPS
Career?
Ward-.282/.364/.46 831 OPS
Lockridge-.234/.287/.336 .623 OPS

In short... Lockridge should not stop us from picking up a right handed power hitting bat. What does he do that we don't already have? Nothing. What's Ward do that we don't have? He's a RHed power bat. Lara, Chourio, Frelick when he's back, Hamilton if you need, Perkins, they can ALL do what Lockridge can(and yes, even lefties)...

If it's a bat, I see the Brewers making a marginal build considering the current construction of the team. If they want to build out that rotation, however.... do we get a Skubal rental?

[Cory Sparks]

On 7/27/2026 at 10:51 AM, dlk9s said:

He definitely didn't live up to the draft value in the initial years, but he's turned it around the last two years. Is it a Coors bump? Maybe

[Cory Sparks]

On 7/27/2026 at 9:16 AM, Profbratsch said:

Outfield is not the Achilles heel for the Brew Crew. IMO getting a front-line starter and another quality reliever should be the top priority. We have to counter the Dodgers' rotation should we meet them in the NLCS.

Which starter do you want? If it's Skubal, what's the price for a rental like that?

[Cory Sparks]

On 7/26/2026 at 5:26 PM, ghostdrew said:

Rather Jake MC carthy  from Rockies or Spencer steer from the reds

Love the Steer pick

[Cory Sparks]

On 7/26/2026 at 5:59 PM, Jim French Stepstool said:

If they add an OF I would hope it's a RHH. I would certainly at least check in on Ward.

What do you Ward's value is? Down year, but the underlying metrics imply he could still do damage

[Jim French Stepstool]

9 minutes ago, Cory Sparks said:

What do you Ward's value is? Down year, but the underlying metrics imply he could still do damage

Not really sure. Like all these guys it depends on how crowded the demand is for him.

Certainly not a top 10-12 prospect, I wouldn't think.

[ghostdrew]

2 hours ago, Cory Sparks said:

Love the Steer pick

To bad he got hurt not sure how long he is out for 

[BrewerFan]

3 hours ago, Cory Sparks said:

If it's a bat, I see the Brewers making a marginal build considering the current construction of the team. If they want to build out that rotation, however.... do we get a Skubal rental?

Well, I think Wart would be the marginal upgrade(though reports are they're looking for more than a marginal upgrade for what... little that is worth).

Going for Skubal... I don't think so. You have so many teams that can offer more for him and the Brewers are kinda a victim of their own success at this point. Our farm is so deep, do you want to give up say Adamczewski and Bishop Letson? 

I think that's a lower end estimation of what Skubal would cost. That's where I'm kinda struggling. If you give up that type of talent, it should be for someone with team control. Soriano or Detmers, maybe even Joe Ryan.

Bringing Peralta back may not be the worst thing. You could ask him to go 4-5 innings in the post-season and lean on the pen. 

I think with all the talk about the "aggressive Brewers," we're more likely to see a Ward like offensive piece, a Peralta type starter and a reliever like Brazoban. The latter I'd really like. Can get Ks and just as importantly, a lot of ground balls. 

 

 

I also don't even think the Tigers trade Skubal. They're shockingly still in contention and if they get in, there's no team like the LAD. The Yankees with a healthy Judge and maybe CJ Abrams would be the closest, but even that, Detroit likely convinces themselves they could win it. 

[Outlander]

My son is a Tigers fan and we went to a couple of games this past weekend. After losing two straight to the Royals the mood changed, Think they are finally content on trading Skubal.

[BrewerFan]

4 hours ago, jay87shot said:

Ward would be an upgrade over Lockridge for sure but as a platoon option he likely starts like 20-25 games and pinch hits. Add on that he only plays left so when he plays he moves Chourio to RF which isn't a huge deal. He really wouldnt provide value at DH because we have Vaughn after Yeli. My guess is a good rental bat like Ward costs 2 solid but not spectacular prospects say O'Rae/Bitonti and Dorchies/Dubaniwiecz. That is a pretty heavy price to pay for like 125 abs when we have Lockridge, Sal (eventually), and Perk.

I really like Ward and he fits a right handed power bat. I just dont see the playing time to warrant giving up 2 decent prospects.

 

Well, I'm not even considering Dubaniwiecz. 

I'd have a pretty firm standard as a GM. I'm not trading away projectable young arms who have little value... or offensive players for that matter up the middle... I strongly disliked the Jorge Quintana inclusion in that trade last year). He was too young, the return already skewed in SD's favor(IMO). 

It's not because I think Quintana or Dubaniwiecz is going to be a star,.. but I think he's got plenty of time to become one and I'd much rather give away a guy like O'Rae and Dorchies.. which should be enough for Wart. 

 

3 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Not really sure. Like all these guys it depends on how crowded the demand is for him.

Certainly not a top 10-12 prospect, I wouldn't think.

Again, this is the problem with the system. That's not an unreasonable ask for 25+ teams in the league.

The Milwaukee Brewers, that may be Braylon Payne. That may be a 19-year-old in HiA with 70 grade speed, he's a 6'2 185LB Left handed hitter with a nice swing, draws walks.

Doesn't hit for much power, but he's projectable... and then he started hitting for power this year and he's hitting ~.290/.390/575 with an OPS of ~965 and 18 HRs from a slap hitting 19 year old in HiA. 

It's kinda insane. 

It'd have to be a Matthew Wood+ type of guy. Maybe Wilken, they may hope he can turn it around(or just stay healthy). 

[BrewerFan]

21 minutes ago, Outlander said:

My son is a Tigers fan and we went to a couple of games this past weekend. After losing two straight to the Royals the mood changed, Think they are finally content on trading Skubal.

And yet they're still 3.5 games back and if they're healthy... they have a reasonable chance to make a run.

 

The Red Sox were on the verge of selling and... now they're firmly in the race because the AL is terrible. 

But this is your son saying 'they might as well trade Skubal,' now or have the Tigers started to indicate they're selling?

[Profbratsch]

13 hours ago, Cory Sparks said:

Which starter do you want? If it's Skubal, what's the price for a rental like that?

First of all, thanks very much for responding, Cory! Yes, we should go after Skubal-with one big exception: unlike the time we rented CC our owner should break the piggy bank and immediately sign him to a two-year extension. If we can do that (I know it borders on being a pipe dream), then two top 100 prospects and one or two position players would, IMO, not be too high a price to pay.

The other option would be to do the same thing in pursuing Mason Miller. If we could get him, there would not be another team in all of baseball that could match the back end of the Brewer's bullpen!