What Trading for Jose Soriano Would Cost the Brewers

[CheezWizHed]

6 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

wSB pretty much does that. It has Burke at 1.6 runs above average this year. That is 12th best in our system this year (minimum 100 PA). O'Rae at 4.3 and Ebel at 4.1 lead the way and Andrew Fischer at -3.4 brings up the rear

But we are looking at catcher stats and not runner. Quero specifically. 

[wiguy94]

14 minutes ago, CheezWizHed said:

But we are looking at catcher stats and not runner. Quero specifically. 

Oh yeah Quero's numbers are quite bad.

Quero - 93 SB, 16 CS for a 16% CS at a .245 SB per inning rate

Rodriguez - 31 SB, 5 CS for a 14% CS at a .111 SB per inning rate

Miller - 16 SB, 5 CS for a 24% CS at a .123 SB per inning rate

Nava - 9 SB, 6 CS for a 40% CS at a .090 SB per inning rate

International League - 2447 SB, 682 CS for a 21.8% CS at a .139 SB per inning rate

Obviously there's additional context like what teams you're facing and who is pitching but teams ran wild with Quero at C this year both in terms of success rate and overall rate of stealing even compared to his own teammates.

[BrewerFan]

On 7/29/2026 at 12:24 PM, CheezWizHed said:

Yes, I'd certainly do that if that is what the Angels wanted. Quero's arm doesn't seem to be bouncing back and AAA players are running wild on him (93 attempts, 16% CS).  

I haven't seen it much, but BA said it was back. The pop time at least... the problem was his accuracy hasn't come all the way back. 

I don't know if that's true. A pop time is a pop time though, so it'd make sense. We'd really have to prioritize catcher moving forward and Contreras would almost certainly be back and then extended a QO(not the worst outcome if you're trading for a guy like Soriano anyway).

 

On 7/30/2026 at 9:17 AM, Trax said:

Quero and a 40 man prospect we need to move (Black or Rodrigues) is the most I would give for Soriano and that's plenty.

I think that's.... not NEARLY enough. 

The guy has Ace type stuff, there's zero doubt about that. Now, in fairness, a lot of pitchers do, many don't harnass it. A lot of Jacob Misiorowski's(there's actually not a lot, but take 3-4 MPH off their FB) end up failed relievers. Megill was on his way to being one of them. 

But Soriano has an ERA in the low 3s as a pitcher who is... I believe in the 90th percentile as a GB pitcher, throwing in front of a poor Angels defense one that's among the worst in the league on the dirtvs the Brewers, an elite defenseive team. 

Sorriano is a massive upgrade and SHOULD cost more than Skubal given you have him for 2 more seasons after this one. 

Detmers is nice. I actually suggested him as a trade option probably before anyone on here. Maybe a month into the season when he was moved back into the rotation, he was throwing pretty well and it looked like he was still undervalued. But suggesting Soriano, the guy who'd slot it almost perfectly as our #3 behind Harrison... is worth Quero and Carlos Rodriguez or another player we won't even play on the MLB team, what possible reason woul d the Angles have to make this move?

[adambr2]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/08/blue-jays-to-acquire-jose-soriano.html
 

blue jays got Soriano. Seems like a really reasonable price. Nimalla is a nice lower top 50 type prospect. Michelleti is a warm body and Rivero is a lottery ticket.

[BrewerFan]

On 7/30/2026 at 6:27 AM, ChapelHeel66 said:

Detmers, on the other hand, is above average on the walk side and well above average on the strikeout side (K%-BB% = 20.9% and 29.6%(!) in his last four starts).  He has basically been the same high quality pitcher all year long, but he is susceptible to giving up too many barrels.  However, I would rather put Chris Hook on getting Detmers to avoid barrels than having Chris try to improve Soriano's stuff and walk rate. 

Detmers is a much better pitcher than Soriano, but of course that also makes him more expensive. I can deal with Quero plus another prospect and a draft pick for Detmers.

They are both arb eligible next year -- and both are going to get a big raise -- but they are not FAs for a couple of years. 

But he's not. He isn't this year, and he hasn't been over the course of his career.

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/versus-finder.fcgi?player_id2=sorian003jos&player_id1=detmer000rei&request=1&utm_medium=sr_xsite&utm_id=detmere01&utm_campaign=2023_01_wdgt_player_comparison&utm_source=br

The bigger question to me isn't just who's been better. It's which pitcher is more likely to improve in Milwaukee.

Soriano is a power right-hander with a 96-99 mph sinker, an upper-90s four-seamer, a knuckle curve, slider and splitter. The four-seamer is easily his weakest pitch, and he throws it too often. That also happens to be exactly the kind of thing the Brewers have shown they'll address. They had Aaron Ashby all but scrap his four-seamer in favor of his sinker. I could easily see them doing something similar with Soriano.

As for the idea that his stuff isn't good or is trending down, I don't see the evidence. His velocity has actually ticked up over his last seven starts.

His secondary pitches are absolutely filthy.

The knuckle curve has held hitters to a .190 average (.200 xBA) with a .243 wOBA (.257 xwOBA), while generating a 46.1% whiff rate, a 43.0% strikeout rate, a +7 Run Value and 1.4 Run Value per 100 pitches.

His splitter has been just as dominant: a .189 average allowed (.220 xBA), a microscopic .212 wOBA (.248 xwOBA), a 39.0% whiff rate and a 30.0% strikeout rate. It also produces exactly the kind of contact you want with a 53% ground-ball rate, compared to just a 22% fly-ball rate.

Now take that pitcher, move him from one of the worst defensive infields in baseball to arguably one of the best, and ask yourself which direction his results are likely to go. I think the Brewers could reduce the usage of his one bad pitch, lean into his elite sinker and secondaries, and let one of baseball's best defenses convert all those ground balls into outs.

Now compare that to Detmers.

He's a softer-throwing lefty who, despite having a nice season, has been objectively worse over the course of his career. He was moved to the bullpen last year, and this season he's still a much more fly-ball-oriented pitcher, with a 30.2% fly-ball rate, a 24.9% line-drive rate and only a 36% ground-ball rate.

If we're only looking at recent performance, let's use June 20 as the cutoff.

Detmers: 4.89 ERA, 4.61 FIP.

Soriano: 3.95 ERA, 3.41 FIP.

So I'm honestly not sure how Soriano is the one who "looks like he's fading."

Yes, Soriano walks more hitters. That's a legitimate concern. But both pitchers have elevated walk rates, and Soriano's numbers were inflated by two starts where he issued seven and eight walks. Those outings count, obviously, but they also skew the overall picture.

Detmers is probably having the best season of his career, and I'd still argue Soriano is the better pitcher with the higher ceiling.

Give me the guy with elite swing-and-miss secondary pitches whose biggest flaw is overusing one bad fastball—a flaw the Brewers have repeatedly shown they're capable of fixing—over the guy whose breakout season has still been worth roughly one fewer WAR while giving up considerably more fly balls and home runs.

To be clear, I like Detmers. I was probably one of the first people on this forum suggesting him as a trade target earlier this season because I thought another left-handed starter made sense.

But if I'm choosing between the two, especially for Milwaukee, I'm taking Soriano. I think his arsenal, batted-ball profile and the Brewers' track record of pitch design make him the better bet going forward.


 

On 7/30/2026 at 6:29 AM, ChapelHeel66 said:

Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned that the Angels front office seems exceptionally subpar.  They are in a huge market and have never been able to build around the best player of his generation.  I think our boys can outsmart them.

The Angels have probably been the 2nd worst run organization in sports... only behind the Rockies and that's because of Ohtani and Trout, BUT, they do have a new GM. John Mozeliak was the GM in St Louis for about a decade and won them a WS.

So I wouldn't count on the same old Angels this year. 




If I'm the Brewers, I'd be fine with a substantial offer, but I'd also want Zeferjahn's involved.  Get that guy who can be a Counter balance to Ashby and a bridge to Megill and Uribe. 
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/ryan-zeferjahn-666171?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb


THIS is the type of deal I'd give up an Bishop Letson, Adamczewski, Quero and then... maybe thye want Brock Wilken? I'd settle for Luke Adams. 

[JCREW]

6 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/08/blue-jays-to-acquire-jose-soriano.html
 

blue jays got Soriano. Seems like a really reasonable price. Nimalla is a nice lower top 50 type prospect. Michelleti is a warm body and Rivero is a lottery ticket.

Dang. That’s a very beatable package. 

[BrewerFan]

1 minute ago, adambr2 said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/08/blue-jays-to-acquire-jose-soriano.html
 

blue jays got Soriano. Seems like a really reasonable price. Nimalla is a nice lower top 50 type prospect. Michelleti is a warm body and Rivero is a lottery ticket.

The only prospect we could have offered that was better was Pena(and Braylon Payne, but that's my opinion and not yet bared out by the industries prospect rankings). Maybe Jett Williams, but Nimalla is a different type of athlete.

Well that pisses me off.

This isn't information you could have provided like TEN MINUTES AGO ADAM!!! Just let me build my whole argument for Soriano and then RIIIIIGHT as I hit send make sure you slllide in there and say, 'Soriano is traded.' 😁


Doesn't matter, Reid Detmers is a better pitcher
 

 

(I really hope he ends up being better... and a Brewer... with Zeferjahn). 

[BrewerFan]

Just now, JCREW said:

Dang. That’s a very beatable package. 

What would you have offered?

Just hypothetically, lets say they wanted that athletic SS AND lets say they'd have included Zeferjahn. Would you have started with Pena?

 

I feel like Made, Pena(and Payne) are non-starters for me, but, curious what others think. 

[adambr2]

2 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

What would you have offered?

Just hypothetically, lets say they wanted that athletic SS AND lets say they'd have included Zeferjahn. Would you have started with Pena?

 

I feel like Made, Pena(and Payne) are non-starters for me, but, curious what others think. 

I’m not saying I would have traded Pena but I’m kind of getting lower on him than the national prospect consensus. 

He’s been hurt frequently, inconsistent and hasn’t made as strong of a case for the jump to AA this year as I had hoped he would. 

I dunno. He’s obviously still very young and I could be totally wrong and he could tear up Biloxi next year. He just seems a little overrated right now to me. 

I just know in my heart right now at this moment in time that if I heard “brewers trade Andrew Fischer”, who isn’t a top 100 anywhere, it would hurt me more than “Brewers trade Luis Pena” who is a consensus top 20.

[JCREW]

7 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

What would you have offered?

Just hypothetically, lets say they wanted that athletic SS AND lets say they'd have included Zeferjahn. Would you have started with Pena?

 

I feel like Made, Pena(and Payne) are non-starters for me, but, curious what others think. 

I would have offered Pena and a couple guys outside our top 30. 
 

what they actually traded comps pretty well to Jett and a couple outside our top 30

[wallus]

The Angels are finally selling. I'm guessing Detmers is getting traded, likely to us.

[titletownking]

Little under 8 hours left, guarantee we see the Brewers make at least two sizable trades. Way too much of a roster crunch coming to not

[BrewerFan]

12 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

I’m not saying I would have traded Pena but I’m kind of getting lower on him than the national prospect consensus. 

He’s been hurt frequently, inconsistent and hasn’t made as strong of a case for the jump to AA this year as I had hoped he would. 

I dunno. He’s obviously still very young and I could be totally wrong and he could tear up Biloxi next year. He just seems a little overrated right now to me. 

I just know in my heart right now at this moment in time that if I heard “brewers trade Andrew Fischer”, who isn’t a top 100 anywhere, it would hurt me more than “Brewers trade Luis Pena” who is a consensus top 20.

Ok. 

Is that factoring in the value? So basically if you get Mason Miller and Luis Pena is the top piece, you could live with that, but if you get back... just say Zeferjahn, a guy I want and they give up a guy like Fischer who is hitting 30 HRs, getting on base at a 400 clip, that's upset you?

Or are you just saying player for player? Because I understand the later, I just don't agree(but feel the same way about Payne) but I totally get the prior. 

Svuem posted something about Minor Leaguers who struck out at the rate he has and... met a couple criteria and it's made me nervous with Fischer.  


ON Pena, not to go off on a tangent, but the Brewers FO saying Made and Pena are off-limits and Pena's 60 grade hit, hit 70 grade speed and then his ability at SS, which isn't great, but it's good(suggesting he could be a .300 hitter who walks and steals a lot of bags at 2B)... that's pushing the value of Pena up. But I agree, he's lost some value. How much of that is just us being insanely spoiled though? A 19-year-old isn't crushing it in HiA and dealt with some issue. That's pretty minor(but again, that part I totally get). 

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

19 minutes ago, wallus said:

The Angels are finally selling. I'm guessing Detmers is getting traded, likely to us.

I hope you're right.   I'm getting really irritated

[homer]

I can see why the Brewers passed on Soriano:

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

I want Detmers and Miller

[adambr2]

7 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

Ok. 

Is that factoring in the value? So basically if you get Mason Miller and Luis Pena is the top piece, you could live with that, but if you get back... just say Zeferjahn, a guy I want and they give up a guy like Fischer who is hitting 30 HRs, getting on base at a 400 clip, that's upset you?

Or are you just saying player for player? Because I understand the later, I just don't agree(but feel the same way about Payne) but I totally get the prior. 

Svuem posted something about Minor Leaguers who struck out at the rate he has and... met a couple criteria and it's made me nervous with Fischer.  


ON Pena, not to go off on a tangent, but the Brewers FO saying Made and Pena are off-limits and Pena's 60 grade hit, hit 70 grade speed and then his ability at SS, which isn't great, but it's good(suggesting he could be a .300 hitter who walks and steals a lot of bags at 2B)... that's pushing the value of Pena up. But I agree, he's lost some value. How much of that is just us being insanely spoiled though? A 19-year-old isn't crushing it in HiA and dealt with some issue. That's pretty minor(but again, that part I totally get). 

Yeah, I mean I’d still want consensus prospect value to trade Pena for sure. Otherwise, I’ll trust the process on him even if he isn’t one of my personal favorites. He is after all only 19.

I'd be over the moon if we traded Pena for Mason Miller, for example, but I was against sending him out to rent Skubal which I am sure it would have taken.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

I'll continue to say that I do not care what a 19 year old's stats look like in a season marred by freak injuries. He is still a potential 5 tool player. The glove has actually gotten a lot better than I expected. People are entitled to their opinion if they are cooling off but calling him injury prone is a stretch when you look at the types of injuries he has had and his age. He still is tooled up for days and only 19. I wouldn't have personally included him in a deal for Soriano and it sounds like the Brewers didn't either. (You can bet they made some kind of offer) 

[MilwaukeeBeers]

5 minutes ago, TwinsBrewersWorldSeries said:

I hope you're right.   I'm getting really irritated

[BrewCrew8675309]

On 7/30/2026 at 9:17 PM, Trax said:

Quero and a 40 man prospect we need to move (Black or Rodrigues) is the most I would give for Soriano and that's plenty.

Turns out...not really. #43 in the pipeline coming from AA at a prime position is a healthy, winning bid. 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

13 minutes ago, TwinsBrewersWorldSeries said:

I hope you're right.   I'm getting really irritated

I expect at least two deals today. One for a solid mid-rotation starting pitcher (such as Mize or Detmers), and a surprise one for a bat that no one saw coming. It'll be a guy that no one even had on the trade market. 

[BrewerFan]

15 minutes ago, homer said:

I can see why the Brewers passed on Soriano:

What makes you think WE passed on him? Not giving up Pena? The Jays gave up a VERY talented and hyper athletic young SS. 
We'd have had to give up Pena to match that.

And his FB velo stabilized in July and he's been better as of late than Detmers. 

So if you think this is why we passed on Soriano(on top of all the other reasons he's a better fit) I'd imagine we'd "pass" on Detmers as well. 

[Uwbadgers442]

3 minutes ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

I expect at least two deals today. One for a solid mid-rotation starting pitcher (such as Mize or Detmers), and a surprise one for a bat that no one saw coming. It'll be a guy that no one even had on the trade market. 

You are setting yourself up for major disappointment. 

[BrewerFan]

13 minutes ago, MilwaukeeBeers said:

I'll continue to say that I do not care what a 19 year old's stats look like in a season marred by freak injuries. He is still a potential 5 tool player. The glove has actually gotten a lot better than I expected. People are entitled to their opinion if they are cooling off but calling him injury prone is a stretch when you look at the types of injuries he has had and his age. He still is tooled up for days and only 19. I wouldn't have personally included him in a deal for Soriano and it sounds like the Brewers didn't either. (You can bet they made some kind of offer) 

It doesn't sound like you and @adambr2are really saying anything that much differently. 

He's saying he'd trade him for a premier, elite... maybe historic closer(and I do think a reliever is a big need for this team) but not for a lower level player. 

That's not unreasonable. I've seen people(not on here, the... brilliant minds on X who wanted the Brewers to trade for and then "just sign Skubal to a 2 year extension,") who would trade Made for Skubal. 

And again, the expectations have gotten SO ridiculous, so out of hand with these young guys, part of it they're doing to themselves. 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

2 minutes ago, Uwbadgers442 said:

You are setting yourself up for major disappointment. 

Ehh, is what it is. If they don't make those deals, I still get to cheer on the team with the best record in the majors tonight.

But yes, I'd be very surprised if the Brewers don't take steps to try to improve before 5 p.m. tonight. I don't understand why some of you are already calling this trade deadline a failure when we still have 7+ hours to go.