2026 Offseason and Beyond Trade/Free Agent Ideas

[MrTPlush]

9 minutes ago, igor67 said:

Bauers for 1 year is reasonable, but we have too many guys who are close that could match or exceed what he is giving us that I don't think any multi year deal makes sense.

Who? He is our best hitter by a pretty good gap.

I suppose the cheaper option is Vaughn in another platoon. But you could just have that money going to Bauers and save a roster spot. Bauers also affords some flexibility to be an OFer.

[cragi]

Brewers management is not likely willing to block Burke, Fischer and Adams by giving someone $50 million for the next 2 seasons

[Playing Catch]

The combo of signing Chourio, Pratt, and Lara with the slow-playing of their non-40-man prospects tells me that they want to maintain as much flexibility with their roster not knowing how the CBA shakes out.

Personally, I think a salary cap would be bad for baseball, and particularly bad for the Brewers. All that money that the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, etc. are currently spending on players would either add to billionaire portfolios, or go back into the league to support teams that are comparatively poor at running an organization, thus flattening out the competitive landscape.

In my humble opinion, baseball is too volatile from season-to-season for it to be run like the NBA or NFL. I also see how multi-billion-dollar, international conglomerations have damaged soccer, with its caving to those interests.

MLB should just keep doing what is working for fans AND owners AND players. Just tweak it. Cap free-agent spending to encourage more monster contracts going to middle-class teams, and systemitize incentives for bringing up 20-year-olds when they are ready to perform, and let the smaller teams like the Brewers, Rays, Guardians continue to capitalize on young rosters. Seeing teams win in different ways is fun.

I don't like a salary floor, either. Just add roster spots for both the 26-man, and the 40-man and up financial incentives for young and middle-class players.

[SF70]

2 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

The combo of signing Chourio, Pratt, and Lara with the slow-playing of their non-40-man prospects tells me that they want to maintain as much flexibility with their roster not knowing how the CBA shakes out.

Personally, I think a salary cap would be bad for baseball, and particularly bad for the Brewers. All that money that the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, etc. are currently spending on players would either add to billionaire portfolios, or go back into the league to support teams that are comparatively poor at running an organization, thus flattening out the competitive landscape.

In my humble opinion, baseball is too volatile from season-to-season for it to be run like the NBA or NFL. I also see how multi-billion-dollar, international conglomerations have damaged soccer, with its caving to those interests.

MLB should just keep doing what is working for fans AND owners AND players. Just tweak it. Cap free-agent spending to encourage more monster contracts going to middle-class teams, and systemitize incentives for bringing up 20-year-olds when they are ready to perform, and let the smaller teams like the Brewers, Rays, Guardians continue to capitalize on young rosters. Seeing teams win in different ways is fun.

I don't like a salary floor, either. Just add roster spots for both the 26-man, and the 40-man and up financial incentives for young and middle-class players.

I’m with you on a hard cap/floor will be bad for baseball and especially for MKE.

Share more revenue among teams, increase penalties for overspending, neuter the Dodgers Japanese & TV RS advantages. Increase the small-market competitive-balance comp picks and international pool $. That should even things up more and not penalize a team like MKE from being smarter than the rest of baseball.

[MrTPlush]

4 hours ago, cragi said:

Brewers management is not likely willing to block Burke, Fischer and Adams by giving someone $50 million for the next 2 seasons

The best estimate I saw recently by an expert was 2/$30mil. I seriously doubt he is getting $25mil a year.

He also can play four different positions on the field. The odds that all the prospects are healthy and producing all enough that Bauers has no where to play the next two years is very unlikely. 

Most of those guys could sit at AAA and extra year for a bat producing to the tune of a .900 OPS.

 

 

 

 

[liveforoctober]

Just poking around some rosters it looks like Salas is ready to go in San Diego. I wonder what Campusano would cost us if we do decide to move Bill this off season? I am not great at reading defensive metrics for catchers - how does Luis grade out behind the dish?

[PBTank]

23 hours ago, liveforoctober said:

Just poking around some rosters it looks like Salas is ready to go in San Diego. I wonder what Campusano would cost us if we do decide to move Bill this off season? I am not great at reading defensive metrics for catchers - how does Luis grade out behind the dish?

Sal only has two years of arbitration left himself. Trading for him would only give the Brewers an additional year of control over Contreras.  But he could be a nice platoon partner with Naylor. 

[nate82]

I was thinking of the Yankees as a landing spot for a Contreras trade but I don't think they have the prospects that the Brewers would be looking for in a Contreras trade.

I looked at the Rays and while the obvious trade targets here would be one of their top catching prospects I think the Brewers don't target one of their catchers and instead go quantity over value somewhat here.  

Rays: Contreras

Brewers: Ty Johnson (RHP), Slater de Brun (OF) and Anderson Brito (RHP) or Santiago Suarez (RHP).  

You may think this is a light trade for Contreras as the Rays wouldn't be giving up any of their top 10 prospects but this is a solid trade.  While none of these players are in the Rays top 10 or in the top 100 prospects in baseball they are players the Brewers have targeted in the past.  Ty Johnson's scouting report reads very similar to this Jacob Misiorowski guy.  Slater de Brun is someone the Brewers were connected with when he was drafted very similar to Sal Frelick but far more physical.  Anderson Brito is a very advanced pitcher for his age but similar to Peralta is on the small side and may need TJ surgery but is expected back soon from his forearm strain.  Brito hasn't pitched since March.  If you don't like Brito then Santiago Suarez is another good pitcher though he is more of a control pitcher than Brito.  Suarez has a 1.3 BB/9 which is just insane.  Though he doesn't get the strikeout much and he does tend to give up HR's at a career 1.0 currently sitting at 1.8 this year at AA.  He has a mid 90's fastball that can touch 97.  He would make for a very good #4 or #5 starter.  You wouldn't have to worry about him walking batters but you would need an elite level defense behind him which for the Brewers is something they have.  

I don't believe the Brewers will trade Contreras this off season and will instead just go year to year with him.  

[wntrtxn21]

6 hours ago, nate82 said:

I was thinking of the Yankees as a landing spot for a Contreras trade but I don't think they have the prospects that the Brewers would be looking for in a Contreras trade.

I looked at the Rays and while the obvious trade targets here would be one of their top catching prospects I think the Brewers don't target one of their catchers and instead go quantity over value somewhat here.  

Rays: Contreras

Brewers: Ty Johnson (RHP), Slater de Brun (OF) and Anderson Brito (RHP) or Santiago Suarez (RHP).  

You may think this is a light trade for Contreras as the Rays wouldn't be giving up any of their top 10 prospects but this is a solid trade.  While none of these players are in the Rays top 10 or in the top 100 prospects in baseball they are players the Brewers have targeted in the past.  Ty Johnson's scouting report reads very similar to this Jacob Misiorowski guy.  Slater de Brun is someone the Brewers were connected with when he was drafted very similar to Sal Frelick but far more physical.  Anderson Brito is a very advanced pitcher for his age but similar to Peralta is on the small side and may need TJ surgery but is expected back soon from his forearm strain.  Brito hasn't pitched since March.  If you don't like Brito then Santiago Suarez is another good pitcher though he is more of a control pitcher than Brito.  Suarez has a 1.3 BB/9 which is just insane.  Though he doesn't get the strikeout much and he does tend to give up HR's at a career 1.0 currently sitting at 1.8 this year at AA.  He has a mid 90's fastball that can touch 97.  He would make for a very good #4 or #5 starter.  You wouldn't have to worry about him walking batters but you would need an elite level defense behind him which for the Brewers is something they have.  

I don't believe the Brewers will trade Contreras this off season and will instead just go year to year with him.  

IMO it's a way, way too weak package for Contreras. I'd rather keep him and get a good draft pick in 2028,

[GAME05]

18 hours ago, wntrtxn21 said:

I'd rather keep him and get a good draft pick in 2028,

Or he accepts and we pay $23m for 1.5 WAR.

[wntrtxn21]

4 hours ago, GAME05 said:

Or he accepts and we pay $23m for 1.5 WAR.

Or they trade him for a much better package.

4 hours ago, GAME05 said:

Or he accepts and we pay $23m for 1.5 WAR.

 

[nate82]

5 hours ago, wntrtxn21 said:

Or they trade him for a much better package.

 

I don't think there would be a better package.  Unless you mean prospect rankings which really aren't worth all that much to GM's.  It does help the baseball writers to easily determine if a trade is a win or not.  I don't think you really looked at the players other than their rankings.

Of these two pitchers which one would you rather have and would you trade either for Contreras and would they be the headline piece in a Contreras trade?

Pitcher#1

Pitcher #2

[jay87shot]

21 hours ago, nate82 said:

I don't think there would be a better package.  Unless you mean prospect rankings which really aren't worth all that much to GM's.  It does help the baseball writers to easily determine if a trade is a win or not.  I don't think you really looked at the players other than their rankings.

Of these two pitchers which one would you rather have and would you trade either for Contreras and would they be the headline piece in a Contreras trade?

Pitcher#1

Pitcher #2

Pitcher1 by a hair because he is a year younger and i like starters with ks and good gb rated. However stuff would play really big into it. The stats kind of B indicated better stuff from #2.

[nate82]

1 hour ago, jay87shot said:

Pitcher1 by a hair because he is a year younger and i like starters with ks and good gb rated. However stuff would play really big into it. The stats kind of B indicated better stuff from #2.

Pitcher #1 is Mis and Pitcher #2 is Ty Johnson.  

[jay87shot]

14 minutes ago, nate82 said:

Pitcher #1 is Mis and Pitcher #2 is Ty Johnson.  

I figured 1 of them was the Mis

[nate82]

41 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

I figured 1 of them was the Mis

I tried to make it obvious with my previous post with the scouting report about Ty Johnson being very similar to Mis. 

[Playing Catch]

Contreras for [fill in Yankees package here], Fischer+ for Salas. Love it.

[jay87shot]

Any possibility of moving Yeli? I know it is a tough mountain to climb with him having 10/5 and being able to block trades. Especially since he is extra comfy in Milwaukee and even approaching him seems like a tough proposition. It would open up a ton of options for the offseason and adding a big bat or just retaining Bauers.

In the past, I have proposed something along the lines of Trout to Phily, Yeli to Angels (prospects), and we get a Philly contract (last year was Bohm but that doesn't work, Realmuto???). I get that we probably dont want any of Phillies bad contracts back and Yeli wouldn't be interested in the Angels with how inept they have been. Just throwing out a starting point. Maybe that works better with the Padres, Giants, or Dodgers as a 3 team swap.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

3 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

Any possibility of moving Yeli? I know it is a tough mountain to climb with him having 10/5 and being able to block trades. Especially since he is extra comfy in Milwaukee and even approaching him seems like a tough proposition. It would open up a ton of options for the offseason and adding a big bat or just retaining Bauers.

In the past, I have proposed something along the lines of Trout to Phily, Yeli to Angels (prospects), and we get a Philly contract (last year was Bohm but that doesn't work, Realmuto???). I get that we probably dont want any of Phillies bad contracts back and Yeli wouldn't be interested in the Angels with how inept they have been. Just throwing out a starting point. Maybe that works better with the Padres, Giants, or Dodgers as a 3 team swap.

NO chance. Yelich has said multiple times that he wants to retire a Brewer, so I don't see him approving a deal anywhere besides possibly the Dodgers, who wouldn't want him unless the Brewers gave up massive prospect capital to the Dodgers to take on Yelich's deal. Can't see that happening.

[nate82]

1 hour ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

NO chance. Yelich has said multiple times that he wants to retire a Brewer, so I don't see him approving a deal anywhere besides possibly the Dodgers, who wouldn't want him unless the Brewers gave up massive prospect capital to the Dodgers to take on Yelich's deal. Can't see that happening.

If the Dodgers have to get under the cap maybe a Yelich for Tucker makes some sense.  It would cut the cap for the Dodgers in about half.  The Dodgers would probably have to send some money over in the deal for it to work or it would have to be a three team trade.  Maybe the A’s make some sense as they would also have to add in payroll to get to the floor. 

I don’t think Yelich would even approve that trade.  The Brewers are stuck with him until he retires.  

[tmwiese55]

Yea I don't think a trade is feasible. He either plays out the last two years or they come to agreement that he retires but he keeps the money or maybe some kind of minor reduction.  I don't think that's on the table for next year since just last season he was perfectly good, so I'd think he hopes he can bounce back to finish this year and/or next year.  But, if next year is akin to this one or maybe even has more injury issues then I could see the last year being bought out and him retiring. 

[PBTank]

12 minutes ago, tmwiese55 said:

Yea I don't think a trade is feasible. He either plays out the last two years or they come to agreement that he retires but he keeps the money or maybe some kind of minor reduction.  I don't think that's on the table for next year since just last season he was perfectly good, so I'd think he hopes he can bounce back to finish this year and/or next year.  But, if next year is akin to this one or maybe even has more injury issues then I could see the last year being bought out and him retiring. 

I’ve been thinking along the same lines. Yelich doesn’t appear to be a player who would want to keep playing if his skills diminish to the point where the Brewers cannot even play him.  He could possibly retire and the Brewers somehow still give him the money to be a representative of the team for a number of years. There are plenty of functions that he could still be a part of to promote Brewers baseball. 

[TURBO]

Could Yelich retire, and we just defer his salary for 10 years or so?  Say 5 million per year for 10 years?  Just a hypothetical, not sure this can be done since he signed the contract, and I don't know if it can be messed with.

[jay87shot]

I would be really interested in a trade for Gavin Williams. The Guardians have a histroy of trading pitchers with control but haven't done it much the last couple years. However they need some offsense and getting someone like Williams for 3 years of control could be a huge win. Would something like Mitchell and Gasser be to a fair package? The Guardians get a good OF upgrade and a replacement starter we get the upside and have OF pieces to replace Mitchell selling high on a decent healthy season.

[nate82]

1 hour ago, TURBO said:

Could Yelich retire, and we just defer his salary for 10 years or so?  Say 5 million per year for 10 years?  Just a hypothetical, not sure this can be done since he signed the contract, and I don't know if it can be messed with.

If Yelich retires whatever is remaining on his contract won’t be paid out.  He will still get the deferred payments but he won’t get the years he doesn’t play.

Are you thinking of a buyout?