The Brewers Didn't Trade These Three Prospects; Now What Will They Do With Them?

[Cory Sparks]

Image courtesy of IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers’ big move at this year’s MLB Trade Deadline was landing Dustin May and JoJo Romero, a pair of big league arms from their division rivals in St. Louis. While the team didn’t make the splash for two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who went to the Dodgers, there’s still an argument that these three prospects could’ve been spent on another arm or a power bat.

Luis Peña

Peña would’ve been in the mock Skubal trade, as he's someone who holds a lot of value and therefore deserves a hefty return. He’s the number two prospect in the Brewers’ pipeline. The problem is, I don’t know where this guy plays. 

Jesús Made is likely the team’s future shortstop or second baseman, as the team held onto the top prospect in baseball. Cooper Pratt was just extended, and he will likely play third, shortstop, or second base by the time the rest of this prospect class is up. 

Peña has been remarkable, slashing .305/.396/.429 (.825 OPS) while playing all but three games with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He has 105 career stolen bags in 184 games and holds the most value of anyone who the Brewers simply do not have room for. Maybe he becomes more valuable when he’s in Double-A Biloxi or Triple-A Nashville by this time next year, but the clock is ticking on the time this team has to sell someone else on his potential. 

Luke Adams

Luke Adams is another name who could be stuck. Adams, a 22-year-old power hitter, has the potential to be a diamond in the rough for this team considering he was a 12th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. 

Adams has two very appealing attributes: power and plate discipline. The power is on its best run in 2026, as the corner infielder has 15 round-trippers in just 60 games, with 12 of those coming in Triple-A Nashville. As for his approach, Adams has managed to draw 245 career walks while punching out 298 times. 

Who is in front of him? Time will tell what the Brewers decide to do with Andrew Vaughn and now Jake Bauers, who’s having a career year for the Crew. The aforementioned Pratt is in the fold and extended, but I’d be pretty worried about Andrew Fischer. The Brewers’ sixth-ranked prospect is up to 34 home runs and 53 extra-base hits across 91 games. That is someone who could fly by and pass Luke Adams, considering you could argue that he is the best power hitter in Minor League Baseball right now. 

Coleman Crow

Coleman Crow is the final player on this list, and while he has made his MLB debut already, he’s arguably the most blocked of anyone here. The Brewers’ number 22 prospect is a starting pitcher, and there are quite a few names in front of him. Crow went 5-1 with a 4.12 earned run average in 59.0 innings of work for Triple-A Nashville before getting the call to the big leagues. 

Crow’s curveball, which possesses a 60-grade, is the biggest appeal for the former 28th-round pick. While he’s shown he can earn his way up to the top step, names like Logan Henderson, Tyson Hardin, Bishop Letson and more are either ranked higher than him or have pushed past him on the big league ball club’s depth chart. 

The Crew has a surplus of infield prospects, and they have plenty of up-and-coming pitchers behind one of the most dominant rotations in baseball. There’s always next year, but the Crew could’ve capitalized on this surplus more ahead of this year’s deadline.

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[Matt]

What do they do with all three players? 

Let Pena continue to develop in the minors for the next few years. Absolutely no rush. When he does arrive it's not like he couldn't make the transition to the grass, or potentially take Turang's spot when Brice is traded. 

Add Adams to the 40-man and give him a shot at Bauers role next season because Bauers will be gone. Fischer will be in AAA, still trying to figure out how to get his strikeout percentage below 33%.

Coleman Crow is at the very worst a bullpen arm and will probably get occasional starts when injuries inevitably occur. 

None of them are blocked. They could all be around here a very long time.

[CheezWizHed]

30 minutes ago, Matt said:

What do they do with all three players? 

Let Pena continue to develop in the minors for the next few years. Absolutely no rush. When he does arrive it's not like he couldn't make the transition to the grass, or potentially take Turang's spot when Brice is traded. 

Add Adams to the 40-man and give him a shot at Bauers role next season because Bauers will be gone. Fischer will be in AAA, still trying to figure out how to get his strikeout percentage below 33%.

Coleman Crow is at the very worst a bullpen arm and will probably get occasional starts when injuries inevitably occur. 

None of them are blocked. They could all be around here a very long time.

Agreed.  Pena is a couple of years away from being "blocked" at the MLB level.  Him playing AA next year doesn't diminish his value at all.  If anything, being healthy for a full year helps him.  

Crow will remain a SP backup for a couple of years and then follow Patrick to the pen.  Cheap SP depth is very valuable. 

Adams just needs to prove he can play a full season before he can have full value. 

 

[Chris Reinoos]

Maybe Pena's best use for the org does end up coming as a trade chip, but I certainly wouldn't consider him blocked. 

I think Pratt is locked in as the shortstop going forward and I expect Made to be the third baseman soon, perhaps as early as mid-2027. Pena's timeline for arrival in the big leagues seems to dovetail nicely with the likely Turang trade in a few years.

Unless Turang shockingly agrees to a long-term deal, I think Pena is the second baseman of the future.

[Matt]

The real nice thing about Pratt and Lara signing those deals is they're both extremely tradable on them. I'm not saying I expect either to be moved, but I can envision a world where they're both good, solid regulars locked in to nice long term deals, and a couple of the guys behind them (whether it's Made, Pena, Adamczewski, Jett, Payne, Ebel, etc.) become so undeniable that they force the team to make move(s).