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).

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, Chris Reinoos said:

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.

Welcome aboard, nice comments!!!

I too wouldn't be surprised if Made winds up at 3B at some point.

[Outlander]

Crow is cheap with plenty of years of control and finally working his way back from injury, glad they kept him. There isn't much of anything blocking Adams, a cheap Andrew Vaughn next year. 

[Cory Sparks]

9 hours 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.

Crow would have to switch from his usual profile, a starter. This is similar to someone having to change positions in the field, but originally, he as a starter is blocked. I like his stuff. Vaughn may still be around, so I'm curious to see what happens with Adams!

[Cory Sparks]

2 hours ago, Outlander said:

Crow is cheap with plenty of years of control and finally working his way back from injury, glad they kept him. There isn't much of anything blocking Adams, a cheap Andrew Vaughn next year. 

A future infield including Pratt, Made, Pena and Fischer may leave Adams as the odd man out

[Cory Sparks]

4 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Welcome aboard, nice comments!!!

I too wouldn't be surprised if Made winds up at 3B at some point.

Yoyo! Do you think they make the top prospect in baseball shift over? It feels like he'd have the pick, but I'm not sure.

[Cory Sparks]

6 hours ago, Matt said:

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).

Great point, Matt! These are team-friendly deals, and even if the guys don't don't perform on them, those club options are a couple years closer and give extra appeal to possible buyers.

[Jim French Stepstool]

46 minutes ago, Cory Sparks said:

Yoyo! Do you think they make the top prospect in baseball shift over? It feels like he'd have the pick, but I'm not sure.

If they think that gives them the better INF defensively, sure. But there's definitely a lot of versatility among these guys. Time will tell.

No, I don't think they'll simply let him choose.

[long ball]

I agree with other posters, Peña may be several years out yet. Not every prospect is going to be an mlb regular at 20-21 years old. He’s far enough away that I’m not really concerned with where he fits into the picture yet. Maybe the Nationals revisit trading Wood or Abrams and the Brewers take a swing there and Peña is part of that package.  Or maybe he spends 2027 in aa, 2028 in aaa, and fits in at 2b to start 2029 if Turang is traded entering his final year of team control. Maybe he winds up in the OF. Lots of paths and several years for this situation to play out. 
 

I like Adams enough to add him to the 40 man this off-season. I don’t think he has enough power to be an everyday starter at first base. Maybe the brewers like his defense enough at 3rd base that he could fit as a CI bench piece? I’m not really “clearing space” for him though. 
 

crow is probably 7th or 8th on the SP depth chart heading into the off season (depending on the Priester time line). As we have seen this season, that’s probably going to translate into 7-10 starts, some relief appearances, and some AAA time too. Totally a valuable and necessary role. No need to overthink this one. 

[TURBO]

4 hours ago, Cory Sparks said:

A future infield including Pratt, Made, Pena and Fischer may leave Adams as the odd man out

I think Fischer, Burke, and Adams end up fighting for the 1B and DH positions.

I don't believe that Fischer's defense is going to cut it at 3B, and I honestly think that is where Made makes his debut.

That leaves 1B and DH, and we don't have room for all 3.

One of these young men undeservedly is going to get moved at some point in the next year or so.  

I think Adams gets first crack at the big leagues in 2027, followed closely by Burke or Fischer. 

I think Burke is our 1B of the future, and if we hang onto Fischer, our mashing DH.

I love Adams, I'm just not sure he is the one to lay claim to a starting position compared to the other 2 guys.

we shall see!

[narwhalattack]

I imagine it's gonna play out like this:

Made at 3B, Pratt at SS, Burke at 1B, and Fischer at DH.

Turang holds down the fort at 2B for the next couple years until Pena is ready for the major leagues. Then we trade Turang for what is hopefully a decent haul and put Pena at 2B. As for Luke Adams, I imagine he is traded at some point in the near future. He is a fine prospect but is quickly becoming overshadowed by both Fischer and Burke. 

[Outlander]

There really is room for Burke, Fischer and Adams. Adams is the sole righty in the group and we know how the Brewers like to platoon. Yelich is gone in a couple of years so no longer clogging up DH by 2029 at the latest and no other really old guys on the team projected to be DH. Of course if the right offer comes along take it but there should be no rush to trade any of them. Adams will get the first shot next year while the others are in the minors.