Every year, MLB Trade Rumors releases a list of the most likely trade candidates for the offseason. In this season's edition, they named a total of 40 players, including Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher, as the 8th-best trade candidate.
Across 33 starts in 2025, Peralta pitched 176 2/3 innings, recording 204 strikeouts to surpass the 200-strikeout mark for the third consecutive season, joining an exclusive group in franchise history. Peralta finished the regular season with a strong 2.70 ERA, though his expected outcomes metrics suggest some regression moving forward with a 3.64 FIP per FanGraphs. His production led to his second All-Star selection and generated a 5.5 bWAR. He has an $8 million team option for 2026 and will be a free agent at season's end.
While the Brewers are known for flipping high-end assets for more controllable pieces (e.g., Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader, and Devin Williams), they bucked that trend with Willy Adames last offseason. Instead, they opted to keep the shortstop for the duration of his arbitration years and collected a draft pick when he was signed by the San Francisco Giants. However, the Brewers have the necessary pitching depth to at least gauge the market for Peralta.
Do you think the Brewers should trade Peralta? Let us know what you think in the comments!
MLBTR is reporting that this offseason's cutoff for Super Two arbitration eligibility will be around two years and 139-140 days.
Super Two status in Major League Baseball is a special designation that allows a select group of players to become eligible for salary arbitration one year earlier than the typical eligibility requirement. To qualify, a player must rank in the top 22% (rounded to the nearest whole number) of total Major League service time among all players who have between two and three years of service.
In short, Brice Turang will be eligible for arbitration this offseason instead of being on a rookie minimum salary.
The team's most valuable player in 2025, Turang carried a .749 OPS with 18 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases. He led the team in bWAR (5.5), runs (97), home runs, and runs batted in. He was also recognized as a National League Silver Slugger finalist at the Keystone.
How do you think this impacts the Brewers' offseason plans?
Matt Arnold has been promoted to President of Baseball Operations; he will continue to oversee baseball operations, a responsibility he has held since October 2022 after the departure of David Stearns, who also held the PoBO title. Arnold originally joined Milwaukee in October 2015 as vice president and assistant general manager, advanced to senior vice president and assistant general manager in June 2019, and was promoted to senior vice president and general manager in November 2020.
During his tenure in Milwaukee, the club has qualified for the postseason seven times and secured five National League Central Division championships in 2018, 2021, and 2023 through 2025. The team has won at least 92 games in each of the last three seasons, including a franchise-record 97 victories in 2025.
Arnold was named MLB Executive of the Year for 2024 in voting by executives from all 30 clubs. He also received Executive of the Year honors from The Sporting News in 2024 and 2025 and from Baseball America in 2024.
Before joining the Brewers, Arnold spent nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2007 to 2015, most recently as director of player personnel. Earlier in his career, Arnold held roles with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2000, the Texas Rangers in 2002, and the Cincinnati Reds from 2003 to 2006. He has 25 seasons of professional baseball experience.
David Stearns once held the position of both PoBO and General Manager, as Arnold does now. Will Arnold hire a new General Manager to work under him, just as he was promoted to that title in 2020 under Stearns?
It's hard to predict how this offseason will unfold, as there is an increasing chance of (yet another) MLB lockout following the 2026 season. Will teams spend big this offseason, hoping to create surety in the face of an unknown collective bargaining agreement? Or will they be hesitant in hopes of a favorable outcome for ownership groups?
No matter how it shakes out, teams will need to compete in the 2026 season, and they'll need to sign free agents this winter. DiamondCentric has compiled a complete list of free agents, sortable and searchable by pretty much any metric you need. Looking for a first baseman? A catcher? We have you covered. We offer two pages for your reference: one for position players, the other for pitchers.
Devin Williams is slated to hit free agency after the 2025 season. Williams struggled with the Yankees, posting a 4.79 ERA – nearly three full runs over his career record with Milwaukee – and being demoted from the closer’s role, with the Bronx Bombers turning to David Bednar and Luke Weaver to fill the slot.
That being said, with the Brewers showing they can give pitchers new life (Jose Quintana being the latest example), it may behoove them to see if Williams would like to return. They’ve done this before with a closer – see Jeremy Jeffress, who ended up performing well for the Crew after having a rough time of it elsewhere.
Adding Williams back for at least 2026 could also be a good thing for Craig Yoho, who struggled in some of his appearances with Milwaukee in 2025. Yoho could stick in Triple-A Nashville for some more seasoning and adjustments – while also putting off further additions to his service time – and it could also help manage his innings.
Given Pat Murphy’s tendency to lean heavily on reliable arms, having Williams, who had an excellent track record with the Crew, may be a good way to avoid overuse of Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill, Grant Anderson, and Nick Mears as well as giving Yoho the chance to develop.
As for Williams, a return to the Ueck would be a chance to show that 2025 is an aberration. A one-year deal (maybe with a mutual option for 2027) could be just the thing to set him up for a better free-agent deal.
The Brewers need arms Pat Murphy can trust. Williams needs a chance to bounce back from an off year. A 2026 reunion would be a potential win-win for both parties.
First up is second baseman Brice Turang, who earned -2 Outs Above Average, zero Fielding Run Value, and seven Defensive Runs Saved this season. While OAA and FRV weren't favorable to him, by DRS, he was the second-best second baseman in the NL in 2025. The only problem? Chicago Cubs keystone stopper Nico Hoerner lapped the field in each of those categories (14 OAA, 12 FRV, 17 DRS) and is a surefire bet to win the award this year. Xavier Edwards of the Marlins is the other finalist.
Meanwhile, Frelick is competing with Corbin Carroll and Fernando Tatis Jr. for the award in right field. Tatis (eight OAA, nine FRV, 15 DRS) was better than Frelick (six OAA, seven FRV, nine DRS) in each of the primary three defensive counting stats and is likely the favorite after winning the award in 2023.
Both Brewers players won the Gold Glove award at their respective positions last year, with Turang securing the fabled Platinum Glove for the best defender in the NL, regardless of position.
Gold Glove winners will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 2.
With the Timber Rattlers' season now over, Jesus Made will be making his way to Double-A Biloxi to help with their playoff run starting next week. Of course, this is more than a throwaway move and signals yet another major milestone for the 18-year-old.
Made needed just 123 plate appearances with High-A Wisconsin to prove that he was ready for a step up in competition. Since being promoted in August, he has slashed .343/.415/.500 for a wRC+ of 157. Other than his walk rate, nearly every aspect of his offensive profile was an improvement from what he did with Single-A Carolina earlier in the year.
While in High-A, his top-notch bat-to-ball were on full display as he had a swinging strike percentage of just 9.2% and a contact rate of 78.9%. His walk rate did dip slightly but was still at a respectable 10.6% while his strikeout rate of 17.9% was also a slight improvement over his performance in Single-A.
We likely won't get a very meaningful sample of what he can do in Double-A given the small amount of remaining games but it could give fans a glimpse of what's to come starting next year. He's seemingly ahead of what's already a pretty accelerated schedule with an ETA of 2028 but could be on the doorstep of the big leagues as soon as next year.
Hoskins has been out of action since early July when he sustained a left thumb sprain while making a tag at first base. He was originally expected to be back in the lineup by mid- to late-August, but the most recent updates suggest that he isn't expected to start his rehab assignment until then.
Milwaukee did (sort of) hedge against this by acquiring Andrew Vaughn from the White Sox, and he has been playing incredibly well so far, almost suspiciously so. Since joining the team, he's slashing .375/.439/.771 across a sample of 57 plate appearances, which is way above his career norms of .250/.306/.414. It's unclear as to whether the front office truly saw something in him worth making him the Brewers' starting first baseman down the stretch, but if they just saw him as a holdover that has worked out far better than expected, they'll have to start looking for more reinforcements.
Ryan O'Hearn stands out as one of the only options at the position that could give the lineup a real boost. With a .456 slugging percentage and 133 OPS+, he's a hitter with qualities that compensate for the current lack of pop. As it stands, Jackson Chourio is the only hitter with a slugging percentage over .450 and the team's combined slugging percentage of .387 places them 23rd in MLB.
The only move Milwaukee has made so far is to acquire Danny Jansen to serve as their backup catcher, which does make the team better, but perhaps not enough to push them past their typical first round exit. In an ideal world, Andrew Vaughn would maintain his 234 OPS+ through the end of the season but reality will likely set in before long. Will is true abilities still be enough to take the Brewers to the next level or should they seek more help before it's too late?
Sean Episcope is from the Chicago area originally, but has spent his college career at Princeton. At 6'0, he throws from a higher slot than you would expect. After undergoing Tommy John Surgery his senior year of high school, he is dealing with another elbow injury currently that will likely keep him out for a while.
MLB Pipeline has Episcope ranked 215th overall, and their write-up discusses how he, "made 10 uneven starts as a freshman with the Tigers in 2024, but came out of the gate this year like gangbusters, with 26 strikeouts and just four walks in 20 innings, including a nine-strikeout, five-inning start at Wake Forest that opened a lot of eyes. But he came out of his fourth start with his biceps tingling, and it was eventually determined that he required another procedure, getting internal brace surgery in May."
They then dive into his interesting pitch mix, saying, "Episcope does have the pitch mix to potentially start when healthy. He was topping out at 97 mph with his fastball and averaging a touch over 94, while maintaining that velocity throughout his starts before he got shut down. He has two legitimate breaking balls, with a mid-80s gyro-like slider and more of a 12-to-6 power curve up to 82 mph that registered elite-level spin rates north of 3,000 rpm. Combined, the two breakers elicited a 60-percent miss rate over his four starts, according to Synergy. Episcope did an excellent job filling up the strike zone this spring, but given the lack of history on the mound and the multiple elbow procedures, it's a little more difficult to pinpoint where he belongs in a Draft class. Some thought he could go as high as the second round as a future starter had his success continued, while others see his size and injuries and see a reliever profile."
The Brewers' next selection will come in the sixth round, 185th overall.
Joshua Flores hails from the same high school as 2023 pick Josh Adamczewski and 2024 pick Griffin Tobias, making it three years in a row the Brewers went to the well at Lake Central High School in Indiana.
MLB Pipeline has Flores ranked 243rd overall, and wrote, "Indiana's high school pitching crop runs deeper than usual this year, and Flores has the loudest stuff of the group. He features one of the best curveballs in the national prep class, though he also averaged a walk per inning as a senior. He comes with a high ceiling but also a good deal of reliever risk. Flores' hammer curveball ranges from 82-85 mph with downer break, grading as a well above-average pitch at times but also moving so much he has difficulty landing it in the zone. He has better command of a tighter slider with similar velocity. Hitters can't really guard against his breaking balls because his fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97 with some armside run and carry. Flores barely utilizes his mid-80s changeup, which flashes some interesting tumble. The Kentucky recruit has a long arm action and effort in his delivery, which hampers his ability to throw strikes, let alone locate his offerings with much precision. He'll be an intriguing project for a team that believes in its ability to develop pitchers."
The Brewers' next selection will be 155th overall, in the fifth round.
32‑year‑old first baseman Rhys Hoskins has batted .242/.340/.428 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs through 82 games this season. On July 5, he exited a 4–2 loss to the Marlins after jamming his left thumb tagging out a runner. X-rays were negative, but the MRI revealed a grade 2 sprain, and he’ll require a stint on the 10-day injured list. Hoskins has a hard‑hit rate of 45.8% and a wOBA of .334.
Grade‑2 thumb sprains typically sideline MLB players for 2–4 weeks. Aroldis Chapman missed about three weeks with a similar right thumb sprain in 2023, while infielder Xander Bogaerts was also out roughly three weeks after a grade‑2 left thumb sprain in 2021.
Called up to Milwaukee to replace Hoskins is Andrew Vaughn, who has an OPS of .838 in 65 plate appearances in Triple-A Nashville. He was recently acquired in trade from the Chicago White Sox.
Thanks to @markedman5 for creating the original thread on the Brewer Fanatic forums.
Freddy Peralta, Jose Quintana, Quinn Priester and Chad Patrick will all retain their spots in the Brewers starting rotation, with the arrival of Jacob Misiorowski rounding out the group. The odd man out will be Aaron Civale, last year's early-July starting reinforcement. Civale, who turns 30 on Thursday, has a 4.91 ERA in five starts this year, and is a free agent at season's end. Everyone else in the mix either has significantly outperformed him; is more important to the long-term future of the Brewers; or meets both of those criteria.
Presumably, Misiorowski will take the place on the roster of Easton McGee, whom the team recalled to replace the optioned Grant Anderson. With Civale, DL Hall and Aaron Ashby all in the pen, the Brewers now have one of the deepest groups of multi-inning relief options in the league. That figures to come in handy, since Patrick, Misiorowski and even (lately) Peralta are prone to short starts. One way or another, though, the pitching staff certainly got more talented—and Pat Murphy's job to manage it just got a hair more complicated.
Baseball America has updated their Top 100 prospect list at the start of June and it's unsurprising that the Milwaukee Brewers systems leads the charge with four prospects in the top 33. While they don't have the most prospects in the top 100, they aren't far off from Los Angeles Dodgers who have five.
Jesús Made(#4), Jacob Misiorowski (#21), Luis Peña (#31), and Cooper Pratt (#33) are the four names to crack the list.
Made has arguably been the hottest name in the prospect word as he's torn apart Single-A Carolina with an .837 OPS, four home runs, and 21 stolen bases. Misiorowski has a sparkling 2.31 ERA and a so-so 19.2% K-BB rate for Triple-A Nashville. Peña, at the same level as Made, is another prospect who's been a popular topic of conversation this season. He has a .964 OPS with five home runs and 23 stolen bases. Finally, Pratt hasn't had quite the same level of success for Double-A Biloxi with just a .650 OPS. He does have four home runs and 10 stolen bases on the season.
When will the Brewers call up Misiorowski? Was anyone snubbed from the top 100 list? Join the conversation in the comments!
In a recent roundup on MLB.com, early results on MLB television ratings were revealed. They include:
MLB on Fox is up 10%
MLB on ESPN is up 22%
MLB Tuesday on TBS is up 16%
Perhaps most importantly, it appears substantial gains are being made in the 18-34 age demographic, a decades-long weakness of Major League Baseball.
This is in sharp contrast to the World Series, which has been in decline for years and is often used as a benchmark for the overall popularity of the sport. I was able to find World Series ratings dating back to 1968, and until 2007 the World Series never carried a rating under 10. That slowly spiraled until it hit its low-water mark of 4.7 in 2023 as the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks squared off.
MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred have aggressively pushed rules changes, largely in an attempt to capture younger demographics that have abandoned baseball in favor of football and basketball.
Is baseball on the rebound with fans or is this just a blip on the radar?
Brock Wilken, third baseman for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, has been named the Brewers Minor League Player of the Month.
Wilken, the Brewers' first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, was outstanding at the plate in May. He posted a .938 OPS with nine home runs in the month while carrying a very respectable .368 on-base percentage. Thirteen of his 22 hits on the month went for extra bases. Wilken has logged most of his time at the hot corner in 2025, starting 39 of his 51 games there.
You can view Wilken's scouting report and stats on our prospect profile page: