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  • Milwaukee Brewers Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Milwaukee Brewers free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Brock Beauchamp
    In the most recent Baseball Insiders podcast, Robert Murray mentioned that he has heard from multiple teams that the Brewers are interested in shopping outfielders - Garrett Mitchell is mentioned by name - in exchange for help in areas of roster weakness. The Brewers have several outfielders on the 40-man and not enough positions to play them, even if Christian Yelich is out for the season with back issues. Mitchell is pre-arbitration and after suffering an early-season injury, has rebounded to post a 119 OPS+ in 59 plate appearances this season.
    With the recent addition of Devin Williams to the Brewers roster, their bullpen situation is even more cramped than it was leading into July. Joel Payamps and Hoby Milner may be options to package into a deal to bring back an MLB player, such as a starting pitcher.
    Brock Beauchamp
    This news might cause whiplash: the New York Yankees are apparently dangling starting pitcher Nestor Cortes on the trade market. Cortes is only 29 years old and won't become a free agent until after the 2025 season.
    Cortes has flashed brilliance in the past but scuffled in 2023 (87 ERA+) and is roughly league-average this season (99 ERA+). The Yankees, an obvious contender this season, will likely be looking for major-league talent in return for the pitcher, which could make a lot of sense for the Brewers, who are facing several roster crunches, particularly in the bullpen (though it will obviously require more than a reliever to reel in a pitcher of Cortes' profile).
    Brock Beauchamp
    Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has reported that sources close to the Brewers are saying they have expanded their trade deadline interests to acquiring a left-handed bat.
    Milwaukee is concerned about Christian Yelich's recent back issues. It was reported that Yelich was strongly considering season-ending back surgery before receiving an opinion that rest and rehab might be an option to get him back on the field later in the 2024 season. After the season, it's likely Yelich will opt for back surgery and hopefully be ready to start the 2025 season on time.
    While there are some lower-level options open to the Brewers (and never underestimate General Manager Matt Arnold's ability to get creative), the most obvious and best rental option is a name that strikes terror into the heart of Brewers fans: Jesse Winker.
    After having an abysmal 2023 season with the Crew that ended with him being booed in front of the home town crowd in the postseason, Winker is having an outstanding rebound season with the Washington Nationals. He is posting a 130 OPS+ and is only making $2 million, which could be appealing to the Brewers, who don't seem eager to add payroll at the deadline.
    Brock Beauchamp
    According to Mark Feinsand's latest MLB.com report, the Blue Jays are telling teams they are willing to trade any players on expiring contracts, though they are not yet willing to part with players with team control beyond 2024.
    The Blue Jays have a slew of players who will be free agents at the end of the season: center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, DH Justin Turner, relievers Trevor Richards & Yimi Garcia, and most interestingly to the Brewers, Yusei Kikuchi.
    Kikuchi is having a solid season with 101.1 innings pitched, a 101 ERA+, and is making only $10 million this season. Relievers Richards and Garcia might also be of interest to the Brewers depending on the healthy return of Devin Williams in the next couple of weeks.
    Brock Beauchamp
    In the latest trade roundup from The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal, Katie Woo, and Patrick Mooney wrote that the Nationals are preparing to sell. While Washington is playing decently this season (42-49), they're a whopping 16.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies and 5.5 games out of a contentious National League Wild Card spot. They didn't expect to compete this year and feel as if they're a year ahead of schedule and PoBO Mike Rizzo feels selling is the right decision at this trade deadline.
    The Nationals have several interesting right-handed relievers that could interest the Brewers. On expiring contracts, they have Dylan Floro (179 ERA+) while they have two relievers who become free agents after the 2025 season: Hunter Harvey (183 ERA+) and Kyle Finnegan (184 ERA+). Starting pitcher Trevor Williams is expected to return from injury soon. He will also become a free agent at season's end and over 11 starts has a 2.22 ERA.
    Of course, the Nationals also have a Brewers fan favorite rostered and available in trade, Jesse Winker.

    Brock Beauchamp
    Zachary Rotman of FanSided, quoting Robert Murray of the same publication, revealed that sources familiar with the Brewers are all-in on acquiring pitching at the trade deadline. While the struggles of relievers like Joel Payamps make it likely Milwaukee will dabble in the reliever market, most of the focus is believed to be on the starting rotation.
    That makes sense. Brewers starters have struggled to go deep into games, further extending their bullpen, which could have consequences down the stretch and into October. On the other side of the coin, the Brewers offense is tenth in baseball in OPS with no glaring holes to fill; to see significant upgrades offensively, the Brewers might have to shop on the top shelf of trade candidates, something they are unlikely to do.
    The Brewers recently acquired Aaron Civale from the Tampa Bay Rays but as of today, Dallas Keuchel still holds a rotation spot for the Crew. While Keuchel could be an acceptable short-term solution to the deadline, it's unlikely he will be a pitcher General Manager Matt Arnold is interested in relying on through the dog days of summer.
    While teams like the Texas Rangers might have interesting starters to trade - primarily Michael Lorenzen - it's likely the Brewers will pursue an arm that doesn't require them to trade away anyone in the top five of their farm system.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic focused on the struggling Texas Rangers in his latest trade deadline roundup. He points out that while it's rare for defending world champions to sell, the Rangers are teetering on that precipice as we head toward mid-July. Texas is in third place in the AL West, six games behind the Seattle Mariners. They're even further out of the Wild Card picture, 7.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot. While those aren't insurmountable numbers, the Houston Astros have been playing much better baseball after an abysmal start to the season while the Rangers have yet to do much better than treading water at any point thus far.
    What makes the Rangers particularly interesting is their corps of starting pitchers. Michael Lorenzen is having a stellar season (123 ERA+) while making only $4.5 million this season. He's a free agent at season's end. Nathan Eovaldi is having a similarly good season (128 ERA+), though he is making $16 million this season and if he pitches another ~70-ish innings, a $20 million vesting option kicks in for 2025. If he continues pitching as he has this season, that's probably not a deterrent to any acquiring team. 
    The wild card candidate is Max Scherzer, who has a no-trade clause. He was willing to waive that last season but only if the Rangers added an additional season to his contract. There's no telling what Scherzer will do at this deadline; he's 39 years old now and is a free agent at season's end.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote up a list of 17 starting pitchers and their likelihood of being dealt before the trade deadline.
    While few pitchers ranked as "highly likely to be traded", there were two Tampa Bay Rays holding that qualification: Zach Eflin and Zack Littell. The Brewers are well-established as willing partners with the Rays; they traded for Willy Adames back in 2021 and just last week picked up starting pitcher Aaron Civale from Tampa.
    Both Littell and Eflin are roughly league-average pitchers, though Eflin was very good last season as he pitched to a 119 ERA+. Littell was something of a journeyman bullpen guy; originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins, he later moved to the San Francisco Giants before becoming a breakout starting pitcher for the Rays last season.
    Like the recently-acquired Civale, both players are free agents after the 2025 season. Hit the link above to see the entirety of Heyman's list.
    Brock Beauchamp
    This one isn't a rumor as much as a surprising statement from a national writer as lauded as The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Appearing on Foul Territory, the panel points out how different this Brewers squad is to previous seasons, which relied heavily on pitching and just hoped to scrape together enough runs on offense to win.
    It's a very different story in 2024. While the bullpen is still elite (and Devin Williams has yet to return), the offense is firing on all cylinders and is one of the most dynamic and multi-faceted offenses the Brewers have fielded in years. Most of the players are young and cost-controlled for years but it can (and probably should) be argued the Brewers should strike while the iron is hot. The Brewers are receiving excellent seasons from Christian Yelich, William Contreras, Brice Turang, et al and it may not be reasonable to count on similar performances in 2025.
    What do you think, Brewers fans? Is it time to sacrifice a little of the future for a little more certainty today?
    Brock Beauchamp
    Ken Rosenthal highlighted the Brewers in today's roundup and while the news isn't earth-shattering to any Milwaukee fan, he reports that people familiar with the team don't expect a big splash at the deadline in either money or prospect capital, even for starting pitching.
    He reported that the Crew will retain their "bites of the apple" philosophy (my words, not his) and not trade away any of their top prospects for a badly-needed starting pitcher. There are several starting pitchers likely to be available at the deadline, highlighted by Garrett Crochet, who is under team control for several more seasons. As teams like the Blue Jays spiral out of contention, premier starters like Kevin Gausman could also be placed on the market.
    It's a controversial decision that will surely upset some Brewers fans but given the steady stewardship provided by David Stearns and now Matt Arnold, it's increasingly difficult to argue with the regular season results the Brewers have achieved for the past seven years.
    Matthew Lenz
    While rumors of Kelley Jansen being in the market have been swirling since the offseason, it may have been assumed he was off the market considering the Red Sox unexpected success in 2024. Instead, Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote that rival executives believe "...there could be 'buyer-to-buyer' type trade this year..."
    While the price tag is hefty in both salary and player capital, the former elite reliever has done exceptional this year sporting a 2.30/2.13 ERA/FIP with a 19.1-percent K-BB and locking down 15/16 save opportunities. He would be an expensive but great addition for any team who needs bullpen help. While relievers are volatile creatures, it's an added bonus that an acquiring team would only be tied to him for this season.
    Cover photo credit: © Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
    Brock Beauchamp
    Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic's Detroit Tigers beat writer, recent wrote a piece examining the possibility of Jack Flaherty being a trade candidate before the trade deadline.
    With each passing day, it feels more likely the Tigers will sell (and it's being speculated they could consider moving cost-controlled assets like young starter Tarik Skubel). They're currently fourth in the American League Central division, 15 games behind the Cleveland Guardians. They're also 6.5 games out of third Wild Card spot, behind four other teams.
    Flaherty has turned out to be a fantastic offseason pickup for Detroit. Signed to a one-year, $14 million deal, he has started 14 games this season, pitching to a 2.92 ERA with a 2.69 FIP. His groundball rate is the highest since his rookie season in 2017 and he's striking out 11.66 batters per nine innings.
    The complicating factor for the Tigers is that Flaherty can be given a Qualifying Offer this offseason. Projected to be a little over $20 million in 2025, if Flaherty continues pitching as he has, the QO becomes a no-brainer for Detroit. That means the Tigers would have to be confident their trade return exceeds the value they will receive from a 35-ish overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Most years, not a lot happens in June trade-wise but this June has been particularly slow, with almost no note-worthy trades happening between teams.
    That's primarily due to two reasons:
    The new postseason format, as many predicted, is keeping more teams in the postseason race than ever before. The ridiculous amount of parity in the leagues, particularly the National League. As of this writing, only three American League teams and just two National League teams are clear sellers: Oakland, the White Sox, and the Angels in the AL, while Colorado and Miami are the only clear sellers in the NL.
    In the American League, 12 of the 15 teams are in a postseason position or within 7.5 games of the third Wild Card spot. In the National League, 13 of the 15 teams are in a postseason position or within just 3.0 games of the third Wild Card spot.
    As we head into July, it's likely we will see more stratification amongst the contenders and some teams will drop out of the race and eventually trade expiring contracts but it's hard to imagine many high-profile names moving in the first half of July. We could also see savvy teams like the Rays, currently 4.0 games out of the third Wild Card, take advantage of the seller's market and intentionally bow out of the race. On the other hand, some GMs/PoBOs should be concerned about their jobs, such as Jed Hoyer and the Cubs, and they may try to avoid making the obvious long-term decision of selling assets to improve in later seasons.
    Time will tell how this all plays out but don't expect much to happen in the coming days or even weeks.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Two weeks ago, the Mets looked like they were on a path to being clear sellers at the trade deadline; several games under .500 and well back of the Wild Card, most expected David Stearns to sell. A small warm-streak later, they're still under .500 but now only two games out of the third Wild Card spot in the National League.
    Why should a Brewers fan care? Well, because the Mets have starting pitching, and a lot of it. Mike Puma of the New York Post tweeted that it's possible the Mets may look to move starters while also trying to contend. They have several starters coming back from injury or in the minors (see below) but also have several starters on expiring or short-term contracts: Luis Severino (3.52 ERA, free agent after the season), Jose Quintana (4.58 ERA, free agent after the season), and Sean Manaea (4.16 ERA, $13.5 million option for 2025) are three options the Metropolitans could use as bait to beef up their middle-of-the-pack offense.
      
    Brock Beauchamp
    Don't shoot the messenger. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote today that the Brewers should consider trading Willy Adames for starting pitching help. While the mere mention of this is likely to bring back Josh Hader nightmares to many Brewers fans, what he argues makes some sense on a baseball level.
    With the promotion and start of Carlos F Rodriguez the other night, the Brewers have used 12 starting pitchers and we're not particularly close to the midpoint of the 2024 season. Adames, a clubhouse and fan favorite, is set to become a free agent after the season and the Brewers have capable middle infielders already rostered in Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang.
    Sure to be a controversial move, it would be dealing from a team strength to fill a team weakness. With Adames due a Qualifying Offer after the season and the relative strength of the Brewers farm system, I'd prefer to deal from the farm to acquire pitching but the idea of moving on from Adames isn't ridiculous, either.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Recently, there has been speculation amongst multiple insiders that the 31-35 Arizona Diamondbacks may look to move contracts if they continue to fall out of the National League West race.
    The most interesting decision the Diamondbacks will have to make is about starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery, who was a list-minute signing amongst the Boras Four this past offseason. Montgomery, looking for a long-term deal over the winter, was forced to settle for a one-year contract with a player option for 2025.
    What the Diamondbacks might find most unsettling about this arrangement is that Montgomery, now 31, has been very bad this season. After a successful 2023 split between the Cardinals and the championship-winning Texas Rangers, Montgomery posted a 3.20 ERA. That number has ballooned to a whopping 6.80 ERA in nine starts this season. His fastball velocity has dipped and he's sagging in almost every possible category compared to his 2023 effort.
    Montgomery's 2024 salary is $25 million. He has multiple vesting options alongside his player option for 2025: at ten starts in 2024 he vests $20 million in 2025; at 18 starts in 2024 he vests $22.5 million in 2025; at 23 starts he vests $25 million in 2025.
    It's easy to see a situation where this scares a non-competitive Diamondbacks team. It also could present an opportunity for the Brewers to buy low on a player at a position of dire need for them in 2024.
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