How Much Value Do The Brewers' Top Prospects Have At The Trade Deadline?

The Brewers, in recent years, have shied away from those big deals involving the upper echelons of their prospect capital, a vital dance for a small market team. Now that they have such extreme depth within their organization, however, they may be able to leverage some of their top assets, so what would these players be worth on the trade market? Using the Brewer fanatic prospect rankings as a guide, let’s have a look.

1. Jacob Misiorowski
As polarizing as they come in some respects, Misiorowski has the raw stuff to be as dominant as Paul Skenes on the mound with even close to average command. With a fastball touching triple digits with above-average induced vertical break (IVB), a wicked slider, and a curveball with different profiles, he’s a jewel if the command comes around. That may be starting to happen of late, with Misiorowski looking more balanced on the mound and falling off slightly less violently to the first base side while he’s seen his walk rate plummet from 18.8% in May to 6.5% in June, and he’s maintained that drop in July so far. If this keeps trending up, that reliever risk may trend down and increase his value significantly.

The contrast is that he’s become slightly more home run prone with two starts since June that have combined for six homers. One of these was on shorter rest (Misiorowski has been accustomed to five days in between starts rather than the MLB regular of four), but it merits concern if he becomes more hittable when he stays in the zone more often. There is a difference between control and command, and should he be locating pitches consistently over the middle of the plate, professional hitters will do damage no matter how good your raw stuff is.

Misiorowski worked into the 7th inning for the first time in his last start and took just 89 pitches while striking out 10 of the 23 hitters he faced.  Arguably, his value has never been higher, but he could be taking some major steps forward to be (potentially) the most dominant pitcher in the major leagues. With all the raw talent in his arm, the only way the Brewers will trade him is if they see no path to him starting in the major leagues, and in return for a bonafide long-term team-controlled ace such as Matthew Trueblood wrote about here.

Value: Extremely High
Trade Likelihood: Very Low
Trades That He May Headline: Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet (High-End Pitchers, Multiple Years of Control)

2. Tyler Black
Tyler Black has the potential to be a very interesting hitter at the big leagues with an awareness of how to access power production without necessarily having the high exit velocities of a power hitter and combining that with pace to burn and perhaps the best eye at the plate in the minor leagues. He’ll take his HBP, take his walks, steal bases, leg out triples and doubles, and get the ball over the fence perhaps 15-20 times a year. So why is he not with the big league club now? 

Well, that comes mostly from his defensive value, and despite his athleticism, the footwork just isn't there on the dirt to cover third base, and he’s somehow looked even worse at first base. The Brewers may have gone to a solution this week that our resident guru Spencer Michaelis has been clamoring for and moved Black to the outfield where his speed can play up defensively, and he showed some good coverage in his first game in center field since 2022. This move could indicate that one of the Brewers' outfield cores, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Wiemer, or Sal Frelick, are on the trade block, or perhaps Black himself is being shown off to potential suitors by moving him to this role. Even a passable center field with Tyler Black’s offensive profile is a very valuable player. Reaching that level will require time and experience to rival the kind of jumps a player like Blake Perkins gets on the ball.

Black is slashing .281/.381/.481 after a slower start to the season in terms of power. He has had a good sweet spot rate since the start of June of 38.8% and a barrel rate of 15%, so he’s ready for the majors now. Whether that comes with Milwaukee or another club remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that Black can be an offensive weapon now with the type of profile that doesn't usually take as long to acclimate to the big leagues.

Value - High
Trade Likelihood - Moderate to Low
Trades That He May Headline: Erik Fedde, Tyler Anderson (Mid Range Pitchers, Multiple Years Control)

3. Jeferson Quero
Jeferson Quero has been voted as the best defensive catcher in the minor leagues for two years running due to his skills in receiving pitches combined with an absolute cannon of an arm that’s led to a 31% caught stealing rate in 2022 and a 35% rate in 2023 with Double-A Biloxi. However, there is a spanner in the works with Quero tearing the labrum in his shoulder during a dive back to first base for Triple-A Nashville, and it’s a surgery that may affect his arm going forward. 

Quero began showing more power in 2023 but did have considerable swings and misses that may concern evaluators. Incredibly young for his age, at just 20 in Biloxi last season, he had just a 17.8% strikeout rate despite a contact rate of just 75.1%. A walk rate of 10% was also improved, and overall, Quero looks like he may grow even more power while possessing potentially average bat-to-ball skills. Combined with plus defensive skills, you have the makings of a franchise catcher.

Two other factors may come into play, the first being the incredible catcher the Brewers currently have in William Contreras. Contreras is unlikely to take a demotion to DH particularly well, given how insistent he has been on catching day in and day out in 2024. However, he hasn’t shown strong defensive abilities behind the plate this season, especially regarding his framing. The injury may help the Brewers push Quero back until 2026 and evaluate Contreras and Quero during that season, which also may involve the ABS challenge system that makes framing less important for catchers. Quero still has (or had) the better arm for controlling the running game, but that would emphasize the catcher’s ability at the plate. Quero produced massive exit velocities at 20 and may become a difference-maker at the plate, but it’s still an area of development for him.

An air of uncertainty will surround Quero until he plays again. Not playing regularly reduces some of the hype and shine, alongside concerns about the long-term effects of shoulder surgery. He retains incredible value because of his defensive prowess and solid bat with sneaky power. Still, there is a sense that the Brewers would be trading Quero at a lower value because of the current situation.

Value: Very High
Trade Likelihood: Very Low
Trades That He May Headline: Garrett Crochet
Trades That May Require Him: Tarik Skubal (High-End Pitchers, Multiple Years of Control)

4. Robert Gasser (Injured)
For the Purposes Of This, It Seems Safe To Assume He’s Not On The Trading Block, as there’s uncertainty about how he’ll return from Tommy John surgery, and he’s a pitcher the Brewers may see as important to their success in 2025 and beyond.

5. Brock Wilken
The first-round draft pick in 2023, Wilken looks significantly more mobile this season at third base with a cannon of an arm that may allow him to stick at the hot corner. His carrying tool, however, is the explosive bat, and that’s just beginning to show up of late in Double-A Biloxi. Wilken had a horrid start to the season with a broken cheekbone from an errant fastball, leading to him playing almost two months of baseball in a mask. Hitting a baseball is hard enough without having something on your face that impairs your peripheral vision, but Wilken has held his own in a pitching-friendly league and has begun to show signs of life. 

Wilken is a very patient hitter. He doesn't swing a lot but seeks to attack those pitches he feels he can do damage on, and as a result, he has both a high strikeout rate and a high walk rate. In July, however, he has a 78% contact rate, above average, and just a 9.4% swinging strike rate. When he swings, he makes contact, and it's good contact more often than not. 

The power is undeniable, and Wilken hit more home runs than anyone in ACC history, with 71 in three years, including 35 in his final season with Wake Forest. He’s shown time and again since joining the Brewers that when he connects, they leave the park, and he has a really good ability to elevate with 54% of his contact, either a fly ball or line drive. He could be the power third basemen the crew has dreamed of for several years now, which may make him less likely to be traded. The Southern League has repressed hitting stats as a whole with dominant pitching this season and maybe doesn't highlight how Wilken has been, and he may just now be adjusting to dominate at the level with a .828 OPS in July so far and just a 13.9% strikeout rate. He needs to find a way to cover more of the zone and thus find more areas where he can impact the baseball, but this is a very talented member of the Brewers farm system.

The third base job may be up for grabs next season with Joey Ortiz sliding over to take Adames place, and that could come down to Oliver Dunn and Brock Wilken. Two talented bats need more seasoning, but there is a real possibility that one of these two will open the season with the Brewers at the hot corner. If Dunn can't find a way to fix his in-zone swing and miss problems, the Brewers may regret letting Brock Wilken go.

Value: High
Trade Likelihood: Low
Trades That He May Headline: Erik Fedde, Tyler Anderson (Mid Range Pitchers, Multiple Years Control)
Trades That May Require Him: Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet (High-End Pitchers, Multiple Years of Control)

What do you think of the evaluations above? Can you see anyone in a different uniform coming August 1st? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

And stay tuned for evaluations of prospects six to ten.

Interested in learning more about the Milwaukee Brewers' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!