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Brewers Video
The Milwaukee Brewers are soaring. On the high of an 11-game winning streak, they now sit atop not just the NL Central, but the entire National League.. The rotation is the stuff of dreams, with Jacob Misiorowski, Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester all throwing the ball nicely while Jose Quintana fills the fifth starter role with aplomb. The offensive output and the bullpen have been impressive, but both are showing signs that an upgrade could go a long way.
With a chance to not just take the division against a rival who are pushing their own chips in, but also take a top-two seed and avoid the Wild Card Series that's caused so much hurt to the Brewers, there's a serious opportunity for the front office to make a mark by fortifying their roster both in terms of impact and depth. Here's how.
Ryan O'Hearn - 1B/OF, Baltimore Orioles
There may not be a more perfect fit than this one. Ryan O'Hearn has improved year on year with the bat, posting an .838 OPS in 2025 while showcasing plus walk rates and strikeout rates. He's patient at the plate—perhaps, occasionally, too patient—but he's a left-handed bat with the ability to clear the fence who also plays some of the best first-base defense in baseball.
Regardless of the future performance of Rhys Hoskins or Andrew Vaughn, O'Hearn has shown himself a superior option to Jake Bauers by a healthy margin. He should be an everyday option against right-handed pitchers, whether that be at first base or the occasional spot start in left field. Against righties, O'Hearn is slashing .296/.390/.498 in 2025, whereas he has just a .597 OPS against left-handers.
The Brewers are missing some mix-and-match versatility on their bench, with limited impact offensively. Whether that comes from O'Hearn or from him pushing Vaughn or Hoskins into a bench role, he makes the infield look a lot sturdier from an offensive and defensive standpoint.
Gregory Soto - LHP, Baltimore Orioles
The other area that's shown some flakiness of late is the back end of the bullpen, and especially Jared Koenig. His aggressive approach to strike-throwing means that, when his stuff is slightly down, he can get hit hard. Unfortunately, that's shown up more of late, with two home runs against the Dodgers in a single outing. The Brewers are basically carrying a passenger on their roster as well, with Easton McGee and Tobias Myers pitching just three innings between them in July, meaning the Brewers can add a leverage arm without sacrificing anything meaningful in their bullpen assortment.
Gregory Soto is another candidate from the Orioles who makes a lot of sense. Pitching like a left-handed Abner Uribe, Soto relies on a bowling-ball sinker and tight gyro slider that garner a lot of swing-and-miss to put hitters under pressure. He also possesses an ability to add more sweep to his slider, presenting another look for hitters that allows his whole arsenal to blend together quite effectively:
He has walked more hitters this year, but he avoids barrels like the best of them and can strike out hitters with the best of them. I'd like to see him blend in the sweeper a little more often if he joined the Brewers, given its weak contact profile and deception alongside the slider, but there are a lot of tools to work with in Soto that could close up the one remaining hole in the Brewers bullpen.
Adding these two rentals shouldn't be overly expensive, although the trade market will no doubt push up prices. Both are free agents at the end of the season and, even better, the Orioles have a clear need for young, controllable major-league arms, something the Brewers are swimming in right now. It may involve a current arm like Myers or Chad Patrick alongside an upside arm from Double A or below, but the Brewers definitely have the excess depth to make this trade without breaking a sweat.
The Milwaukee Brewers need more pieces. They're an injury away from a problem in either the outfield or at first base, and the added versatility will leave them well-stocked heading into the most important months of the season. Gregory Soto can reinforce a bullpen that may just be flagging a little bit, and strengthen the depth they have in their relief corps.
What would you give up for these Baltimore Orioles assets? How much of a boost can they provide the surging Milwaukee Brewers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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