Brewer Fanatic Readers Pitch Trade Ideas for the Brewers

Last Friday, we posted a forum thread that asked for our readers’ preferred trade targets for this year’s deadline, assuming they could only pick one name. We had more than a few intriguing answers, and I’m here to take a closer look at each pitch.

@TwinsBrewersWorldSeries said: Freddy Peralta (just to watch heads explode). We roll with some combo of Miz, Harrison, Patrick, Henderson in the playoffs….but Peralta replacing Sproat or Gasser gets us the 1 seed.

Aside from the obvious value of a homecoming for our glorious king Freddy Peralta, this is a pretty solid take. On the surface, his 3.38 ERA and average Statcast numbers don’t seem like much to write home about, but because he’s Freddy Peralta, there’s a solid chance that he would be even more effective in Milwaukee than he currently is in Queens.

To me, the most important quality that Peralta would give to the Brewers’ rotation is length. The current rotation is mostly made up of younger players, and while one of them is throwing jet fuel on his 90th pitch, the others don’t quite have the same stamina. Milwaukee already has a tendency to demand a lot from its bullpen, and with many of their starters going fewer than six innings, it’s even more pronounced this year. Five of Milwaukee’s relievers have already made 23 or more appearances, and Aaron Ashby has been forced to throw 37 ⅓ innings. Poor guy.

@owbc said: Joe Ryan is mine. It would be Skubal, but I think he might go ahead of the deadline, and we are more concerned about October than getting more regular-season starts.

Joe Ryan is arguably the only good thing the Twins rotation has had going for them over the last two years. After a strong 2025 campaign, he has been even better this year, pitching to a 3.20 ERA with a 2.76 FIP over his first 13 starts. He has elite strikeout and walk rates, and his four-seam fastball is one of the best in the business.

Minnesota isn’t out of the playoff race just yet, but it seems like it’ll be quite the uphill battle for them to make it there. Thus, it’s likely that they’ll be sellers at the deadline as they were last year. Their farm system is quite solid (ranked No. 9 by MLB Pipeline in March), and Ryan seems like he’ll be their most sought-after asset this year, so expect a steep asking price.

@cragi said: Skubal

The Tigers are going to get a lot of calls about Skubal this summer, but I’d be surprised if the Brewers were one of the parties dialing in, mostly because I think the $32 million salary is enough for Milwaukee to pass. You could ask the Tigers to pay down what he's owed, but that means giving up even better prospects. Additionally, their current southpaw options aren’t too shabby.

Kyle Harrison is putting up video-game numbers and would probably be getting even more attention if his stablemate Misiorowski weren’t playing an even cooler video game. Shane Drohan hasn’t had as many innings but hasn’t been half bad when he has pitched, posting a 2.87 ERA over 31.1 IP with a 2.77 FIP. You can thank the Red Sox for both of these fellas.

Throw in the fact that the Brewers have two multi-inning left-handed relievers in Ashby and DL Hall, and I don’t think the front office is even willing to pay Skubal’s remaining salary, let alone give up significant prospect capital to even have the ability to do so.

@nate82 said: Highly unlikely, but if Witt becomes available, that is the only player I would go after.

Highly unlikely indeed, especially given his eye-watering $288-million contract, but it would be nice to have a player of his caliber covering one of Milwaukee’s weakest positions. Neither Joey Ortiz nor David Hamilton has been offensively viable at shortstop this year, and they’ve combined for a .531 OPS, making the Brewers comfortably dead last in terms of shortstop OPS.

Third base isn’t much better, which means that the entire left side of the infield is a point of concern and will probably be one of the organization’s priorities down the stretch. I don’t know if that means making a trade or calling up one of their current infield prospects, but I do know that it definitely doesn’t involve getting Bobby Witt Jr. in a Brewers jersey.

@jay87shot said: Byron Buxton, I would love a SS/3B, but I don’t see a difference maker really being available. I will give a shout out to Reid Detmers, I think he is a guy like Harrison that has the tools to be a top line guy but needs to get out of LA.

Thank you for agreeing with my last point Mr. 87shot! What a timely response.

This seems like it will be the third consecutive season that Buxton will post an OPS+ above 130, and I’m all for it. He’s a great player with some exceptional tools and is one of the best outfielders in the game when healthy. His seven-year, $100-million contract extension might actually be the only successful move made by Minnesota’s front office since I started watching baseball.

Assuming the Twins would be willing to trade their current face of the franchise, he’d be a great fit on paper for the Brewers, but I have to wonder if Milwaukee would be willing to give up on the cheaper and almost-as-good alternative in Garrett Mitchell. At least they both share a penchant for spending time on the injured list.

As for Detmers, I don’t doubt that he’d excel in Milwaukee over Anaheim and would likely benefit from more separation between his arsenal (his four-seam, sinker, and changeup have very similar profiles right now). However, the Brewers may not be as enthusiastic about giving up minor-league talent for a project starter who may not even fit in the current postseason rotation. 

I do want to point out that over the last two seasons, he has pitched to a 4.31 ERA and 3.04 FIP. Tantalizing, but not sure if it’s enough to push him over the edge. The front office is probably keeping an eye on him, though.

@LouisEly said: If Toronto stays out of it, Ernie Clement.

This gets back to the original problem the team currently has with the left side of the infield, which has simply been lackluster. Ernie, whose legal name is evidently not Ernest, has been a valuable utility piece for the Blue Jays. While many teams have utility players that simply fill several roles at a near replacement level, Clement has been one of the most valuable players on the team since 2024.

He has spent most of his time filling in at second base now that Kazuma Okamoto has taken over the starting job at third base, but Clement would still be a meaningful upgrade over Luis Rengifo, who has struggled to be impactful with the bat or the glove thus far. With a strong skillset, a few remaining years of club control, and a dedicated fanbase in Toronto, he won’t come cheap, but he could be the answer to one of Milwaukee’s most glaring issues right now.

@HarryDoyle said: Literally any mediocre hitting third baseman. 

It’s time to start a dialogue.

Thanks for all of your contributions. I hope to do this again soon!