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Every player has some sort of value to an organization. If you’re playing at an All-Star level, you are probably very high in value. If you’re a kid breaking through the minor league system and ready for “the bigs,” chances are you are also valuable. However, the value of those said players can vary from one organization to the next. That’s why trades are so hard to predict.
Yesterday, we started these rankings of the Top 20 trade pieces within the organization. You may have noticed that salary has made a huge difference in trading these players, even if the contract is lengthy. If you are paid a hefty salary, you better play to that salary; otherwise, the value drops, and so does the likelihood of getting rid of that contract.
The 15-11 rankings may contain some surprises, but as a reminder, they are based on age, salaries, statistics, service time, the likelihood of being traded, and durability. Let’s start by saying that although it is shocking, there is still a sliver of a chance of it happening.
15. Brice Turang INF: 1.165 Years, Career Stats: 292 G, .239/.303/.328, 230 H, 53 XBH, 13 HR, 91 RBI, 118 R, 88 BB, 199 SO, 76 SB, Free Agent: 2030
If you read any of my earlier work from last season, you will know how badly Brice Turang made me put my foot in my mouth. After a 2023 season with a .218 batting average and a 61 OPS+, he started showing signs of the prospect we saw in the minor leagues.
A .254/.316/.349 line with seven home runs, 57 RBI, and 50 stolen bases (3rd in all of MLB) is one way to make your mark on the roster. We will get to the other in a second. Turang has become a great contact hitter for the top or even bottom of Brewers' lineups.
But let’s be honest, his defense brings the most value to an organization. According to FanGraphs, Turang had 22 defensive runs saved along with eight outs above average. It’s almost like a baseball could never get past this guy.
It’s no wonder he was rewarded with a Gold Glove for his efforts at second base. He was even voted as the NL Platinum Glove Award, the first Brewer ever to receive that distinction. But why is he even on this list as a top trade piece?
Besides being great on the field, Turang is a player with great value in the trade market. He has five years of club control and is still in his pre-arbitration years. However, he will likely get Super Two status, granting him an additional year of arbitration.
He will turn 25 later this month and is just getting into his prime years of baseball. All of these factors scream high value for any market. But that’s why the Brewers won’t give him in a trade.
With Willy Adames gone, the club could move Turang to the shortstop position. Even if they don’t, the Brewers will need the depth in the infield, and parting ways with one won’t do them any favors. He is so valuable that Matt Arnold would even consider trading him away if he only got an All-Star stud in return. The price has to be right to part ways with the reigning Gold Glove second baseman.
He has a cheap contract compared to what he would be paid if he were a free agent. But that’s not for another few years. There is another player, however, who has a cheap contract compared to what his value would be on the open market. Yes, it’s about that time we talk about another fan favorite that could be considered a valuable trade piece.
14. Freddy Peralta RHP: 6.090 Years, Career Stats: 178 G, 129 GS, 3.79 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 754.1 IP, 1 SV, 949 K, 294 BB, Free Agent: 2027
Every time a player gets to about two years of club control left, the Brewers start listening to offers. Well, folks, it’s about that time for Freddy Peralta.
Peralta is now considered the club ace in the rotation. While some say his numbers don’t scream that, he’s pitching at a great rate for someone turning 29 in June.
Once acquired in the 2015 Adam Lind trade with the Mariners, the Dominican flew through the minor league system before eventually being added to the 40-man roster in 2018. In his debut, he was nothing but impressive, striking out 13 batters in 5.2 innings. His success continued in the rotation but was moved to the bullpen in 2019.
Since rejoining the rotation in 2021, he has a 3.45 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings as a starter. He hasn’t had an OPS+ lower than 100 since 2019 and has been the Brewers’ most reliable starter over the last seven seasons.
The Brewers were lucky enough to sign him to a five-year, $15.5 million deal before the start of the 2020 season. If it weren’t for this deal, Peralta would now be a free agent. However, this deal came with two club options worth $8 million each. Five seasons have passed, and the Brewers just exercised the first club option, making him the first pitcher to pitch for the Brewers in eight straight seasons since Ben Sheets.
If Peralta were on the free agent market, he could easily make eight figures yearly. Because of his cheaper contract, he became an attractive piece in the trade market. However, with only two seasons of club control, he has a value similar to Corbin Burnes, who was traded last season.
While the Brewers can start considering the idea, they don’t exactly have a replacement. When they traded Josh Hader, they had Devin Williams. When they traded Burnes, they had Peralta and Brandon Woodruff. Nobody can fill his shoes, making him less expendable and marking him lower. However, they still could trade a starter from the rotation.
13. Aaron Civale RHP: 5.058 Years, Career Stats: 117 G, 117 GS, 4.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 636.1 IP, 577 K, 170 BB, Free Agent: 2026
Aaron Civale is new to the team, but that doesn’t exactly mean he’s off the block. Remember when the Brewers traded for Mark Canha in 2023? While he had an option for the 2024 season, they still traded Canha to the Tigers to avoid paying $11.5 million.
Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the third round of the 2016 draft, Civale made his major league debut in 2019. He pitched six shutout innings, striking out six players and earning his first career win. In 10 starts, he finished with a 2.34 ERA and a 3.40 FIP.
After a forgettable 2020 season, Civale finished the 2021 season with a 12-5 record and a 3.84 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP in 21 starts. While these aren’t outstanding numbers, he was still productive as a middle-of-the-rotation arm. The Rays must’ve seen value in him as they traded away the #37 prospect in baseball, Kyle Manzardo, for Civale at the 2023 trade deadline.
The Brewers acquired Civale in early July, and he found his stuff again. In 14 starts with Milwaukee, he had a 6-3 record. His 3.53 ERA and 1.22 WHIP were very serviceable, but his FIP was creeping up towards 5.00, which is concerning.
He’s expected to receive around $8 million in arbitration this season, his final year before becoming a free agent. According to Spotrac, Civale’s projected market value is around $16 million a year. While he’s expected to make less, that doesn’t mean he’d get much back in a trade.
Civale is expendable, as many up-and-coming prospects could take his spot in the rotation. Remember that the Brewers traded for him due to the lack of reliable rotation options. The team could cut his salary by trading the veteran right-hander, making him a likely candidate on the market.
12. Garrett Mitchell OF: 2.040 Years, Career Stats: 116 G, .264/.343/.463, 85 H, 23 XBH, 13 HR, 37 RBI, 52 R, 38 BB, 125 SO, 20 SB, Free Agent: 2029
Garrett Mitchell was once one of the top outfield prospects within the Brewers farm system, along with Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio. The former first-round pick from the University of California - Los Angeles, has the tools to be a great outfielder and bat in the lineup. Unfortunately, that is when he is healthy.
Mitchell debuted in late August 2022 as a defensive substitution. In his first 28 games with the Brewers, he had a .311 batting average and an .832 OPS, hitting two home runs and nine RBI. He also swiped eight bases in eight opportunities.
In 2023, Mitchell was off to a similar start until he injured his shoulder while sliding into a base, resulting in a five-month stint on the injured list. Hoping to start anew in 2024, he was off to a hot start, hitting a .319/.385/.426 line in spring training. However, he suffered a fractured left index finger before the season started, landing him on the injured list. Upon returning in July, he looked like the prospect the Brewers drafted in 2020.
But now the Brewers have a similar log jam entering 2025. Mitchell will have to fight for at-bats, with Chourio, Frelick, Christian Yelich, and Blake Perkins trying to find opportunities. Sure, the club opened up the idea of moving Frelick to the infield, and Yelich could be a regular DH. However, Mitchell could benefit from reaching his full potential by playing full-time in the outfield instead of playing a platoon role.
Barring getting optioned down to the minors, which he still has all three of, Mitchell will have four more seasons of club control. Injuries may have dipped his value, but teams could use a hitter like him in the lineup. He will make around the minimum this season and turn 27 next September, making him a solid, affordable option for left-handed-hitting outfield-needy teams on the trade market.
11. Logan Henderson RHP: 2024 Minor League Stats: 19 G, 19 GS, 3.32 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 81.1 IP, 104 K, 15 BB, Free Agent: TBD
Remember when I said a few prospects are trying to compete for a spot in the starting rotation? Though I haven’t mentioned him yet, Logan Henderson is another player who will be throwing his hat in the ring.
The Brewers drafted Henderson in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB draft. He led his Junior College draft class in strikeouts (169) and was even the Junior College World Series MVP.
According to MLB Pipeline, Henderson’s success comes from his changeup, which looks more like a fastball that drops suddenly as it crosses the plate. The only issue is his lack of speed on his fastball, as well as the lack of a strong third pitch.
Whether he will be a back-of-the-rotation pitcher or a steady relief arm is a toss-up. But since joining the Brewers organization, the club has used him as a starter. A 3.11 ERA with 233 strikeouts in 44 starts across three minor league seasons is nothing to sneeze at. But he took off in the 2024 season.
Henderson started his 2024 season in the Arizona Complex League. By the end of the year, he was starting for the Nashville Sounds in Triple-A. With a 4.94 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 2.3 walks per nine innings rating, he could benefit from more time in Triple-A. However, Henderson is Rule 5 eligible, meaning he could be taken in the Rule 5 draft should the Brewers not add him to the 40-man roster.
While that doesn’t seem like an issue, the Brewers could burn one of his minor-league options. At the same time, teams are better off trading for the soon-to-be 23-year-old rather than drafting him. If picked up in the Rule 5 draft, he will have to remain on the team’s MLB roster for the duration of the season; otherwise, the Brewers would have the option to take him back.
Whether it’s on the trade block, spring training, or regular season, I’m sure we will hear the name Logan Henderson much more often than we think. He isn’t going to be a major ticket in a trade package, but he would likely bring in a solid veteran player on an expiring contract should they go that way.
What do you think of our picks? Where would you place these guys on our list? What players do you think will be traded? What other players should be on this list? Let us know.
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