Brewers Future Values Big Board: Ranking The Trade Value Of Brewers Players, #16-20

Whether you are a small market team trying to compete on a budget or the richest franchise trying to buy that championship ring, there will always be wheeling and dealing in the trade market. The Milwaukee Brewers are one of those teams who seem to strike a deal every year.

Last season, the club did a combination of selling off their top players in the organization and trading away prospects for MLB-ready talent. Corbin Burnes was arguably the biggest trade chip heading into the 2024 offseason. The Brewers got a haul for him in DL Hall, Joey Ortiz, and a compensatory pick, whereas the Orioles got a Cy Young caliber pitcher for at least one season.

Even the lowest trade pieces have gotten a great return for the team. Just look at the Brewers 20th-round draft pick in 2023, LHP Justin Chambers. It’s okay if you don’t remember him, but he was traded to the Dodgers for LHP Bryan Hudson. Almost every player has some sort of value in the trade market.

With the Brewers in this tough position to cut payroll and stay competitive, there’s a chance the Brewers will be trying to “buy and sell” this offseason. But which players have the most value? Come along with me as we look at the Top 20 trade pieces within the Brewers organization. We’ll break this up into four articles, so be sure to return tomorrow.

It is also worth noting that a player's value will be based on the amount of club control, their statistics throughout baseball, and their availability/durability. With that said, let’s get into it.

20. Aaron Ashby LHP: 2.088 Years, Career Stats: 54 G, 25 GS, 4.20 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 167.1 IP, 2 SV, 198 K, 69 BB, Free Agent: 2030
This is an example of when signing a cheaper long-term contract doesn’t work out. In 2023, Ashby signed a five-year, $20.5 million contract with two club options that could have made it a seven-year, $42 million deal.

It’s still early in the deal, as we are entering its third year, but he hasn’t performed well in the last couple of years. You can mainly blame his shoulder injury, which kept him out of the 2023 season.

Upon his return, he was allowed to earn a spot in the rotation. However, in three appearances in spring training, he allowed nine runs in 8.1 innings pitched. Ashby was sent down to Nashville, where his struggles continued. He had a few spot starts in early April and June but spent most of his 2024 with Triple-A.

When he was taken out of the Nashville rotation, things started to figure things out. After recording six straight scoreless relief outings, Ashby was recalled to the Brewers. It’s fair to say he didn’t disappoint the fanbase, dropping his once 6.23 ERA to a much respectful 2.86.

The southpaw is set to make $3.45 million for the 2025 season, which doesn’t sound too bad for the payroll. Ashby is under club control until the 2028 season, and his salary is expected to increase every season. He could be an interesting trade piece, as teams could use him as a long relief pitcher or the back half of the rotation.

If a team is intrigued by what they saw in his second-half numbers, a few teams might be willing to participate in a prospect package should the Brewers try to buy a player. It’s interesting to see how Ashby will be used during the 2025 season.

19. Elvis Peguero RHP: 2.072 Years, Career Stats: 127 G, 4.08 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 132.1 IP, 3 SV, 113 K, 61 BB, Free Agent: 2029
Elvis Peguero, one of many pitchers just thrown in the Hunter Renfroe trade, has become a decent piece of the Brewers bullpen. While he has had moments of struggle, it seems the pitcher’s lab has managed to develop another decent option.

Since joining the team in 2023, Peguero has a 3.20 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and a 3.92 FIP. While he hasn’t saved many games, he has recorded 32 holds, meaning he can keep a lead in save situations before being taken out.

Because he has less than three years of service, he is still in pre-arbitration so that he will be paid around $800,000 this upcoming season.

What keeps him low on this list is the lack of minor-league options he has left. Where he has been effective in his two seasons with the club, the Brewers have used minor league options in both seasons. Add that, and the Angels will be optioning him down in 2022, so Peguero is out of minor-league options.

Peguero’s value is like an MLB-ready throw-in player in a trade package. Think of Joel Payamps’ value in the Sean Murphy trade the Brewers were involved in. He can still be great for any bullpen, but he’s no Josh Hader value.

18. Craig Yoho RHP: 2024 Minor League Stats: 48 G, 0.94 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 57.2 IP, 10 SV, 101 K, 23 BB, Free Agent: TBD
If you haven’t heard of Craig Yoho, it might be a great time to learn this name. Based on his first year (yes, first) in the minors, there is a chance he can make his debut as soon as next season.

The Brewers drafted the former Houston Cougar and Indiana Hoosier in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He missed a ton of baseball in college due to a knee injury and recovered from Tommy John surgery, so he was arguably one of the best minor league pitchers in 2024.

Starting his season with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, he ended the season with Triple-A Nashville. In just 14 games with the Sounds, Yoho finished three, allowing just two earned runs in 14.1 innings.

He has a 70-grade changeup and a 60-grade slider troubling minor-league hitters. Across the three minor league teams, Yoho was averaging 15.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He won’t start games, but he certainly can finish them. If not that, he can fill a set-up role Payamps has with the Brewers. So why is he this low on this list?

This is all based on one season of success in the minors. Are we likely to see this type of production two years in a row? If he was a sought-after draft prospect in 2023, maybe teams have seen enough. However, injuries dropped his stock, so he has much to make up for, not to mention that he was called up to Double-A after 16 games and Triple-A after 18.

If that wasn’t enough, Yoho could be called up in 2025 and take over a role in the bullpen, making other veterans and more expensive contracts more expendable. I doubt the club would immediately put him as the closer, but I’m sure there’s another clutch role he can play. This brings us to the next player on the list.

17. Joel Payamps RHP: 4.027 Years, Career Stats: 219 G, 1 GS, 3.04 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 242.2 IP, 9 SV, 220 K, 71 BB, Free Agent: 2027
Another player who seemed like a nothing player in a bigger deal, Payamps, made a name for himself with the Brewers during the 2023 season. In that first season, he recorded season-bests in ERA (2.55), WHIP (1.05), FIP (3.48), holds (27), and strikeouts (77).

With Williams out for the first half of the season, Payamps was relied upon to help close out games. He did that, recording a 1.88 ERA in the ninth inning last year. However, he did have a rocky first half of the season. In the first 40 games of 2024, he allowed six home runs, 11 walks, and 17 earned runs.

Like Peguero, Payamps doesn’t have a minor league option, so whatever team has him must bear the burden of paying him, hoping he doesn’t digress or have an off-season. He holds more value than he did with the Athletics, thanks to his production in Milwaukee.

With two years of club control and a projected $2.8 million salary from arbitration, he could still be a reliable arm for those who need to save some late-inning runs. His value only grows with the quality of his work in late innings. If he can continue to be productive, he will be worth the investment.

16. Carlos Rodriguez RHP: 0.015 Years, Career Stats: 3 G, 3 GS, 7.30 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 9 K, 3 BB, Free Agent: 2031+
When the starting rotation was going through the injury plague last season, the two-time Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Carlos Rodriguez, made their major league debut. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what the fanbase had hoped for.

It’s hard to base a career on a sample size of starts. Judging by his minor league stats over the last few years, he deserves a second chance in the major leagues. He may need some more time with the Sounds.

In his 26 games with Nashville, Rodriguez has a 9-9 record with a 4.56 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings. He isn’t exactly a flame thrower relying on his off-speed pitches to get batters out. But he’s just going to need more experience.

Where he gets that experience is the real question. The Brewers already have a ton of options for their rotation. Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, and Tobias Myers will likely take three of the five spots. Aaron Civale has a good chance to claim the fourth spot. It’s basically down to a battle for the final spot.

Hall and Ashby also have a chance at the rotation, along with prospects Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson. It’s fair to say Rodriguez is expendable and might find a better chance at the rotation elsewhere.

His service time has just begun since he’s just made his debut. However, teams love controllable MLB-ready talent. He may have used one of his minor league options, but he still has two more and six years of club control. He’s still young (23), so there is still time to develop the right-hander.

What do you think of our first five entries? Do you see any of these players being traded at some point this off-season? What kind of value do you see coming back with these players? Let us know in the comments.