Could Milwaukee Brewers Leverage Their Starting Pitching Depth to Swing a Big Trade?

The left side of the Brewers infield has been horrible to start 2025. Joey Ortiz has changed his leg kick, with disastrous results. Vinny Capra won't be long for the major-league roster, and might already be gone, but that Oliver Dunn has been optioned and hasn't even inspired confidence with his showing down in Nashville. Caleb Durbin doesn't appear to have the arm strength to cover the hot corner. If they want to contend, they need help—and perhaps their influx of pitching off the injured list will help with that.

The Brewers rotation currently consists of Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Quinn Priester, Chad Patrick and Jose Quintana. Soon to come off the IL, in about a week's time, is Brandon Woodruff, while DL Hall started his own rehab clock over the weekend for the Arizona Complex League Brewers. Aaron Ashby and Aaron Civale have both started pitching multiple innings of live bullpens and look ready for rehab starts to begin soon. Nestor Cortes is expected back sometime around the All-Star break.

Throw into the mix the recent performances of Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson, and the Brewers have depth coming out of their ears. Given health (a big "given," admittedly), they'll have Woodruff, Civale, Cortes and Quintana all on expiring contracts at the end of the year, while new names attempt to push their way into the rotation. If we assume that the Brewers wanting to win would exclude them from even considering a Woodruff trade, that leaves three names. Two are on the IL right now, but each could be attractive trade chips at the deadline.

The Brewers aren't looking for long-term assistance just yet in their middle infield. They'll look at the volume of talent currently at Double-A Biloxi, such as Cooper Pratt, Mike Boeve and Brock Wilken. That means a one-year rental may be on the cards. Could an old-fashioned big leaguer-for-big leaguer trade be on the cards, between teams trying to contend over the next month?

Toronto Blue Jays - Bo Bichette (SS/3B) for Aaron Civale + Joel Payamps
The Blue Jays are currently in desperate need of help in the rotation and the bullpen. They have Easton Lucas (with a 7.41 ERA) in their rotation at present; Max Scherzer on the 60-day IL; and Bowden Francis experiencing a regression year, with an ERA of 5.66. José Ureña is making starts for them, which is always a cry for help. Yet, they have a 16-18 record at present, staying in touch in a clustered AL East. 

Having just signed Vlad Guerrero Jr to a $500-million long-term extension, the Jays will be desperate to make the playoffs in 2025. They have a strong top of the rotation, but limited depth, and Bo Bichette is expected to walk at the end of the season. They have Orelvis Martinez (No. 3 per MLB Pipeline, although he is off to a slow start), as well as John Kasevich (No. 7, per Pipeline), waiting at Triple A for a call if needed.

Bichette has lost some of the speed that characterized him in his early years, and defensively, he has lost some range as a result. The surface numbers don't pop off the page, with just a .707 OPS. However, his Baseball Savant page is littered with red:

Bichette has never walked much, but he makes enough contact that his chase rates aren't too detrimental to his profile. He's hitting the ball hard again, and has been a bit unlucky to begin 2025. Bichette's defense may be a concern, but the Brewers could potentially swing a trade for the shortstop if the Blue Jays remain in contention—or if they fall out of it, by using someone like a Mike Boeve or Wilken as a headliner.

The Brewers have infield depth everywhere but Triple A right now, and they're not going to be too concerned with addressing the left side past 2026 unless Ortiz continues to deteriorate. A one-year deal would be the perfect accompaniment to their short- and long-term outlook.

Joel Payamps was included to sweeten the offer based on his recent performances, which have been much more akin to the version the Brewers have seen over the last two seasons.

Are There Other Options?
Jordan Lawlar is sitting in Triple A, ready for the big leagues but with no opening on the Diamondbacks roster at present. Lawlar has put up impressive surface numbers, but his feel for the barrel is still slightly off and his average exit velocities are underpowered as a result. He's also boosted by the offense-heavy environment of the Pacific Coast League.

However, if the Diamondbacks wanted to make space for Lawlar and upgrade their rotation (their staff ERA is currently 25th in baseball), they might consider trading Eugenio Suárez. Again, defensive contributions are not his forte, but one thing Suárez does do is slug. He takes his walks at an average clip, and the contact he makes is hard and loud. He's the type of powerful offensive contributor the Brewers would love, but they may not trust him defensively, given the importance they place on that side of the game.

Suarez is a free agent after 2025 and with enough gaps in his profile that perhaps a one-for-one trade of Aaron Civale might make sense for both parties, but this could all depend on the fortunes of Lawlar in Triple A. Suárez might also be deemed too important to the fabric of the Arizona clubhouse; he's similar to Willy Adames in both offensive skill set and influence via personality.

The reality is, the Brewers won't want to dig too deeply into their farm system with the hope of a lot of infield help to come by 2026. If they're only shopping for short-term help, they're unlikely to want to give up a lot of longer-term value to get it.

If the Brewers intend to compete, a trade may be incoming soon. Could Bo Bichette be their missing piece?