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The Brewers have struggled to begin the season, with a relatively easy schedule in April followed by a shocking offensive downturn in May. The Brewers front office is capable of fixing such glaring problems as the rotation and the left side of their infield, but the rest of the team isn't giving them much inspiration to do so. It may be that the Brewers will have to take opportunities that help them in future seasons this July, rather than just looking to success in 2025.
The Phillies were dealt a shocking blow on Sunday, when José Alvarado tested positive for exogenous testosterone. Despite Alvarado's stellar performance this year, the Phils had already had some trouble in the back end of their pen. Still at 27-18 and sitting pretty to be in contention come October once again, they'll know the importance of having a lockdown relief corps, especially with the Braves surging somewhat back into contention after a sluggish start. Alvarado can't pitch for them if and when they do reach the playoffs, either, and the Phillies' focus is very much on what happens if and when they get that far. They want a World Series run, and that means having an October-ready bullpen—a task that just got much taller.
Trevor Megill's devastating fastball and shutdown knuckle-curveball would fit on any postseason roster. Under control through 2027, Megill would come at a cost, but the struggles of Jordan Romano and Alvarado's banishment mean the Phillies need to make a move. They might need to make more than one. Megill is a Stuff+ darling who has found his command again in recent outings on the fastball. When both pitches are firing, he's one of the toughest closers in baseball.
The Brewers may look to move Nick Mears toward a closing role of his own, as Mears has made strong strides thus far in 2025 (and is also under team control through 2027). Milwaukee could reinforce their own bullpen with the returns of DL Hall and Aaron Ashby, alongside the newly added Easton McGee and Rob Zastryzny.
In return, the Brewers would (as always) be looking for long-term, controllable talent. You're not going to get a top prospect for any non-superstar reliever, regardless of years of control, but you can get some exciting upside. The Phillies farm system is top-heavy, with some strong prospects in their top five or six but a steeper decline after the top 10 than you would like.
I'd propose a package involving one of two high-upside pitchers and an exciting second-rounder from 2024. Griffin Burkholder is the Phillies' seventh-ranked prospect, per Baseball America, with electric speed that allows him to play all three outfield positions well and an average hit/power combination. He makes good swing decisions, and there's a suspicion that as he ages (currently, he's just 19 in Low A), Burkholder could develop above-average power. With a solid profile and a slightly overslot bonus when he signed in 2024, Burkholder may be tough to pry away from the Phillies, but he should be front and center for the Brewers, given his distance from the big leagues and their desire for some additional outfield talent in their farm system. His capabilities in the field, strong swing decisions and potential upside would fit right in with the Brewers philosophy. Think of him, perhaps, as a replacement for Yophery Rodriguez.
Alex McFarlane is making his way back from Tommy John surgery, having added 10-15 pounds of muscle that the Phillies hope can help him take steps forward in the command department. Similar (in some ways) to Jacob Misiorowski, McFarlane's fastball is 70-grade per MLB pipeline and touches triple digits, with good sink. He has a legitimate three-pitch mix, with a low arm slot and the potential to get lots of whiffs from an upper-80s slider (54% whiff rate in 2023) and a splitter that possesses good arm-side movement and drop.
Finally, Wen-Hui Pan is a 22-year-old out of Taiwan, with an electric fastball, a fantastic splitter and a solid slider. He's currently on the injured list with Tommy John surgery, but that hasn't halted the Brewers in the past—as we saw with Coleman Crow. His fastball averaged 96.7 mph when last he was on the mound, while the splitter had a 63% whiff rate in 2024. The slider looked better as the year went on. Pan has the ability to be a high-leverage relief arm when healthy, a scenario in which splitters and their ground ball rates are incredibly valuable to accompany the high swing-and-miss rates his three-pitch arsenal should support.
If the Brewers are truly looking to the future, a trade like this could make sense in a variety of ways for a team in need of 40-man roster spots and with ample depth in the bullpen ranks. Burkholder would be a suitable headliner, despite his slow start in 2025, and could really add to the strength of the Brewers' lower minor leagues. Meanwhile, returning a high upside arm is always of value.
If the Brewers wanted someone hotter than Burkholder, the other option is a third baseman at Low A called Aroon Escobar. Escobar is slashing .328/.426/.573 early this season, with tons of red on his Statcast page across all areas. Good contact, good plate discipline and solid exit velocities may make him enticing, although the Brewers have third basemen all over their system, especially at Low A.
Would you consider trading Trevor Megill to the Phillies? If so, who would you want in return? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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