Harold Hutchison

But the Brewers are also clearing the way for Luis Lara in center, sliding Chourio to right field - and opening left field for Black/Fischer/Adamczewski/etc. in 2027-2030 with that move. There are some guys who are likely to be the core of the team for the next six to ten years (or more) - Chourio, Made, Pratt, Lara, Misiorowski, etc. These are the ones to build around. A Garrett Mitchell isn't quite at core level. In this case, the best move is to move them and churn with the farm system/trades. Someone like Grant Anderson works the 6th/7th inning for the Brewers, but he's a closer or set-up guy for two-thirds of MLB.

Seriously, Mitchell's history over his major-league career does point to trouble staying on the field.

I agree. Honestly, it seems to me that Sproat gets through the batting order the first time without much trouble, but it's the second time that gets tricky. Bumping him to the bullpen could help out a lot. Maybe the best deal is Grant Anderson or Jared Koenig for Wacha and a prospect or two from the Royals (Yandel Ricardo and Hunter Patteson)? We pick up all the salary of Wacha.

Mitchell's power bat doesn't do much if he is on the injured list. The Brewers have been lucky so far. What happens when the luck runs out?

I think Frelick's more valuable in Milwaukee as a reliable fourth outfielder. He's generally been an everyday player who hasn't been hurt often. Mitchell's great when he's on the field, but he's not really proven over his career that he can avoid the injured list.

If the Brewers can lock down Contreras (MLB is talking about a salary floor, so a Contreras extension would help the Brewers, and keep a known quantity behind the plate), I could go along with including Quero in a deal. Dinges is someone I'd hold on to, simply because his bat is better than Quero's, so he could be a right-handed option at first base, and it wouldn't hurt to see if he could handle left field or right field in a pinch.

Over his career, he's played all over the diamond. Gold Glove-caliber defense? No. But he's got one trip to the All-Star game, and his bat's pretty solid. I'm more interested in the versatility (Castro is an upgrade over Ortiz in that category) and the solid bat (the floor is higher than Ortiz's, and it's more consistent). I feel better about having Castro to give the starters (Chourio, Frelick, Lara, Pratt, Turang, etc.) time off so that they're more rested for the playoffs. Plus his team control is just right for Luis Pena's arrival, and Pena's who I have in mind to take over as the supersub (in other words, I don't see him as a trade asset, I see him as being for the Brewers what Baez was for the Cubs in the 2016-2018 timeframe). It's look at a team need, and Castro was not the only player suggested. My preference would be to go for Angel Martinez, even if it means dealing Mitchell. Martinez is a definite upgrade as a backup OF over Blake Perkins and Brandon Lockridge. Besides, we know who Milwaukee's Center Fielder of the Future is, thanks to Luis Lara's $31 million contract. At this point, I'd move Mitchell now, with his value at a relative high. Mitchell's great when he's on the field, I don't dispute that, but 2023-2025 shows that Mitchell's no William Contreras when it comes to availability.

Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-Imagn Images In 2025, the Brewers managed to get the top seed in the playoffs and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. There was just one problem: Getting there meant they ran out of gas in the National League Championship Series, getting swept. The real issues were seen on the offensive side, as the team couldn’t muster any sort of offense against the Dodgers. We know how that series ended. So how do the Brewers avoid that same petering-out in 2026? The answer may well be picking up an upgrade for the bench—someone who delivers proven offense, but can fill in at multiple positions with competent defense. The Brewers' Current Bench As things stand, the "bench mob” for the Brewers includes Gary Sánchez, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Luis Lara, and Blake Perkins. Depending on how you choose to taxonomize it, you could exclude Ortiz, or include Garrett Mitchell and Andrew Vaughn. With Sal Frelick and Jake Bauers down with injuries, though, Vaughn and Mitchell have pretty secure, everyday places in the lineup. That's a pretty strong group, but it's possible to upgrade it, especially now that injuries have added some pressure to find versatility among the non-starters each day. So, whom might the Brewers want to target in a deal before the deadline? Here are three possibilities. Angel Martínez, Cleveland Guardians Cleveland needs some help in center field. The Brewers’ center fielder of the future, Lara, is in Milwaukee now, but not getting everyday time because Mitchell has been pretty hot. Cleveland’s in need of a center fielder, with Petey Halpin getting the bulk of the playing time lately despite an atrocious .200/.238/.316 line. Martínez would be a big asset for Milwaukee, able to play all three outfield positions, second base, and shortstop. He’s a switch-hitter with some real pop (although his approach is awful), and he’s no slouch on the basepaths, either. He’s also under team control for four more years after this one. Here's the catch: the Crew might have to give up Mitchell to get him. Willi Castro, Colorado Rockies Colorado’s still rebuilding, but the Brewers might be able to help them along with it by scooping up another bench option. Colorado's current shortstop, Ezequiel Tover, is posting -1.0 WAR, according to Baseball Reference, and has mustered a 47 OPS+ playing half his games in Coors Field. The Brewers, of course, have a nice upgrade available for the Rockies who comes with a fair bit of team control, in Ortiz. In return for Ortiz, Milwaukee could land the versatile and well-liked Castro, who is capable of getting as hot at the plate as Ortiz can. He's not as good a defender, and he's not under team control for as long, and he's more expensive, but that's where the value lies: The Brewers would also be in position to snare some pitching help in this trade. It would have to be Castro and an arm Milwaukee likes in exchange for Ortiz, but if that fit exists, it's worth exploring. Jett Williams could obviate Ortiz in Milwaukee soon, anyway. Brock Rodden, Seattle Mariners Earlier this week, we discussed the possibility of dealing Gary Sánchez to Seattle, where Cal Raleigh’s bat has dropped off from last year’s near-MVP performance. Rodden is one player the team could target in such a deal. He's seen action at second base, third base, and shortstop, with limited action in left field and center field. He’s a switch-hitter who has flashed pop, OBP skills, and the ability to swipe a few bags here and there. He’d need to be added to the 40-man this fall, and ideally, he'd help you sooner than that. He's too old (and not toolsy enough) to be much of a prospect, but he could slot in as a fine little bench piece for the team late in the season. He's not better than Ortiz or Hamilton. However, the Brewers might end up wanting to move Ortiz, and not in one of the other small deals proposed here—but rather, as part of a big pitching acquisition. Rodden would be one option to backfill the bench in that scenario. Do you think the Brewers should upgrade their bench for the pennant race? Let us know in the comments below! View full article

At this point, in my "keyboard GM" mode, I'm making a couple of deadline moves. 1. Garrett Mitchell and Carlos Rodriguez to the Mets for Peralta. 2. Joey Ortiz, Brock Wilken, and Jared Koenig for Spencer Steer 3. Tyler Black and Joel Kuhnel for Willi Castro. Lineup: 2b: Turang rf: Chourio dh: Yelich c: Contreras lf: Bauers 1b: Vaughn 3b: Steer cf: Lara ss: Pratt Bench: Sanchez, Castro, Hamilton, Frelick Rotation: Misiorowski, Harrison, Henderson, Peralta, Drohan Bullpen: Megill, Uribe, Anderson, Hall, Ashby, Sproat, Patrick, Gasser

He's an option to DH a bit, play some first base. The team has turned catchers around, too.

Image courtesy of Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images It's best to pretend the 2020 season didn't happen. Effectively, it didn't. It shouldn't have. But the 2020 MLB Draft did happen, and it matters for the Brewers. There were only five picks in that draft, which meant the team didn’t have a lot of room for error. But this draft has worked out quite well for Milwaukee. We’ll go through each of the picks. Best Pick: OF Garrett Mitchell It’s not hard to make this call. Mitchell’s been dynamic when he’s on the field. In 2026, he’s become a mainstay of the Brewers offense. It’s what the Brewers were hoping for as a first-round pick. The big problem with Mitchell is keeping him on the field. He missed large chunks of the 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons due to injury. He’s remained healthy so far this season. With a lot of outfield prospects forcing their way up (Josiah Ragsdale, Josh Adamczewski and Braylon Payne, among others), the day his legacy is cemented by a trade return may be sooner, rather than later. Between now and then, though, there's a lot more value to deliver on the field. Honorable Mention: OF Joey Wiemer Wiemer stepped up when Mitchell was lost for the season in 2023 and held down center field as Gorman Thomas Lite (with the help of Blake Perkins and Sal Frelick), providing right-handed pop, defense, and a lot of strikeouts as the Brewers fought their way to a division championship. The Brewers dealt him the following season for Frankie Montas, who solidified the back end of the rotation in 2024. For a fourth-round pick in a chaotic draft, that was a good outcome. One That Got Away: UT Zavier Warren Warren was picked as a catcher, but instead turned into a versatile option with a fair bit of pop from both sides of the plate. Despite the versatility, switch-hitting, and a bat with some power, the Brewers left him unprotected in the minor-league phase of the 2025-2026 offseason’s Rule 5 draft, and Cincinnati selected him. Warren, in some ways, was a victim of the organization’s overall success. For prospects, making the majors with Milwaukee means reaching a higher standard than most organizations set. No doubt Warren was a solid prospect, but with Milwaukee’s depth, a lot of solid prospects end up on the margins. To Be Determined, But A Long Shot: SS Freddy Zamora In some years, Freddy Zamora would not be a horrible shortstop or bench asset; think along the lines of Andruw Monasterio, Bill Spiers, or Craig Counsell. His problem is the same one fellow 2020 draftee Zavier Warren ran into: Milwaukee’s minor-league talent level has exploded in recent years. Despite putting up solid numbers and making it to Triple-A Nashville, the second-round pick from the 2020 draft is nowhere close to being in the top five shortstop prospects for the organization (Cooper Pratt, Jesus Made, Luis Pena, Brady Ebel, and CJ Hughes probably have those spots), and it’s fair to question if he’s even in the top 10, with the presence of Jett Williams, Ricki Moneys, Diego Frontado, Trey Ebel, and Jose Rodriguez. Even though Williams has only seen spot duty at short in 2026 and the other four are either in the DSL or a 2026 draft pick, Zamora’s lost in the crowd. The best thing for him (and for the Brewers) could be a trade that nets him an opportunity and maybe gives the Brewers a small boost. Lucky Trade: SS Hayden Cantrelle Cantrelle, the team’s fifth-round pick, was moved for catcher Alex Jackson in April 2022 after free-agent signing Pedro Severino was lost for half the season due to a PED suspension. Prior to that, Cantrelle flashed some speed and OBP skills with a lot of strikeouts on the side before the Brewers dealt him, looking like a two-true outcome player with speed. It was lucky for Cantrelle, who would have been buried in the Milwaukee system behind the glut of shortstops. It was also lucky for Milwaukee, as they got Jackson, who provided catching depth and was later flipped for Evan McKendry when the Brewers needed pitching depth. Cantrelle’s bounced between Double-A and Triple-A for the Marlins, Giants, and Cubs since then. He won't make much of an impact in the majors; the Brewers squeezed value from him while they could. How would you grade the Brewers’ 2020 draft? Let us know in the comments below! View full article

Combination of the smaller stature, not the best stuff, but gets lots of outs.

Well, with Seattle, I was thinking about asking for Brock Rodden and Po-Chun Lin. Rodden is a highly versatile, switch-hitting version of Caleb Durbin with more pop and walks, minus the HBPs. Lin's giving me that bulldog vibe - a healthy Logan Henderson.