BrewersRice

Now for the position of catcher. The Brewers usually draft a catcher and I see they picked one up in NDFA Hagerdorn. But what do they already have in the system? Is there any one they should/could trade? Anyone coming up on Rule 5 eligibility? I think the big question to ask is what the Brewers plans are going forward. While the Brewers often trade their stars with a year left on their contracts, I really dont see that happening with Contreras. They have one of the greats in the game who is currently excelling at both ends of the field but will only have one year left after this. Power numbers are down a bit this year, but he handles the pitching staff great and currently ranks 2nd in caught stealing percentage. My hopes are that they sign him to an extension, but my guess is that they would have done that already if that was their long term plans. Teams like the Brewers do often value having at least 3 good - adaquate catchers. (2 in the majors and one waiting in the wings in AAA in case of injury. I say that because some of these guys who we might think have zero trade value, actually could carry some to the right team as part of a package. Sanchez - FA 27 - He is also having a good year behind the plate and catching guys. While the Brewers picked up a catcher at the deadline last year, I dont see that happening this year. Quero (AAA) - Already on 40 man. Quero is still ranked just on the outskirts of most top100 lists after previously being in the upper half. After a shoulder surgery, he, as expected, lost a bit of the power arm he once possessed. Pop time and accuracy have improved since he first came back but they are still not elite. His actually (CS) caught stealing percentage is still virtually the same as his poor numbers last year. If you're the Brewers, I would say there is now a non-zero chance that he could get traded, but it is still very low. His bat and his framing/defense are now his carrying tools and they dont scream primary catcher, even though there is strong hope that after another off season he would hopefully be Contreras back-up next year and gain some arm strength along with tutilage from or catching development team in the majors which I would say is the most under-heralded part of the Brewers Player Development system. Darrien Miller (AAA) - .263/.429/.522 Rule 5 Eligible. Has elite HBP tool. (that is a joke, but each level this will go down at and you will not expect near as much in the Majors. Even without the HBP, his OBP would still be slightly above .400. His numbers have even ticked up a bit in somewhat small sample size in Nashville. His defense has also improved this year 26% caught stealing and less passed balls at AAA, however earlier this year it was at closer to 11% in AA. This is hard to judge without knowing pop times, but he is not known for having an elite arm or elite pop times. His offensive stats do give him a high 154 WRC+. These however by some are taken with a grain of salt as his max exit velocity of 100 and avEV of 85 are in the lower then average tear. His barrel rate is also at 1%. These also should be taken with some precaution as sample size may have been small. With those numbers he still managed to hit 10 HR and I do like his swing. He did get the call up before Wood to AAA so it may say something about how the org views him. Nava (AAA) Also having a blip year and a good year but basically a free agent and not going to be worth much. Wood (AA) - .260/.402/.493 Rule 5 Eligible. He walks more than he strikes out. 12 HRs and I've heard some view his power to be a little more legit than Millers. 14% CS rate. Dinges (AA) Freshly moved up so all stats are in A+. - .269/.393/.462 (already posted exit velocities near 110 and has a high 90th percentile exit velocity.) He is just getting going in the catcher position and has not spent much time behind the plate due to an earlier injury, college severe health issues and playing other positions in college. His CS rate had jumped this year from a week 18% in '25 to closer above average 30% in '26. Is this jump real or just small sample size. Dinges has been getting helium in the prospect rankings, and should continue to rise, however there is still a lot of uncertainties with his profile. Rylan Mills (A) - 261/403/487 19 yr old. He is said to have a strong arm, but hard to tell much of how his defense will develop at this stage in his career. I would say Quero, Dinges and Mills have the most value. The Brewers likely would desire to keep the others as well with the likelihood of Contreras leaving. In 28 they may need Quero and one of Wood/Miller/Dinges. Both Miller and Wood are playing well enough where there is a small chance they get plucked in the Rule 5 and there likely wont be room for both on the 40 man. Teams that have room on their 40 man might see some trade value in these guys and I could see the Brewers sending 1 as part of a package. I think it would be quite the risk to count for sure on Quero and his throwing arm and Dinges (Shoulder) as the set catchers of the future leaning me wanting to hold on to as many catchers as possible. Wood and Miller exceeded expectations so far at every level for outside evaluators. Could they keep on exceeding those expectations?

Being that the Brewers are short on depth at SP, why would the Brewers trade from a SP on their roster, I love both Ryan and Detmers, but this is not realistic.

In an effort to not make the last post too long, this next post will look at OF. Let's look at our current OF. Yelich - FA 29 Mitchell - FA 29 Frelick - FA 30 Chourio - FA 32 Lara - FA 33 Lockridge - FA 32 Perkins - FA 30 The Brewers do have some high rising OF's in the upper minors. If there is no trade from the major league roster, they likely will not keep them all stashed on the 40-man. This makes it likely that the Brewers will look at trading some of their arb eligible OFs. Jett Williams (Rule 5 Eligible) (also SS/2B/3B) (ETA 2027) Adamzcewski (ETA Late 2027) Ragsdale (ETA 2028) Payne (ETA 2028-29) O'Rae (Rule 5 Eligible) (also 2B) (ETA 2028) Adams (Rule 5 Eligible) (also 1B/3B) (ETA 2027) Black (Rule 5 Eligible) (also 1B/DH) While there are not enough spots for 2028 for sure, the Brewers could decide to hold a little longer to increase trade value on these guys. That being said, barring major injuries, it is likely someone from their Major League Roster or several from their minors get traded. Most likely you are looking at a core of Mitchell, Chourio, Lara, Frelick, Yelich until minimum of 2028. I would guess Lockridge might have some trade value, and I would also put Frelick high up with his lack of power for a corner OF. The one I'm circling here is Ragsdale as primary trade candidate even though I think his value will be a lot higher if he continues at this pace until the end of the year. Black, there might be some trade value towards a relief pitcher rental. As will be covered in a future middle IF post, Williams and O'Rae though loved by the organization are also high up as trade candidates that would be easy to let go especially with likely taking up 40 man space. Williams probably still has the highest trade value and though having a down season, underlying stats still show valuable skills. He is probably most likely to get traded.

I will prelude this post with saying I believe anybody could be traded for the right piece. That being said, who is most likely to be traded based on lack of major league needs or oversupply in the minors? With Bauers contract being up and Andrew Vaughn also getting pricey and with only 1 year left before becoming a free agent. The Brewers will also still want a minor league backup, I think you can assume that the Brewers will aim at keeping at least 1 Lefty bat for 1B and 1 Righty in the high minors. (especially if some are ready to take a 40 man spot). The rest might be higher up on trade availability. Lefty 1B bats- my guess as to their trade value and how Brewers view them. (1) Burke (probably best defensive 1B) (Bats and throws Left) (2) Fischer (also 3B but preference could be given to Made or Ortiz) (3) Boeve (Rule 5 Eligible) (4) Bitonti (5) Tayden Hall (Rule 5 Eligible) (6) Tyler Black Righty 1B Bats - (1) Andrew Vaughn who will be more expensive then any past Brewers 1B in a long time (estimated 10 Mil for 2027) (2) Adams (3) Wilken (Rule 5 Eligible) Most likely one of the Lefty 1B bats gets traded if not 2. I also would not be surprised if 1 righty bat gets traded, but it would have to be a package for a high value piece if it is Adams. I also think there is a chance they try to extend Bauers making more of these Lefty bats likely to be traded.

In 2025, there were 16 milb players with 20/20 seasons. Brewers currently have 13 guys on pace or maybe 1-2 behind pace for having a 20/20 season. Arguments could even be made for others with a hot second half. Jet Williams Luke Adams - a little behind, but based on his stats per number of at bats Made Burke - already there Adamczewski Ragsdale Fischer Payne Bitonti Hall Anderson Encarnacion Artunez - would need to be promoted to have a chance.

You are correct in being that they had his skills at 55, and it does seem that MLB Pipeline does typically put its rankings on overall skills. I dont think though that they would take the person who they ranked 22 in the draft to be ahead of who they ranked 18th in all the minors, so guessing a possibility of #2 would be overambitious. Most of their current player rankings are also early season or preseason. I dont see even pipeline ranking him ahead of guys performing well at A+ or AA. I noticed I believe Burke, on his way to a 30/30 season with still a 30 run rating. It sounds like Pipeline is higher on Strosnider than most publications or teams were. This should mean he has the skills, but the question to me, is if it will translate to the field. I believe he is more of a corner outfielder and not a premium position as well, so the hit tool will really need to climb up. I still doubt even pipeline when they readjust will place him above 8. Even if bunched with other 55 skill prospects- he would slide in at the end of them at 7 at the highest. I dont see how they could rank him above Fischer, Payne, or Burke. I personally would not even place him above Ragsdale, who pipeline rated 45 hit and 40 power early season while he is on pace for 20HR and batting .322./454/.533. I just dont see how someone would rank him above guys that are performing better at a higher level. I think he is a good prospect and many years he would find himself in top 5 in most systems. My guess remains that he finds himself in most publications along with Ebel in the 13-20 range. Pipeline, being a little more skills based then production based, my guess might put him a little higher, but I still dont see them putting him at above #8.

I like their picks, but being ranked #2 is a really wild take. It will be interesting to see which one is ranked higher. I give maybe 5% chance one is ranked in our top 8. Most likely you will see both around the 13-20 range. (This is more a testament to how stacked our system is)

How many spots do you all see as being open on the 40-man at the end of the year? I feel like that might be a big factor in figuring out who we would hypothetically keep. In order of preference for me: Jett, Adams, Wag, Kuehner, Manfredi, Boeve, O-Rae. Who is the Lefty Hitting 1B next year? My pick would be Boeve over Burke- but it would be an interesting battle. So far I think the only thing preventing Boeve from getting plucked is that he is a little light in the Power area for a 1B. You would think someone would get traded from the 3b/1b ilk (Wilken, Adams, Boeve, Burke), and someone who is a Middle IF (Pratt, Jett, O'Rae,) , probably a SP that is further down in the system or unavailable this year. (Owens/Galindez/Kuehner/Fitzpatrick?) and possibly and OF (Lockridge, Perkins, Mitchell, Frelick) - I dont see them trading Mitchell if his power and health keep the current trend. And with Murphy's- affection for Sal--I'm not sure if its possible he gets moved, but I feel like now might be a sell high opportunity

Luis PenaJesus MadeLogan HendersonJeferson QueroBraylon Payne Recency Bias- Are these latest results the real deal?Marco DingesCooper PrattAndrew FischerLuke AdamsBrett WichrowskiBrock Wilken Only because of the injury is he this lowRobert GasserBishop Letson Health is still holding him backMike Boeve I still believe he is the best bat in the system, he just hasn't showed it so far this year. Is his mid year injury recovery and adjustment period part of the K uptick? Tyson HardinJosh Adamczewski How many on this list have been impacted by injury? Unfortunately backs are something that can pop up often, and even that risk bounces him lower than he would be without the injury.Craig YohoEric BitontiColeman CrowBlake Burke Wow! The depth of our system is incredible. Beyond that, almost every prospect has been performing. Some like Bitonti, Payne, Meccage (who somehow didn't make my list) had some early season struggles, but recently they have all showed more better glimpses of their future possibilities. Lets list thru 30 21. Meccage 22. Lara 23. Dubanewicz 24. C. Rodriguez 25. Kuehner 26. Black 27. Encarnacion- Spencer won me over to the hype train 28. M. Rodriguez 29. Thompson 30. Ebel The brewers depth at pitching is probably tops for any team. Butttt their high end, potential number 1 - number 2 ace like pitchers will take binoculars to see at this point. It doesn't mean they are not there, but most of our pitchers are young and at this point most of their stuff isn't shouting potential ace, most don't even have whispers. That being said, Woody and Burnes also didn't have much hype their first year, and what about Smith last year? The other whole in the system is OF. I did think they would grab a teams worth in the draft (3) especially with how poor the DSL has been to date with OF prospects. I think the team feels it is easier to convert an IF prospect, and that it will likely not be a team need for the next 2-3 years especially if Collins keeps on performing. This is an organization focusing on their strength- pitching and catcher development. There are a lot more spots on a roster for pitcher than for any other position. This allows the Brewers to play to their strength and be able to trade out of it in the future for needed positions. With the loss of Miz, this system drops a bit in rankings of total systems, but could easily still find itself hovering in the 6-10 area at the end of the year. A lot will depend upon the 2nd half showings and if anyone new can pop into the top 100.

Neto would be a great pick. I believe he would cost a lot more than what most have listed. BTV has him @72 So that is one issue. I also wonder if their seeming strategy of finding batters that work counts and don’t strike out much, if it’s kind of a strategy that works best if they are all in on it. As it really makes the pitcher work. If so, I believe Perdomo is a better fit. Personally I think there is room for a high k% guy with some slugging power.

I like Nestor, but… we are so packed at SP. Nester back to the Yanks for Devin Williams. Who says no?

With Contreras getting expensive, I think Quero is the one untradeable guy they have.

I didn’t realize that part of history with Abrams. I feel like the brewers might not want to risk it then, but they might consider they have enough positive clubhouse leaders that could also help Abram’s make better decisions, which could mean he improves even more.

Are there other SSs that the Brewers could grab if they overpay? The Brewers have prospect capital and are a little overloaded in some spots. With the clearest upgrade being at SS, I believe there are more options out there even though they would be costly, from teams that are on the outside looking in for the playoff picture. These options would be costly, but in my opinion, worth it. In order of how much trade capital, this would be how I would order them. Perdomo - BTV of 40.0 CJ Abrams- 52 Z Neto - 72 Gunner Henderson- 79 Jacob Wilson - I think 90s - couldn't find it The last 3 might never be considered, but it's an interesting exercise to consider it. If they go after a SS they would likely be trading Ortiz and Pratt unless it is a club like the Orioles that have Holiday as an option. If its a 3 way trade, we could also include those current MLB Arms like Quintana, Cortez, and even an OF like Perkins Personally I would aim for CJ Abrams. He can stay in town after they play. Nationals - CJ Abrams 52 BTV Brewers- Total of 57 Ortiz - 3? Not listed Pratt - 29 Perkins- 5? Henderson - 13, maybe substitute Myers/Patrick/Rodriguez?, or maybe if 3rd team, throw in Quintana, Cortez instead? Bitonti - 7 I hate to say goodbye to 2 top 100 players.. What are your thoughts?

While it is easy just to say it's too much money, there are reasons why it might work. First of all, if it looks likely that he will opt out, you are off the hook after the end of this year. This could amount to 20M on this years payroll. That is not far off from where they were in 2022. Their payroll has also been lower the last couple years for the likelihood of an addition at the all star break. Secondly they are likely to trade a high end prospect, and there is still a chance that the Sox include some cash in this. It all depends on what the trade market is like. I dont see the Red Sox really being sellers at this point, so that is more where my doubts are compared to finances. Either way I dont think it is likely, but yet not impossible. My preference for a win now and win later is more for Perdomo, Abrams, Neto. Yes pricey and they would likely have to trade Pratt, along with a lot of other value, but I believe it helps their lineup the most if we are in win now mode.