Turning2

But he is the "first best" all around CF when you factor in offense and availability. That only changes if Mitchell were to stay healthy and hit approximately .260 and 20+HRs OR they trade for a proven bat in CF.

Unless they trade for someone, he is easily their best all around CF, meaning defense + offense. We have a good feel for Perkins ceiling at the plate, and we know Mitchell is always a health risk, so neither can or should be counted on.

If possible, I would have moved Perkins rather than Collins in that deal. Zerpa as a replacement for Mears might work out. Might not. Time will tell. MIL has a track record of finding guys like Zerpa and squeezing short term production out of them, so I'll defer to them on that move. Maybe Zerpa is more a replacement for a possible move of Ashby rather than Mears? Who knows... The only acquisition I've seen suggested that seems to align, and meet needs for both parties, is Jarren Duran. I was lukewarm on him initially. But I'm beginning to see a player like that might be among the most legitimate upgrade options a small market team can reasonably expect to acquire.

Sure, doing something, anything just to do it or to appease the fans is ill advised. At the same time, the fans pay for part of the bills. That can't be ignored either. From separate deals, they swapped Collins out for Baddoo. Pretty much a wash at best by the looks of it, if not an outright downgrade. The OF depth they should have moved was Perkins in my opinion. But that's irrelevant. Move Collins or move Perkins, neither move matters if a real bat for the OF isn't additionally acquired. OF combinations of Chourio, Frelick Perkins, Mitchell, Lockridge, Baddoo, Yelich, Berroa, Bauers are less than inspiring.

Or so we're told. We're about to find out in the next 2-5 years if the current crop hype is legit or not. For small market budgets, it's always a carrot on the stick, a hope and a prayer. Maybe a new CBA installs a reasonable cap and floor to make MLB competition more legitimate.

Bargain bin baseball for better or worse. That’s the reality of the situation they’re forced into. Small markets are little more than a feeder system.

I don’t recall there being projections or expectations of .300 from Ortiz

I would be OK with everything but Yoho as well.

I thought more posters might care to take a guess, before I shared the results, but here goes: Proposed Trade: Milwaukee Brewers acquire Jarren Duran from Boston Red Sox Brewers send to Red Sox: Tyler Black (INF/OF, on 40-man roster, pre-arb in 2026) Logan Henderson (RHP prospect, recently added to 40-man, pre-arb) Cooper Pratt (SS prospect, high-upside but lower in system rankings) Craig Yoho (RHP reliever prospect, high-leverage potential) Red Sox send to Brewers: Jarren Duran (OF, $7.7M for 2026, arb-eligible 2027-2028) Why this is roughly equal value Duran's profile: Age 29 in 2026, coming off a ~4.0-4.7 WAR season in 2025 (down from 8.7 in 2024 but still a solid all-around contributor with elite speed, extra-base hits, and above-average defense). He provides 3 years of control at reasonable cost (~$7.7M in 2026, projected $12-15M arb in 2027-2028). No significant injury history noted. His value is that of a high-end everyday outfielder (comparable to trades for 3-4 WAR players with similar control often fetching multiple top prospects or MLB-ready pieces). Package from Milwaukee: A mix of near-MLB talent and upside to address Boston's primary needs (starting pitching depth, infield versatility, and bullpen help) without touching protected players (no Peralta, Chourio, Turang, Frelick, Misiorowski, etc.). Black: Versatile infielder/outfielder with strong on-base skills; could compete for 2B/3B/DH reps in Boston immediately. Henderson: Young starter with strong minor-league results; adds rotation depth behind recent acquisitions like Sonny Gray. Pratt: Toolsy shortstop prospect for longer-term infield pipeline. Yoho: High-strikeout reliever close to MLB-ready, bolstering Boston's bullpen (a noted secondary need). Balancing factors: Duran is the clear best player, but the quantity/quality of prospects evens it out given Boston's outfield logjam (Rafaela, Abreu, Anthony) and desire to upgrade pitching/infield. Milwaukee's lower payroll (~$130-140M range historically) absorbs Duran's salary easily, while Boston gains cost-controlled youth. Fit for current Red Sox needs (as of early 2026 offseason) Boston has aggressively added rotation arms (e.g., Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo trades) but still seeks infield power/versatility and bullpen reinforcements amid luxury-tax considerations. This package provides immediate help (Black, Yoho) and future upside without adding significant payroll. Fit for Brewers Duran slots in as a dynamic leadoff-type OF (likely LF/CF), adding speed/power alongside Chourio and Frelick. Milwaukee's outfield has flexibility, and Duran's control aligns with their contention window without breaking payroll structure. This keeps the trade realistic, prospect-heavy from Milwaukee's deep farm (top talents like Jesús Made untouched), and addresses exclusions fully. No additional Red Sox assets needed for balance here, as the prospect haul matches Duran's surplus value.

It's AI... by default, it should be viewed as for entertainment purposes only. haha. What it came up with is currently within the Brewer organization.

Maybe. Who? I've only read or heard chatter about Duran, so that's who I plugged in.

The Brewers desperately need more offense from the outfield. It seems Jarren Duran is the only accomplished bat that might be within reach and make sense in a trade scenario. I'm new to playing around with AI, and entered this prompt into Grok. I'll post the result later, but you can take a stab at answering it, and seeing how close you see the value comparative to the AI. I should add that I would prefer they keep Freddy as I don't trust Woody's durability, so I kept him off limits. Prompt: "Propose an equal value trade for the Brewers to acquire Jarren Duran that meets current Red Sox needs and does not include Freddy Peralta, Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, Andrew Vaughn, Abner Uribe, or Jacob Misiorowski. Choose from Milwaukee's farm system prospects and current players on Milwaukee's 40 man roster. Factor in years of control, current contract structures, payroll history, injury history, WAR. Add in additional Red Sox players or assets as necessary to balance the trade."

Odd thing with him. When he has to hustle out a close play at first, he always hits the bag while slightly twisting his body away from the bag. I'm always anticipating a twisted ankle, or knee injury. Don't recall others doing this except when the throw is off and the runner is trying to avoid a collision.

Yep, that’s the kind of playing time I’m talking about too. Just don’t think they will afford that to him.

It would be nice to see him get at least half a season of regular at bats to see what he can do at this level. But I think the ship has sailed away on him

Never mind. Others already posted about his arm strength concerns

Lock and Perk are redundant. In a way Collins and Lock were redundant. Speed and great defense does not win championships. They need a real bat for CF proven ability to reach 15-20 HRs. My default position is to not even factor Mitchell into this equation. I assume that means Perkins and Chourio playing the bulk of CF. Would rather have Chourio in LF. In other words.... they need a real bat for CF.

Should have kept Collins, not added Baddoo and replaced Perkins with a bigger bat.

There is a time to be bold and a time to be patient in building rosters for the present and the future. The Brewers are in a window for winning it all. They should be bold. Meekness has amounted to "close, but no cigar". Assuming Soderstrom is even acquirable, a few things come to mind. For one, he is far from a proven star. Currently ascending, sure. But we can all find players who had a big breakout year, and then were nothing special. MIL should use that in negotiating a trade. Then offer 1 of Henderson, Patrick or Myers, Pena, and either Perkins or Tyler Black. If they don't like Pena, or the Perkins / Black, maybe sweeten with someone like Letson. A's get a MLB level starter (with various experience and track record depending on choice), a high value prospect, and either an established, known commodity in Perkins, or a bubble AAA / MLB level guy like Tyler Black who I think really just needs a chance to have everyday ABs in the bigs somewhere. In return, MIL gets a guy who could just as easily descend and become another meh OF bat joining the ranks of Perkins, Lockridge, Berroa, Baddoo etc as become a regular 20+HR guy with solid defense. Having a consistently top rated, highly regarded farm system makes up somewhat for the economic disparity small market teams face. MIL should leverage their prospect capital the way the big market teams leverage their economic advantage. Not leveraging that farm system signals a willingness to just provide entertainment rather than a commitment to excellence. Don't overspend. Don't mortgage the future. But draw from your surplus. We're supposedly drowning in prospects, and there isn't enough room for them all. Either we're being lied to about just how good the farm system is, or we have a surplus to work with. Things we know: The Brewers can't afford to spend on big bats, but they can afford speed and defense. Speed and defense wins division championships not World Series championships MIL has a highly touted farm system with a surplus of tantalizing talent MIL has an overall solid roster than needs a key piece or two. Putting that altogether, it seems fairly logical... trade surplus and future unknowns (aka - prospects) for an ascending, proven player at the big boy / MLB level.

Got to have some core guys be the face of the team for a long stretch. Chourio will be, Turang should be. Contreras should be but probably won't.

Sure, there are different tiers of patsies. The Brewers' front office usually at least tries to be competitive enough to sell loads of merch and tickets while hoping for the planet to align where they actually win a WS. That's my point. To achieve that "usually trying" merit this offseason means they upgrade either SS or CF in my view. But let's not kid ourselves, the big market teams are all that matter to MLB INC. Teams like the Brewers are viewed simply as fodder for the "real teams" to play.

Hoping you are correct regarding CF. I maintain the stance that they must upgrade the offensive output from either SS or CF. That does not include gambling on Mitchell being a relevant factor. Personally, I'm fine with keeping Ortiz' elite defense and upgrading Perkins dismal offense in exchange for perhaps lesser defense in CF. Who is available, how could they be acquired? I don't know all the possibilities. A recent "Locked On Brewers" episode suggested a trade involving Perralta / Jarren Duran. Taking away pitching to upgrade CF is a wash in my mind. They would be dealing from a strength and gambling that Woody remains healthy and effective, and that Mis is ready to be a #2 (I don't think he is). A status quo approach at both positions equals an admission from management that they are just an MLB version of the patsy teams the Harlem Globetrotters or Savannah Bananas play to showcase the "stars".

"A king's ransom or don't waste my time". Or in some marketplace terminology... "don't lowball me, I know what I've got". That would be my response if I was Arnold. When then traded for Mears, it seemed like a "meh" move. That's on me because I don't follow all the teams enough to know who many of the players are. Most of them are obscure to me. It seemed like an odd trade at the time. But Mears has won me over. I think he got overused and faded at the end in '25. That's on the starters or Murph being too quick on the trigger getting to the pen. Regardless, when other teams come to MIL inquiring about players, the leverage is MIL's. We have the supply, and you have the demand - they should press the hell out of that for MAX value. That will scare teams off. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Price yourself out of people coming to chip at your armor isn't the worst option in the right circumstances. If you want it bad enough..... it's going to cost you. Send a message to the scavengers - we're elite at the moment, not a junker car to be parted out.

The only thing MIL needs is more offensive pop. They are on the doorstep of a WS berth. Now is not the time to continue building for the future, parlaying proven talent for (multiple) pieces of potential talent or nominal contributors. For as much as this team leans on its BP I'd keep Megill. I don't care who is the 8th inning setup and who handles the 9th. And I'd keep Peralta too unless a trade brings back a real, proven power bat (with no asterisks like coming off an injury, or a former "name" but now declining, or a reclamation etc.)