Potential Brewers acquisitions and departures in 2024 as trade deadline nears

The MLB trade deadline is a little earlier this year, with Tuesday, July 30 at 5:00 p.m. CT less than two weeks away. The Brewers will likely be one of several teams looking to add one or two players to their playoff offense.

However, there will almost certainly be more buyers than sellers thanks to the recently expanded playoffs and the large number of teams that could be considered “competitive,” as 22 teams are within six games of a wild-card spot at the All-Star break. Unlike in years past, the Brewers are more likely to look for pitching help than offensive help at the deadline. Let’s take a look at some of the players the Brewers could look to acquire, as well as a few who could leave.

Potential acquisitions

Aces

Garrett Crochet, left-handed pitcher, Chicago White Sox
Tarik Skubal, left-handed pitcher, Detroit Tigers

These guys are the least likely to end up in a Brewers uniform. The Tigers are unlikely to move Skubal unless they get a perfect deal, and Crochet — who still has control of the team through 2026 — will cost more than the Brewers are likely willing to offer. Getting any of these guys would be a CC Sabathia-like deal.

The best of the rest

Tyler Anderson, left-handed pitcher, Los Angeles Angels
Chris Bassitt, right-handed pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays
Zach Eflin, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, Texas Rangers
Jack Flaherty, Right-Handed Pitcher, Detroit Tigers
Erick Fedde, right-handed pitcher, Chicago White Sox
Austin Gomber, left-handed pitcher, Colorado Rockies
Yusei Kikuchi, left-handed pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays
Cal Quantrill, RHP, Colorado Rockies
Jose Soriano, RHP, Los Angeles Angels

If the Brewers are going to add some depth to their rotation — like they did with Aaron Civale a few weeks ago — they’ll probably do it from this list. Personally, I’m all for adding a lefty, as Milwaukee’s top lefty prospects, including Wade Miley, Robert Gasser and DL Hall, have all missed significant portions of the season, with both Miley and Gasser out for the entire season. Considering how good Anderson is having this season (2.97 ERA in 118 innings), he may be out of Milwaukee’s price range, and I’m not a fan of adding a guy who’s been pretty good to average throughout his career.

Instead, I’d like the Brewers to take one of the middle of the road players like Gomber, Kikuchi, or Soriano (though Soriano still has a few years of team control, meaning his price tag will be higher than the others). If management is willing to splurge a bit, Bassitt is my favorite, with Eflin, Eovaldi, and Quantrill also being strong options at the right price.

Reserve players

Matt Moore, left-handed pitcher, Los Angeles Angels
Trevor Richards, Right-Handed Pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays

I’m not sure if Milwaukee will be looking to beef up the bullpen, as Devin Williams is expected to return in late July/early August. That said, the pen showed some signs of weakness before the All-Star break, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the front office wanted to add a middle reliever option to fill the gap. Matt Moore is a great left-handed option, as he’s had success in recent years (1.95 ERA in 2022, 2.56 ERA in 2023) and struggled in 2024 (4.91 ERA), which will likely drive his price down. He could also be stretched as an opener/starter if needed, although he hasn’t had an official start since 2021 with the Phillies.

Richards is a former Brewer who joined Milwaukee in the Willy Adames trade and was sent to the Blue Jays in the Rowdy Tellez trade in 2021. He’s a solid option in center field, with a 3.62 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 49 games. ²⁄₃ innings this season.

Potential departures

And now an interesting fact: who is the company’s management ready to leave with?

MLB

Willy Adames, SS
Sal Frelick, OF
Garrett Mitchell, OF
Blake Perkins, OF

I would be shocked if the Brewers went down the same route they did with Josh Hader in 2022, trading away a star while they still have a shot, so I don’t think Adames is a likely asset in a trade. Still, he’s a name other teams are willing to listen to, especially if it gives them an advantage in signing him this offseason.

Between Frelick, Mitchell and Perkins, the question is whether Milwaukee is willing to give up an MLB-ready outfielder despite their depth, as an injury or two could quickly deplete that depth. All three have solid offensive and defensive value and future team control, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the front office was willing to move on from one of them in exchange for pitching depth at tight end.

Minor

Eric Brown Jr., Double-A, SS (#10 ranked)
Mike Boeve, Double-A, 3B/2B (No. 13 prospect)
Jadher Areinamo, High-A, 2B/3B (No. 21 prospect ranking)
Juan Baez, Low-A, SS/3B (No. 22)
Wes Clarke, Triple-A, 1B/C (No. 24 overall)
Isaac Collins, Triple-A OF
Alexander Cornielle, High-A, RHP
Brewer Hicklen, Triple-A, OF
Owen Miller, Triple-A, useful
Carlos D. Rodriguez, Double-A, OF

Despite being the highest-rated prospect on this list, Brown Jr. is certainly not the best name available. He had a rough start to his professional career after being selected in the first round in 2022, hitting just .233/.333/.332 with 11 home runs, 58 RBIs and 72 steals in 162 minor league games. He was also hampered by injuries.

Boeve, a second-round pick in 2023, is one of the purest hitters in the Brewers organization despite currently being sidelined by injury, but has slashed .326/.401/.463 with eight homeruns, 58 RBI and 34 runs in 94 minor league games over two seasons.

Areinamo has improved in each of his four seasons in the minor leagues, slashing .319/.367/.465 with a career-high seven homeruns, 53 RBIs and 27 steals with High-A Wisconsin in 77 games this season. Expect him to move up the prospect list when the midseason update is released later this summer, making him a promising trade piece if Milwaukee is willing to trade him before the deadline.

Baez, just 19 years old, is in his third season in the Brewers system, slashing .306/.352/.437 with eight homeruns, 93 RBI and 43 steals in 158 games. He is currently rehabbing his ACL with the Brewers, but prior to his injury, he was slashing .292/.348/.411 in 43 games with Carolina.

Clarke had a solid spring training with the big league team and continued to show solid power during the regular season with Triple-A Nashville. The former 10th-round pick is slashing .236/.328/.432 with 10 homeruns, 39 RBI, 25 runs and three steals in 59 games after hitting 26 homeruns in 118 games in Double-A last season.

Collins was drafted in the ninth round by the Rockies in 2019 and will soon turn 27, but he has appeared to have figured Nashville out this season, batting .281/.394/.502 while posting a career-high .896 OPS with 10 homeruns, 54 RBI, 53 runs and 17 steals in 79 games this season.

The only pitcher on this list, Cornielle, is having the best season of his career in his sophomore season at High-A Wisconsin at age 22, posting a 2.78 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 14 appearances (13 starts). Opponents are also hitting just .197 against him this year, with 47 hits allowed in 68 innings.

Hicklen, 28, was added to the 40-man roster during the All-Star break. He has shown plenty of pop with Nashville this season, slashing .270/.383/.571 with 19 home runs, 55 RBI, 55 runs and 26 steals. While he is likely older than most players rebuilding teams are looking to acquire, he could be a low-risk option as a backup outfielder for a contender or as depth for Milwaukee if they decide to trade one of the major league outfielders listed above.

Miller, 27, has had an up-and-down career but has looked better recently, going 10-for-19 in July and slashing .526/.571/.632. Like Hicklen, he likely won’t get a huge return, but the Brewers could consider him in a deal like the Luis Urias trade last season that netted Milwaukee the No. 17 prospect, right-hander Bradley Blalock.

Rodriguez, 23, is another guy who could join Milwaukee’s top 30 prospects in a re-ranking later this summer. In his second season in Double-A, he’s slashing .301/.382/.373 despite not having much power (11 homeruns in 427 minor league plate appearances). He still gets on base at a solid rate and provides plenty of velocity, averaging double-digit steals in six minor league seasons.