4 Early Trade Targets For Brewers To Boost Anemic Offense
To replace that production in the order, the Brewers added...Caleb Durbin, an infield prospect who had yet to make his MLB debut at the time and is hitting just .187 since being promoted to the majors a few weeks ago.
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After being shut out four times already in the month of May, the Brewers are going to be searching for offense sooner rather than later. So who are some additions they could trade for this season?
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1. Angels 3B Yoan Moncada
Yoan Moncada was a veteran free agent that was available on the market late into the winter that the Brewers opted not to sign when they chose to roll with their group of young infielders to answer the hot corner question. Moncada instead signed a one year, $5MM deal with the Angels to get everyday opportunities and rebuild his value.
The Angels signed Moncada likely with designs on flipping him during the season for prospects as they continue their rebuild process. That plan is working out perfectly so far.
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Moncada is having a strong bounce-back season, slugging a pair of home runs with an .873 OPS and is on pace to have his best season since 2019. When healthy, Moncada has the ability to provide a major spark offensively. Health has been the question for him in recent years, and he's already missed some time on the IL this year.
But he's healthy now and he could be an inexpensive target for the Brewers to boost the left side of their infield without blocking any of the young players Milwaukee is excited about long-term.
2. Nationals 2B/3B Amed Rosario
Amed Rosario is another veteran that signed a one year, free agent contract this offseason that the Brewers passed on. Rosario signed a $2MM deal with the Nationals this winter that he's providing tremendous value for.
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Rosario's hitting .293 with a .752 OPS and that kind of production is something the Brewers could sorely use in their infield. He can play all over the infield with Milwaukee likely needing the most help at third base, but his ability to play shortstop is also useful given the struggles of Joey Ortiz to start the season.
Like Moncada, Rosario is likely a flip candidate at the Trade Deadline this year as the Nationals aren't going to be serious contenders in a loaded NL East. The Brewers can jump in and even though it may take some convincing to get Rosario from the Nationals this early in the season, it won't cost them anywhere near as much as when they jumped for Quinn Priester, so even an "overpay" still wouldn't be a high price here.
3. Rockies 3B Ryan McMahon
The Rockies are a dumpster fire and the only title they'll be in contention for anytime soon is being the worst team in baseball history. They're already 20 games back in the NL West and still have just single digit wins. Ryan McMahon is a good talent wasted on a bad team. If they had any sense as an organization, they'd trade McMahon to help rebuild.
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McMahon has two and a half years left on his contract. He's getting paid $12MM this year and will get $16MM in each of the next two seasons. It's some longer-term control for the Brewers to acquire, so the price will be a little higher, but McMahon should certainly be available.
His numbers this year haven't been great, hitting just .214, but still with a .739 OPS. Of course, when the entire team is losing so much, that can contribute to dragging down your stats and McMahon could very well benefit from a change of scenery to a more winning culture, something the Rockies clearly lack.
The Rockies are clearly going to be sellers this summer, they might as well make some sales earlier and perhaps the Brewers could convince them.
4. Blue Jays SS Bo Bichette
This would be a dream target for the Brewers to get to spark their offense, but they'll have to wait a little bit longer for it to potentially become a reality. The Blue Jays are going for it in Bichette's last year and they've signed Vlad Guerrero Jr to an extension. The front office there needs to see success on the field and they won't trade Bichette unless they're out of the hunt.
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Presently, the Blue Jays sit in the middle of the pack in the AL East. They're in a similar position as the Brewers where they're not finding the success they want and are hanging around .500.
For this to happen, the Blue Jays would need to fall out of the race entirely and admit defeat on the season while the Brewers would have to keep punching up and be in a strong position when the deadline comes around.
It'd be a two month rental of Bichette, but he'd likely be the best bat available that would fit the Brewers needs and since he's not a long-term solution, the prospect price would be more tolerable and Milwaukee wouldn't be blocking any of their upcoming infield prospects.
Related: 2025 Milwaukee Brewers Top 50 Prospects
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