2 Brewers who will be traded next following Milwaukee's three-player deal with Royals

What appeared to be shaping up as a quiet offseason for the Milwaukee Brewers, muted by a payroll situation that seemingly didn't allow for many external additions, has become a far more active one than most fans were expecting. After Brandon Woodruff accepted the team's $22.025 million qualifying offer, it seemed as if the Brewers were content "running it back" in 2026 with essentially the same squad that won 97 regular season games during the 2025 campaign.

However, then came the Winter Meetings, and with them a series of rumors that indicated Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office might be due for a busier offseason than fans were anticipating. Adding to the ongoing rumors regarding the availability of team ace Freddy Peralta were rumblings of other teams being interested in two of Milwaukee's relievers, Trevor Megill and Nick Mears, and the team's surplus of outfielders. The possibility of the Brewers moving on from someone in their outfield group increased when the team added Akil Baddoo on a major league deal the day after the Winter Meetings concluded.

On Saturday night, said rumors came to fruition when the Brewers traded Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-handed reliever Ángel Zerpa. The deal, which involves Milwaukee selling high on Collins after he finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2025, also clears a spot on the Brewers' 40-man roster, which will more than likely be filled by a third catcher -- it's rare for a team to head into a new season having just one catcher with major league experience on their 40-man roster.

Should the Brewers look to make external additions beyond that presumed third catcher, they would once again need to clear a 40-man roster spot. Such a move can be achieved by designating a player for assignment, freeing them up to be claimed by a new MLB team through the waiver process, or by trading players who currently occupy spots on the 40-man roster. While the former is far more likely, with the Brewers having a couple of DFA candidates on their roster, the latter, another trade of one of their major league players, would be the ideal outcome for Milwaukee, as it would mean that the team isn't parting ways with one of their players for nothing. At the very least, the Brewers would receive cash in a deal that sent one of their 40-man roster members to a new organization.

If Milwaukee elects to keep revamping the margins of their roster ahead of the 2026 season, here are two more names (not named Freddy Peralta), who the Brewers could move next after trading Collins and Mears to Kansas City over the weekend.

1. CL Trevor Megill

Megill's name has already come up in trade rumors on several occasions. During the Winter Meetings, both MLB.com Brewers beat reported Adam McCalvy and league insider Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted that Milwaukee has been fielding calls on their All-Star closer this winter. Then, after the Brewers' trade with the Royals was reported on Saturday night, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel added that Arnold and company might not be done dealing from their bullpen group, posting the following report on the social media platform X.

Noting that Zerpa could cover some high-leverage innings, Hogg reiterates that interest in the flame-throwing Megill remains high on the trade market. Such interest should be unsurprising given the ridiculously high salaries that free agent relief arms have been agreeing to this offseason, which makes Megill's projected arbitration salary of $4.2 million, provided by MLB Trade Rumors, look far more appealing.

Trading Megill would no doubt hamstring the Brewers' 2026 bullpen, but selling high on the now-32-year-old this offseason makes a lot of sense. 2025 was the best season of Megill's career, which coincided with Abner Uribe's breakout as the team's lethal set-up man. When Megill went down with an injury late in the season, Uribe seamlessly filled the closers role, leading many to believe he could resume those duties when the 2026 campaign arrives.

Sherman noted that both New York teams are interested in Megill's services, but it's likely many other teams, especially small-market ones who can't afford a free agent closer, are interested as well. Trading Megill should fetch a more impactful return than the combination of Collins and Mears did, but the vacancy left in Milwaukee's roster would also be more significant, giving Arnold and his team plenty to consider as the calls keep coming in.

2. 1B/OF Tyler Black

Former MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect Tyler Black is in a tricky spot. Black absolutely has nothing left to prove at the minor league level, having more than 200 games of experience in Triple-A, during which he has posted an OPS north of .800. However, on the big league roster, Black is stuck behind a platoon of Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers at first base, and is even farther down the depth chart when it comes to the outfield -- a position where Black has little experience but might be best-suited for. Though his story is far from written, it may benefit both parties for the Brewers to find a trade partner for Black this winter.

At the major league level, Black has just 70 plate appearances, a majority of which came during the 2024 campaign. A frustrating hand injury in Spring Training this past year delayed what was supposed to be Black's first full season in MLB, and by the time he returned, calls for the Vaughn's Valley sign to be hung up once again were pouring in from the Milwaukee faithful. In other words, there wasn't an opportunity for everyday at-bats with the big-league team.

Black's elite plate discipline and impressive athleticism for a first baseman give him an intriguing, albeit unique, profile. A lack of power has led to concerns over Black's ability to secure a starting role as a first baseman in the majors, but in the right situation, he could be a very valuable big leaguer.

It's unlikely Black fetches a significant return, or even one other than cash considerations for that manner, which feels crazy to say less than two years after he could have been the centerpiece of a major deal. However, a poorly timed injury, a lack of a clear defensive home, and seemingly no opportunities for everyday playing time in Milwaukee has turned him into a trade candidate, and one the Brewers could sell low on before the end of the offseason.