2 MLB-ready top prospects the Brewers should trade for after Pirates impressive deal

Over time, the Milwaukee Brewers have gained a reputation as a team that trades away its star players before free agency. While Prince Fielder, Willy Adames, and possibly Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff are the biggest exceptions, what gets lost in the shuffle is that MLB-ready players tend to come back in the deals that are executed.

For example, the 2022 Josh Hader trade brought back Esteury Ruiz and Robert Gasser. Ruiz’s time in Milwaukee was short-lived, but Gasser has contributed at the major-league level when healthy and is expected to be an important piece of the 2026 pitching staff. A few years later, dealing Corbin Burnes netted the Brewers DL Hall and Joey Ortiz, both of whom have become big-league regulars. The Devin Williams trade too proved meaningful, ultimately yielding Caleb Durbin as part of the return.

Respectfully, none of these MLB-ready players were on the top of their former teams’ prospect rankings, but Milwaukee's scouting department identified traits and characteristics that they liked and they went out and got them.

This trend of trading for MLB-ready players has become more prevalent over recent years. To name a few examples, the Arizona Diamondbacks added catcher Gabriel Moreno via trade back in 2022 and the Chicago Cubs added Michael Busch prior to the 2024 season. On Thursday evening, the Pittsburgh Pirates snagged outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia from the Boston Red Sox, sending starting pitcher Johan Oviedo to the AL East in the five-player deal. Garcia, nicknamed "The Password" for the unique spelling of his first name, didn't have a clear path to big-league playing time in Boston, despite being MLB-ready.

With that context in mind, here’s a look at two MLB-ready players the Brewers could pursue in a trade this offseason, whether by moving key contributors like Freddy Peralta or Trevor Megill, or by tapping into their deep prospect pool.

Two MLB-ready top prospects the Brewers should trade for during the 2025-26 offseason

1) OF Carson Benge - New York Mets

In Queens, former Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns has done an impressive job stockpiling Top-100 prospects. With also having the financial freedom to pursue major free agents, including signing Devin Williams this year and Juan Soto last year, and already having pulled off a headline-grabbing trade for Marcus Semien this winter, he’s positioned the Mets well.

That said, the Mets figure to continue to be aggressive this winter. One top prospect who could potentially be dealt is former 19th overall draft pick Carson Benge. The left-handed hitter figures to have 20 home run potential as a big leaguer, and with Garrett Mitchell's injury history, Benge could slide into his role that has been left mostly vacant the last few years. If the Mets do end up adding Kyle Tucker this offseason, as many believe they are preparing for with their moves thus far, Benge's path to an everyday role in a Mets uniform becomes far less clear, possibly making him available in a trade.

2) C Harry Ford- Seattle Mariners

In Seattle, the "Big Dumper" is the talk of the town, after the Mariners catcher had a historic season in 2025. Coming off a 60-home run regular season, Cal Raleigh figures to be going nowhere until at least 2031 when his contract expires, which could lead to their top catching prospect Harry Ford being expendable.

Why would Milwaukee target Ford? Adding him would be a forward-thinking move, especially with the understanding that William Contreras may eventually be traded as his price continues to rise and his final year of team control fast approaches. Because Ford is already on Seattle’s 40-man roster, the Brewers could comfortably roll into 2026 with a trio of Contreras, Jeferson Quero, and Ford, thus giving Ford more time to get comfortable in the organization before ultimately making Contreras the odd man out when the financial pressure increases next offseason.