Milwaukee Brewers: 5 Untouchable Prospects This Offseason

If the Milwaukee Brewers are going to make any impact acquisitions on the trade market this offseason, David Stearns is going to have to dig into his farm system. Which prospects should be untouchable in negotiations?

As Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns has shown in the past, there are just certain prospects that he will not part with in trade discussions. He didn’t trade Lewis Brinson for Sonny Gray. Instead, he flipped him for a much better player in Christian Yelich.

But some prospects are just going to be untouchable. Which prospects are those for the Brewers are they go through talks this offseason?

5. Mauricio Dubon, INF

Even coming off of an ACL tear last season, the Brewers should not even entertain the idea of trading away the 24 year old Honduran native.

He was having a tremendous start to the 2018 season, hitting .343 in 108 at-bats with 15 of his 37 hits going for extra bases. Dubon is fast, possesses a solid bat, and has a good glove. He should get an opportunity at second base before Keston Hiura arrives.

Dubon presents an excellence insurance plan as well. Should a free agent signing not happen, or the free agent is signed, then gets hurt, Dubon presents a capable replacement that can start. He’ll give the Brewers the ability to keep Keston Hiura in Triple-A for as long as they need.

While Dubon doesn’t hit for much home run power, he’s a line-drive hitter that should stretch many singles into doubles with his plus speed, and he’s a major stolen base threat.

Dubon has a very high floor, making him an exciting piece of the future for Milwaukee. Hopefully, he’ll get a chance to earn an opportunity for a full-time starting job before Keston Hiura arrives.

3. Freddy Peralta, RHP

Freddy Peralta turned in a wonderful debut season with the Milwaukee Brewers. As one of the Crew’s star pitching prospects, Peralta should not be going anywhere this offseason.

Despite how his 4.25 ERA might look, Peralta pitched well for the Brewers, and stepped up when the team needed him most. When Chase Anderson and Zach Davies went down with injury in May, the team needed an emergency starter, and Peralta filled the role admirably, earning himself several more starts the rest of the season.

Peralta finished the season with 14 starts and 16 total appearances. The Brewers will need him to be an important part of the starting rotation in 2019. With the regression of Chase Anderson, the concerning shoulder and back injuries to Zach Davies, and the free agent departure of Wade Miley, Peralta will be able to cement himself in this rotation.

Keep in mind, Peralta is just 22 years old, and he’s already shown an ability to adjust and be successful in the big leagues. With a ceiling as a No. 2 or No. 3 starting pitcher, Peralta will be a vital piece of the current championship window.

2. Keston Hiura, 2B

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Keston Hiura, and it’s definitely warranted. Hiura dominated the Arizona Fall League, becoming a Fall Star, and won the AFL MVP award.

Since being drafted ninth overall in 2017, Hiura has done nothing but hit. In 2018, Hiura hit .293 across High-A Carolina and Double-A Biloxi.

Hiura might be the most hyped Brewers prospect since Orlando Arcia came up at the end of 2016. Many are clamoring for Hiura to start the 2019 season in the big leagues, but David Stearns has publicly stated that it won’t happen.

David Stearns has been hesitant to include his top prospect in trade discussions in the past, and with good reason. He did not include him in discussions for Chris Archer during the summer and likely won’t include him now.

While Hiura would help acquire certain players like JT Realmuto and Corey Kluber, the odds of those deals happening are not great, partly because the Brewers would have to give up Keston Hiura. If Hiura goes anywhere, it’ll have to be for a bona fide ace starting pitcher, and making that kind of trade does not seem like something David Stearns would be keen on doing.

Hiura is one of the top 30 prospects in all of baseball, and we’ll likely see him in Milwaukee at some point in 2019, even if only during September.

1. Corbin Burnes, RHP

The main reason that Corbin Burnes tops this list instead of Keston Hiura is that Burnes has the potential to be a frontline ace starting pitcher for years to come. A homegrown, developed No. 1 pitcher is a lot more difficult to find than a good hitting second baseman like Hiura.

Burnes pitched in some big moments out of the bullpen for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018, but he’s poised to return to the rotation. David Stearns and Craig Counsell have confirmed that multiple times.

Burnes finished 2018 with a 2.61 ERA in 38 innings. He had a 2.00 ERA in the postseason, covering nine innings.

With four pitches in his arsenal, Burnes is the one pitcher that should not be available to anyone, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if Mike Trout is coming in return, Burnes should be off-limits in any trade discussions. The 24 year old Burnes is the frontline starting pitcher the Brewers have been looking to develop for a long time.

You can never have enough starting pitching, and trading away possibly the best one in the organization is not a wise decision. If given the choice between trading away Burnes or trading away Hiura, I would choose to trade away Hiura. It’s much easier to find a second baseman that can hit for a high average than it is to find an ace starting pitcher.

The Milwaukee Brewers should not move any of these five names listed this offseason. They’re simply too important to the current or future success of the organization for them to be included in any trades.