Brewers: 5 Prospects That Should Be Untouchable This Offseason

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 25: A general view of Miller Park prior to Brewers and Diamondbacks on August 25, 2019. Teams are wearing special color schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players Weekend. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

The Hot Stove season is about to get underway, which means plenty of player movement for all teams including the Milwaukee Brewers. But some players better not move.

As we move into trading season, rumors will start to fly about targets teams, such as the Brewers, are looking for, and minor league prospects selling teams are seeking in return. Throughout the offseason, we hear about various “untouchable” players for teams, which won’t be traded no matter who you offer in return.

For the Milwaukee Brewers, the big league roster untouchables are fairly obvious. It doesn’t take much in-depth analysis to say guys like Christian Yelich, Brandon Woodruff, and Josh Hader won’t be available in trade talks this winter.

With the Brewers looking to supplement their big league roster, they’re more likely to trade from their minor league depth or the fringes of their 40 man roster. We discussed a few of those trade candidates in a previous post.

Now let’s take a look at some of the minor league prospects who shouldn’t be going anywhere this offseason.

LHP Ethan Small

Ethan Small, the Crew’s 2019 first round pick and 5th best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, should be staying put within the organization. A 4-year senior, Small was drafted as a pitcher that could move his way up the farm system very quickly and help out the Brewers big league staff sooner rather than later.

With Small’s ability to start and pitch with his left arm, he provides something the Brewers have severely lacked over the past several years. Sure they have Brent Suter, but the Crew has been short on left handed starters in the big leagues and the minors for too long, and it’s too soon to trade away a good one such as Small.

Selected 28th overall, Small made seven starts in the minor leagues in 2019, and performed extremely well. In two starts in Rookie ball, Small didn’t allow a run over three innings and was quickly moved up to Low-A Wisconsin. In five starts there covering 18 innings, Small had a miniscule 1.00 ERA with only four walks and 31(!) strikeouts.

Small has a good chance to make a big impact (I couldn’t resist) in the big leagues in the near future. The Brewers shouldn’t give him away to someone else this offseason.

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