Brewers: 3 Prospects Who Might Get Dealt At The Trade Deadline

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 04: General manager David Stearns of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on during summer workouts at Miller Park on July 04, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 04: General manager David Stearns of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on during summer workouts at Miller Park on July 04, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JULY 04: General manager David Stearns of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on during summer workouts at Miller Park on July 04, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JULY 04: General manager David Stearns of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on during summer workouts at Miller Park on July 04, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

The Brewers might be buyers at the trade deadline this year, and that means some prospects might be on the move.

It’s been such a weird season for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020. Things started off weird for everyone, but the Brewers have seen almost every veteran bat underperform this year, although they’re still sticking around the expanded playoff race.

The 2020 MLB Trade Deadline is just a few days away, and GM David Stearns is going to have to make a decision fairly soon on whether he’s going to buy, sell, or stand pat.

The pair of wins against the Reds earlier in the week helped boost the Crew’s playoff chances back above 50% and staved off thoughts about throwing in the towel this season that surfaced after a sweep by the Pirates. Should the Brewers continue to win in the next few days, the Brewers will firmly be in the buyer’s camp.

That means prospects will be on the move from the Brewers instead of veterans from the big league roster.

Trades this year could look a lot different than normal deadlines, simply because there are no minor leagues this year and other teams’ scouts can’t go to MLB games or alternate training sites because of the pandemic restrictions.

Plus, there’s only going to be 20-some games remaining in a season that’s still not guaranteed to finish. Teams have only seen about 30 games from their current roster and typically, that’s not a point where GMs look to make major changes or can even judge their roster appropriately. That’s going to make the results of this trade deadline very interesting to watch unfold.

Blockbuster deals are unlikely. Salary dump trades are also going to be unlikely. Teams across the league are cutting staff and staff salaries due to money shortages from not having fans this year so justifying taking on millions of dollars in salary for a veteran player that’s clearly not performing up to his salary level would not go over well.

Teams can only trade players from their 60 man player pool, which makes it a little easier to know who could be available and a trade target. However, teams can include a player to be named later who isn’t a part of the 60 man in the trade. So it’s not a strict limit, but in terms of immediate names, only 60 man roster guys can be traded.

Should the Brewers decide to part with some prospects, here are some of the most likely choices.

MARYVALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 22: Payton Henry #92 of the Milwaukee Brewers poses during the Brewers Photo Day on February 22, 2019 in Maryvale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
MARYVALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 22: Payton Henry #92 of the Milwaukee Brewers poses during the Brewers Photo Day on February 22, 2019 in Maryvale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /

1. C Payton Henry

The Brewers made Payton Henry one of their most recent additions to the 60 man roster a few days ago. He’s now the 5th catcher the Brewers have at their alternate training site, which seems like a lot more than necessary.

Henry is currently the Brewers’ 17th ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline and he sits a little further down the catcher depth chart for the organization. Mario Feliciano is seen as a superior hitter to Henry and has advanced further in his development, putting himself in line to be the Brewers catcher of the future fairly soon.

Henry and Feliciano were both drafted out of high school in 2016 and so far, Henry has been slower to progress, but his potential is still high. He brings above-average power and strong defense to the position, which should make him a quality big league backstop one day.

There’s a lot of value in that, which would make him a good target for any team that needs catching depth moving forward. Boston, for example, might make a good fit.

Trading for big league catchers at the deadline is tricky since they have to learn a whole new staff on the fly and winning games is paramount. For minor league catchers, it’s a little bit different since teams aren’t as worried about immediately picking up a pitching staff.

Henry could probably be ready for the big leagues as soon as next season, so his proximity to the big leagues is also a huge bonus for interested teams. He’s not going to headline a blockbuster trade, but he should be able to help land a solid veteran piece if the Brewers feel ready to move him.

Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

2. RHP Justin Topa

Although not an extremely highly regarded prospect, Justin Topa brings some heat on the mound as a reliever. He’s 29 years old and stands at 6’4″ and 200 lbs. Topa’s bounced around in the minor leagues for a while, playing in both the Pirates and Rangers farm systems with a few independent ball stints mixed in there as well.

The Brewers signed Topa back in 2019 and in 18 appearances for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, Topa had a 2.63 ERA.

In 33 combined appearances between High-A Carolina and Biloxi, Topa had a 3.38 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 40 innings and just 10 walks allowed.

Topa is not going to bring back a ton in terms of big league talent. He’s the kind of pitcher who’s included to finish out a deal or if he’s getting dealt straight up, it’s for a bench/depth piece for the big league roster.

He’s on the 60 man roster, so he’s eligible to be immediately traded. Should the Brewers look for a low-level trade acquisition, Topa is a candidate to be in that return package. Especially if the Brewers were to acquire a pitcher at the deadline, most teams would prefer to get at least one pitcher in return for the pitcher they’re trading away.

Perhaps the Brewers simply included Topa on their 60 man roster because they believe in his stuff and they think he could help the bullpen if they get in a pinch. However, his inclusion means he’s eligible to be immediately traded, and with regular looks at him at the alternate site, Topa could draw some interest.

He’s a Rule 5 eligible player again this offseason, and depending on the level of interest in him, he would need to be put on the 40 man roster by the end of the year or he’ll be subject to being drafted again.

PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 06: A New Era Milwaukee Brewers baseball cap is seen against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 06: A New Era Milwaukee Brewers baseball cap is seen against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

3. LHP Aaron Ashby

Another recent addition to the Milwaukee Brewers 60 man player pool, Aaron Ashby is sure to draw some interest from teams looking at the Crew’s farm system.

Ashby is the Crew’s 6th ranked farmhand by MLB Pipeline and the 2nd-best LHP prospect the Brewers have, behind 2019 first round pick Ethan Small.

If the Brewers were to go for a much bigger target at the deadline this year, a true impact piece, it’s likely the Brewers would have to discuss parting with Ashby. It’s too early to trade Antoine Kelly, another early 2019 pick, as the Brewers still haven’t determined whether he’s going to be a starter or a reliever, and Small was a first rounder the Brewers are likely unwilling to part with at this point in time.

In terms of right handed pitchers, Drew Rasmussen is the only right hander that’s in the Crew’s Top 10. He just made his major league debut and is highly unlikely to be dealt. Other than that, Trey Supak is on the 40 man roster, but he had a rough end to 2019 in Triple-A, so other teams are likely to be low on him until they can see him a little more.

That means the most tradeable and valuable LHP prospect the Brewers have is Ashby.

Ashby has three above-average big league pitches in his four pitch mix, the best of which is a power slider that dominates hitters. As long as his command continues to improve, which so far in his minor league career it has, then Ashby should end up being a solid big league starter down the line.

If the Brewers were to part with any top pitching prospect, Ashby might be the one that makes the most sense. It would be a tough pill to swallow, especially since homegrown lefties have been hard to come by for the Brewers in recent decades, but if the Brewers go big at the deadline this year, his name is sure to come up.

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It will be interesting to see how Stearns handles this deadline and how the Brewers play over the next few games. How those games go may determine which of these prospects get moved.

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