Brewers: 3 Untouchable Prospects At The 2021 Trade Deadline

With the 2021 MLB Trade Deadline rapidly approaching, the Milwaukee Brewers will soon be in a spot where they will be trading prospects from their farm system to improve the big league club.

Throughout David Stearns’ tenure leading the Brewers baseball operations department, very few, if any players have been officially deemed “untouchable”. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been players who essentially were in practice.

Instead of declaring players “untouchable”, Stearns just puts an obscenely high price tag on them for the return package, one that other teams would have to be insane to actually pay. That way, if the Brewers do give up the player they like, they’re getting something far better in return.

However, there are a few prospects the Brewers should put that absurdly high price tag on and not be willing to include them in any trade unless for a massive overpay on the other team’s end, in essence making them untouchable.

These 3 Milwaukee Brewers prospects should be considered untouchable in upcoming 2021 Trade Deadline discussions.

Brewers Untouchable Prospect #1: OF Garrett Mitchell

This one should almost be obvious. Garrett Mitchell was the Brewers first round selection in 2020, a Top 5 or 6 talent that fell into their laps with the 20th overall pick. Since joining the Brewers organization, Mitchell has raked, dominating in his first big league spring training and earning a placement in High-A.

In High-A, Mitchell dominated once again, hitting .359/.504/.620 with five home runs, 12 stolen bases, and 20 RBIs. After just 28 games with the Timber Rattlers, he was promoted to Double-A Biloxi.

Mitchell is on the fast track to the big leagues and is already a key piece of the Brewers future plans. With current centerfielders Lorenzo Cain and Jackie Bradley having their contracts expire in 2022, Milwaukee will need strong defense and and an offensive threat in centerfield, and that’s exactly what Mitchell provides.

Although the timeline for Mitchell grabbing a starting job in the big leagues should have him taking over in 2023, there’s a strong chance he could force his way to a promotion in 2022 with the way he’s been playing.

Mitchell is rising up prospect lists as he continues to prove the doubters wrong about his draft position, his power ability, and his diabetes. The Brewers believe in Mitchell and having Mitchell in the Brewers organization is a mutually beneficial partnership. He loves being with the Brewers, and there’s no reason to entertain the idea of trading him for anybody at the Trade Deadline.

Brewers Untouchable Prospect #3: LHP Ethan Small

The Brewers have a group of three left-handed pitching prospects all clustered in the Top 10 of the Crew’s prospects list: Ethan Small, Aaron Ashby, and Antoine Kelly. All three are exciting prospects in different ways and there’s plenty of reason to keep all three.

But as for which one should be untouchable, that decision is difficult. All three of them very well could be. If the Brewers had to choose just one to make untouchable, Small might have the best case for that status.

To this point in the minor leagues, Small has a 1.52 ERA in 18 starts. He didn’t have that many outings in 2019 and then no season last year has cut down his total number, but he’s dominated when he’s out there and the lack of a season in 2020 certainly hasn’t impacted his performance to this point.

Small is a little behind Aaron Ashby as he was drafted a year later and Ashby already made his big league debut, albeit a forgettable one. But Small has a very high floor and a high ceiling in the starting rotation, while Ashby still has a little more variance, but is in all likelihood a starter going forward.

Small, being the Crew’s first round selection in 2019, might lead the Brewers to hold onto him a little more closely than Ashby, who was a fourth rounder. But if you just take a straight look at the stuff they have and what they bring to the organizations as pitchers today, neither one really stands out as someone they should be willing to give up.

In 2022, there will be a rotation spot open with Brett Anderson‘s pending free agent departure. Small, Ashby, and Eric Lauer will be competing for that spot. Who gets that spot may determine who ends up being available, if any of that group, at the 2022 deadline. For now, however, keeping Small and those guys in the organization is imperative.

The Brewers will want to keep their first round selections, which is why Small and Mitchell are on this list. Perez has earned his spot as well as a top international signee, and he’s the crown jewel of the Crew’s recent investments into the international market.