Brewers: Top 5 Minor League Trade Chips for the 2022 Deadline

With the 2022 All-Star game now in the rearview, the Milwaukee Brewers are off and running in the second “half” of the MLB season. That also means an important part of the season is quickly approaching.

The 2022 MLB trade deadline is just a week away. At 53-43 and leading the NL Central by 2.5 games, the Brewers are all but certain to be buyers as the final date of August 2nd to make trades approaches.

The Brewers could go in a number of directions for the trade deadline. They could target an AL West center fielder, possibly look at an infielder from a division rival, or pull off the unlikeliest of moves and put together a monster package for one of the best young players in all of baseball.

Whatever they end up doing, it’s likely they’ll have to throw in one or more prospects in order to get a deal done. And if they want to bring in a difference maker, those prospects will have to be one of the team’s better ones.

Granted, outside of a trade for a player like Juan Soto, there are untouchable prospects, which in the Brewers’ case would be outfielders Jackson Chourio and Joey Wiemer. But whether they are likely to be included in a trade or not, nearly every other prospect Milwaukee has could be considered a trade chip for the right deal.

Here are the Milwaukee Brewers’ top five minor league trade chips going into the 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Brewers minor league trade chip #5: C Jeferson Quero

If there’s one thing that teams love to have in their organization, it’s an all-around talented catcher. The Brewers have exactly that in Jeferson Quero, an international signee from 2019 who is their No. 6 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

After a 2021 debut at the Arizona Complex that was slowed by injuries, Quero got his first taste of affiliated ball this season with Low-A Carolina. Overall, his numbers have looked solid as he has slashed .269/.339/.407 (.746 OPS) with 17 doubles, six homers, and 41 RBIs in 71 games.

Quero isn’t only a tantalizing trade chip because of his bat, though. He has been regarded as an above average defender since his signing from his game management to his defense. This year with Carolina, he has caught 31% of attempted base stealers, which can be a tough feat in a steal-happy environment like the Carolina League.

With the Brewers’ major league catching situation uncertain past 2022, getting rid of a possible catcher of the future could be a tough pill to swallow. But it could be worth it considering what a team might give up for a catcher of Quero’s caliber.