3 Athletics trade candidates Brewers should consider with new front office familiarity

The poaching of Milwaukee Brewers' front office executives by organizations who want the World Series Champions' secrets initially feels like a pure disadvantage for the Brewers. However, there exists an overlooked upside to the fact that former Brewers' employees are starting to fill vacant front office positions elsewhere: familiarity.

Brewers fans have already seen front office familiarity lead to trades under the Matt Arnold-led front office. Since David Stearns stepped down from his role as the Brewers' president of baseball operations following the 2022 season to eventually assume the same role with the New York Mets, he and his successor, Arnold, have linked up for a pair of trades, including last year's Freddy Peralta blockbuster. Certainly, the relationship between Arnold and Stearns played a role in getting those deals across the finish line.

Now, the Brewers have a new front office connection elsewhere, as former vice president of player development Cam Castro was recently hired to serve as the Athletics' general manager. Castro, who spent seven years in the Brewers' organization in a variety of roles, joins an organization that seemed to be turning a corner in 2025 before losing 98 games during the 2026 campaign.

As the Athletics, who are set to officially relocate to Las Vegas at the start of the 2028 season, search for their identity, it's possible Castro and Taylor Smith, the organization's newly hired president of baseball operations, look to the Brewers as a trade partner this offseason. Should this familiarity end up producing a trade partnership, here are three names the Brewers should be interested in from the Athletics' organization.

3 players the Brewers should target if familiarity with Athletics' front office leads to trade partnership

1. RHP Jack Perkins

The Brewers don't necessarily need more starting pitching options on their 2027 roster, but starting depth is almost always challenged over the course of a 162-game season, and having an option-able, high-upside arm like Jack Perkins in their organization would certainly help. The Brewers would be buying low on Perkins, who posted a 6.10 ERA in 121 innings during the 2026 campaign, but look past those numbers, and you'll see a really intriguing arm who could be an effective big-leaguer under the right guidance.

For starters, Perkins posted a 34.3% chase rate (85th percentile) during the 2026 season, which led to a 25.9% (73rd percentile) strikeout rate. He has the ability to throw practically every pitch shape, and while his fastball was crushed by left-handed hitters this year, his secondaries grade out as above-average pitches. If he can limit the amount of homers he allows and continue to develop his cutter to neutralize left-handed hitters, Perkins could be an intriguing addition to the Brewers' pitching staff.

The 26-year-old Perkins' otherwise low price due to his poor showing in 2026 is raised slightly by his youth and the fact that he has five years of team control remaining. However, should the Brewers get a reasonable offer from the Athletics for Perkins, he could end up being a great addition to Milwaukee's pitching staff.

2. RHP J.T. Ginn

27-year-old right-hander J.T. Ginn is a bit more polished than Perkins, but he doesn't necessarily possess the same upside. Ginn posted a 3.71 ERA in 138.1 innings during the 2026 campaign, but with a strikeout and chase rate far lower than Perkins', his ability to miss bats remains a question mark going forward. Ginn's arsenal also isn't as intriguing as Perkins'. He sits in the low 90s with his fastball, about 3-4 ticks below Perkins' cruising speed, and doesn't generate a great deal of separation with his five offerings.

That said, Ginn has an excellent sinker, one that led the Athletics' starter to a 46.3% (72nd percentile) ground ball rate during the 2026 season. With the Brewers' excellent infield defense behind him, Ginn's ability to induce ground balls could lead him to success in Milwaukee.

Ginn is under team control for the next four seasons, has three minor league options remaining, and is on the heels of his best season in MLB to date. With some minor tweaks to his arsenal, he could be a dominant force on the Brewers' pitching staff. If the Athletics don't view Ginn as a key part of their future, he should absolutely be on the Brewers' radar.

3. RHP Elvis Alvarado

Whereas both Perkins and Ginn are starting options, right-hander Elvis Alvarado is purely a reliever. The 27-year-old Alvarado has an intriguing profile -- one that certainly needs some work, but has the tools to be a really strong big-league reliever. For starters, Alvarado averaged 98.7 mph on his four-seamer during the 2026 season, which he throws from a low 22-degree arm slot. He generates plenty of arm-side run with his four-seam, and pairs it with a gyro slider, which he throws roughly 20% of the time. He also mixes in an occasional sinker and developed a split change to neutralize left-handers this year.

Alvarado's electric arsenal unsurprisingly produced high strikeout and whiff numbers during the 2026 season. His 28.4% strikeout rate (86th percentile) and 31.4% whiff rate (89th percentile) suggest he could be a dominant high-leverage reliever, but only if he can rein in his walk rate (18th percentile) and limit the amount of hard contact he allows.

Alvarado is under contract for another five years and has one minor league option remaining. Depending on how the Athletics view their bullpen during the 2027 season and beyond, Alvarado could be an intriguing arm for the Brewers to add to their pitching staff, one who has the upside of a back-end reliever.

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