3 dark horse trade candidates Brewers could deal during 2025-26 offseason

Technically speaking, trades are prohibited until after the completion of the World Series, but that hasn't stopped numerous rumors from surfacing in regard to candidates who could be moved this offseason. Most notably, in the Milwaukee Brewers' case, has been the rumored departure of ace Freddy Peralta, who is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career at the end of the 2026 season.

While differing reports offer varying degrees of certainty that Peralta will be moved this offseason, with Andy McCullough of The Athletic starting the rumors just hours after the Brewers were eliminated from the postseason, the key actor in this situation, Milwaukee's newly minted President of Baseball Operations, Matt Arnold, claimed that the matter is "not at the front of [his] mind."

Whether that's the honest truth coming from Arnold or simply an intelligent tactic to remain in the driver's seat of any Peralta-related trade talks, it doesn't change the fact that the Brewers will be active in the trade market this offseason. Even if it isn't Peralta who is moved before the 2026 season begins, the Brewers seldom go a full offseason without swinging at least a few minor deals. As such, here are three players not named "Freddy Peralta" who the Brewers could look to trade away this offseason.

1. CL Trevor Megill

This may feel like a strange place to start. Megill collected a career-high 30 saves while posting a career-best 2.49 ERA in a career-high 50 appearances in 2025. Simply put, it was a career year for the 31-year-old right-hander. So why would a team coming off of a franchise record-breaking 97-win season trade away the man who anchored the back-end of their bullpen for most of the season?

The possibility starts with the emergence of Abner Uribe as a trusted closing option at the end of the season. Following what ended up being a lost season in 2024, Uribe returned to the dominant pitcher that he was when he burst onto the scene in 2023. He posted a 1.67 ERA while striking out more than 30% of the batters he faced in his career-high 75 appearances in 2025. Serving as the Brewers’ main "set-up" man, Uribe collected an MLB-leading 37 holds, which essentially can be thought of as "saves," but not in the ninth inning.

Then, when Megill went down with a flexor strain in late August, Uribe stepped in as Milwaukee's closer and converted all five of his save opportunities in the final five weeks of the season. When the postseason rolled around, with Megill easing his way back, Uribe assumed the closing duties once again and provided a memorable six-out save in the Brewers' Game 5 win over the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. In summary, Uribe's performance this season more than proved that he's ready to be a big-league closer.

Then comes the financial situation. In his second year of arbitration, after being named an All-Star and collecting a career-high number of saves -- two accomplishments that the arbitration system generally rewards handsomely -- Megill is projected to make $4.2 million in 2026, according to MLB Trade Rumors, which honestly feels like the low-end of what the Brewers' closer could make next season. Such a salary would mean a significant raise for Megill, who earned $1.94 million in 2025. It's certainly not a detrimental amount of money for the Brewers to shell out, especially for an All-Star closer, but with Uribe set to make the league minimum (~$820k in 2026) for the next two seasons, Matt Arnold and company could look to spend the team's limited financial resources elsewhere.

Moving Megill this offseason would fall under the "selling high" category, as the flamethrowing closer is coming off his best season yet. If he ultimately remains with the Brewers in 2026, expect his name to inevitably surface in trade rumors next offseason, with his free agency looming after the 2027 campaign.

2. OF Isaac Collins

Another name that probably doesn't make much sense at first glance and also certainly falls under the strategy of "selling high," Isaac Collins could be someone that the Brewers' front office looks to move this offseason.

The reason for Collins' name being on this list is the crowded outfield group that Milwaukee is expected to roster in 2026. With Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick locked into starting roles, just one spot remains in the Brewers' 2026 outfield, with Collins, Blake Perkins, Garrett Mitchell, and Brandon Lockridge all vying for it. Add to the that the fact that Christian Yelich will be one more year removed from his 2024 back surgery, meaning the veteran left fielder could see less time at DH next season, and things start to look very congested in the outfield picture.

A possible, albeit shocking, solution would be to move Collins, who was a Rookie of the Year candidate for most of the summer, this offseason. On paper, Collins' rookie campaign was a strong one; he slashed .263/.368/.411 with nine homers and 16 stolen bases, while playing excellent defense in left field -- a position he was previously unfamiliar with. However, Collins' underlying metrics tell a different story.

Ranking below the 50th percentile in expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard hit rate, and launch-angle sweet spot percentage, Collins rode his excellent plate discipline and an artificially high batting average on balls in play (BABIP) to a successful rookie year. Such metrics, provided by Baseball Savant, indicate that regression could be on the horizon for the switch-hitting Collins, without a significant change in his approach.

Things started to catch up with him during the final month of the season when Collins slashed a meager .191/.345/.319. Even still, Collins is in conversation to be a finalist for the NL Rookie of the Year Award this season, and what team wouldn't want to have such a player on their roster? If the Brewers do look to move Collins to free up some space in their outfield, it won't be for a modest return.

3. OF Blake Perkins

Collins is not the only candidate who could be moved to free up space in the Brewers' aforementioned outfield logjam; defensive wizard Blake Perkins could also be moved this offseason.

Perkins' offensive production in 2025 doesn't necessarily turn heads, but it's on par with what he accomplished in 2024. The main difference is that Perkins was limited to just 54 games this season after fracturing his shin with a foul ball during spring training. However, offense has never been the main calling card of Perkins' game; it's his glove that would interest other teams. A Gold Glove Award finalist in 2024, Perkins once again displayed his strong defensive acumen in his limited role in 2025. Paired with his switch-hitting ability and speed on the basepaths, Perkins possesses the perfect fourth outfielder profile. So then why would the Brewers trade him away?

The equation changed when Milwaukee traded for outfielder Brandon Lockridge at the 2025 midseason trade deadline. Lockridge, who is under team control through the 2031 season, holds a similar profile to Perkins'. He's a glove-first outfielder with exceptional speed, whose offensive approach is limited by a lack of power.

Most likely, there won't be room for Lockridge and Perkins on the big-league roster at the same time. With Lockridge, Perkins, and Collins for that matter, all possessing multiple minor league option years, said issue may simply turn into upper-level minor league outfield depth, of which the Brewers had very little in 2025, but it could alternatively serve as an opportunity to improve the roster elsewhere.

By no means should any of the names on this list be viewed as likely trade candidates or even realistic trade candidates for that matter, but Matt Arnold has a tendency to seemingly create trades out of thin air, so don't be surprised if someone who doesn't currently seem like a viable trade candidate gets moved this offseason.