3 players who could be on the trade block if Brewers are sellers at the deadline

With a 29-28 record on the season, the Milwaukee Brewers are currently in 3rd place in the NL Central division standings. Their recent winning streak has sparked some confidence in Brewers fans, who are hoping that the team can replicate the success that they've had in recent years and reach the postseason.

However, the harsh reality is that despite climbing back above .500, the Brewers are still 6.5 games back in the division and 3.5 games out of a playoff spot. With a few clear roster deficiencies that have held them back this season, and a determination to continue their impressively consistent winning ways of recent past, GM Matt Arnold will need to decide if those roster holes are too detrimental to overcome, or if they can be solved. 

Buyers or sellers? That is the question on the minds of most teams in Major League Baseball throughout the months of June and July. 

While the Brewers could easily find themselves right back in the playoff race come late July, when the MLB Trade Deadline is set to occur, the organization may elect to sell off some of their veteran players on retiring contracts regardless. With a great deal of organizational depth and a focus on sustained success, it might be in the Brewers' best interest to take advantage of a thin trade market and sell high on some of their most valuable pieces. Here’s a look at three Brewers players that could end up on the trade block if the team decides to sell come deadline day.

Rhys Hoskins

Rhys Hoskins has everything a trade deadline buyer likes: power, leadership, an expiring contract, and postseason experience. 

With seven home runs this season and an .843 OPS on the year, Hoskins is an attractive addition for anyone looking to add a little pop in the lineup. He’s only pacing for 20 home runs this season, which is down from his norms, but his .282 batting average is the best of his career. 

Hoskins’ power should come around more as the weather warms up. He is in the 98th percentile in LA Sweet-Spot %, the 92nd percentile in Chase %, and the 90th percentile in walk rate in 2025. All of those signs point to Hoskins continuing his impressive start to the season, and even building upon it in the power department.

Hoskins is going to keep hitting and end up turning in some really impressive numbers. I’m just not convinced he’ll be in Milwaukee to do it. 

José Quintana

There is a reason that José Quintana has been included in a mid-season trade twice before during his MLB career. He’s consistent...and playoff teams need consistent starting pitching. 

Quintana is a walking quality start. You know exactly what you’re going to get from him every time he takes the rubber. Even at 36 years old, Quintana is 4-1 with a 2.65 ERA in six starts with Milwaukee. He has allowed one run or fewer in five of his six outings.

While he's currently on the 15-day Injured List with a shoulder impingement, Quintana should be healthy and back in the rotation soon and distanced from his injury by the time the deadline gets here. 

Even with him being a rental, a left-handed starting pitcher like Quintana can fetch a pretty good price on the trade market.

Aaron Civale

Like Quintana, Aaron Civale has been battling an injury for part of the 2025 season. Unlike Quintana, Civale has not proven himself enough this season to be worthy of a nice trade return just yet. 

Civale surrendered seven runs in seven innings over his first two starts this season. That’s an ERA of 9.00 in a very small sample size. However, in his most recent outing, Civale looked more like his usual self. He covered five strong innings of one-run baseball and allowed just three hits to a struggling Boston Red Sox lineup.

In 2024, Civale was a really solid addition to the Brewers’ rotation and had a 3.53 ERA. He was a pitcher that every contending team would like to have, but we haven’t seen that guy yet this season. 

I still think there’ll be a market for Civale if the Brewers end up selling, but if they really want to get something of value for him, Milwaukee will need to hope he strings together a few more quality starts.