5 infield trade targets the Brewers need to strongly consider this offseason

Angels 2B/3B Luis Rengifo

There were rumors back at the trade deadline that Luis Rengifo was available, but ultimately the Los Angeles Angels decided to keep him. Rengifo was dealing with some injuries in 2024, but he ended up with some very good numbers.

In 304 PAs, the switch-hitting Rengifo hit .300/.347/.417 with six homers and 24 stolen bases. He has a career strikeout rate of just 18.5% and beat that number by quite a bit with just a 14.5% K rate in 2024.

Rengifo is entering his final year of arbitration before hitting free agency, making a trade for him a one year stop-gap option. He's projected to earn $5.8MM in arbitration in 2025, but that's not a bad thing for the Brewers. They have a number of corner infield prospects coming quickly through the pipeline, including Brock Wilken, Mike Boeve, and Tyler Black. All three of them could reasonably see big league time in 2025, especially Black who made his debut this past season.

Acquiring Rengifo would be cheaper than trading for McMahon. He's not as big of a star and there's only one year of control left. Even though he had just six long balls in 2024, Rengifo hit 17 and 16 homers in 2022 and 2023 respectively, so there's more power in the tank here.

Rengifo's experience at second base and third base could allow the Brewers to move either one of Joey Ortiz or Brice Turang to shortstop and he can slide in to the new shortstop's old position.

Orioles 3B Coby Mayo

Many thought Coby Mayo would be a target of the Brewers last offseason when the Corbin Burnes trade discussions were happening. A top prospect at a position of need, it made logical sense. Instead the Brewers picked a different Orioles infield prospect to headline the return for Burnes in Joey Ortiz. So far, the acquisition of Ortiz looks to be a good call.

That doesn't mean also adding Mayo wouldn't be a good call either and perhaps Baltimore will be open to trading him this winter. The Orioles have a logjam of infield prospects. Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, and Jackson Holliday are the favorites to get the starting positions at second, short, and third in no particular order. Ryan Mountcastle has first base locked down as well. Despite being MLB ready heading into 2024, Mayo didn't get much run in the majors.

He, like Ortiz, may need a change of scenery to get opportunity at the big league level and Milwaukee may just be the perfect place for him. The departure of Willy Adames likely slides Joey Ortiz to shortstop, and even if Turang wins that job, Ortiz can slide to second base if the Brewers bring in Mayo.

Mayo played in just 17 games in the big leagues this year with some pretty rough numbers. In Triple-A though, Mayo hit .287 with 22 homers, so the bat can play. Keep in mind, Ortiz also got limited run in the majors with Baltimore with not very good numbers in 2023, so the situations are very similar.

Also similar is that the Brewers have a star pitcher entering his final year of team control that they could trade in order to get this highly touted Orioles infield prospect. Devin Williams is a very likely trade candidate this winter and he could intrigue the Orioles, who scuffled down the stretch in part because their closer, Craig Kimbrel, crumbled.

Milwaukee and Baltimore lined up on a big trade in the past and perhaps they do so again this offseason.

Rays 2B Brandon Lowe

The Tampa Bay Rays were active sellers at the Trade Deadline this year and they were rumored to be open to trading infielder Brandon Lowe. They ultimately kept him, and a number of other players that were rumored to be on the market, but those talks could be revisited this winter. Lowe is going to be the highest priced player on that Rays roster next year with a $10.5MM club option that's likely to be picked up.

Lowe has two more seasons of potential team control and while it's a little pricey with $10.5MM next year and $11.5MM in 2026, he also brings plenty of production. Lowe hit .244 with 21 homers and a 123 wRC+ this season.

Lowe has primarily been a second baseman and DH for the Rays, not playing much of third base at all. Should Brice Turang win the shortstop job, then Lowe would slot into second base perfectly. If he has to move to third, the defensive fit may be tough.

The Rays are almost always swamped with quality infield prospects. As soon as their good players start to get a little too expensive, they have someone right behind them in the pipeline to take over. Lowe appears to be getting to that point where he's too costly for Tampa and his team control is dwindling, making him a clear trade candidate. The Brewers and Rays have linked up on numerous trades over the years and could do so again this winter.

Adding Lowe's power potential to the Brewers infield would go a long way toward mitigating the free agent loss of Willy Adames this offseason, who was himself a Rays infielder the Brewers acquired in a trade back in 2021.

Rangers 2B/3B Justin Foscue

Justin Foscue also has a lot of Joey Ortiz vibes when it comes to his trade candidacy. Foscue, a former first round pick, is a clear change of scenery candidate as he has no path to regular playing time in his current organization. Across the infield, the Rangers have Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Josh Jung locked into starting spots.

Foscue received very limited big league time this year, just 15 games, but put up very strong numbers in Triple-A. Defensively, Foscue can play third base, second base, and first base if needed. That kind of versatility is something the Brewers tend to covet and his youth/team control is another thing that makes him an attractive trade target. Because of his blocked path and poor big league showing this year, Foscue's stock is way down from where it once was. The Brewers can buy low.

Foscue still ranks as the Rangers' 7th best prospect on MLB Pipeline. He's a patient hitter, drawing more walks than strikeouts in each of his past two seasons. There's also power in the tank. He hit nine homers in just 48 games in Triple-A this year and had 18 long balls in 2023.

Similar to Ortiz, the Brewers could give Foscue an opportunity to earn everyday at-bats that's not available to him with his current organization and he could earn them at a couple of different spots. However, there's one major area where Foscue and Ortiz are very different and that's defensive skill. Ortiz was always seen as a gifted defender no matter what position he was at while Foscue does not grade out so highly.

While Foscue could play third base, his throwing arm is below-average for the spot. At second base, Foscue lacks range. The Brewers have enjoyed Gold Glove caliber play from both of those positions this year. Since defense is a major focus of the organization, the Brewers will need to feel they can improve Foscue's defense at least enough to be average in order to trade for him.

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