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

The Milwaukee Brewers are generally not big players on the free agent market and this offseason is not likely to be any different. The trade market, however, is where the Brewers usually play and where they are rumored to be quite active before the 2025 season.

Milwaukee flexes the muscles of their roster and minor league system routinely to make trades that benefit both the short-term and long-term plans for the team. Last offseason, the Brewers made nine trades. Not all of these trades were blockbusters, not all of them have to be. However, the Brewers figure to be big players on the trade market once again this offseason.

Here are some infield trade targets for the Brewers this offseason

We've already looked at the trade candidates the Brewers could ship away this offseason. Let's look at some potential trade targets that could be available this winter that the Brewers front office should strongly consider.

Rockies 3B Ryan McMahon

The top, proven option that could be available on the trade market this winter and fit the Brewers needs is Ryan McMahon of the Rockies. Colorado is notorious for holding on to their players despite a desperate need for a full rebuild. However, the Brewers and Rockies got together on their first trade in 20 years back at the trade deadline to get Nick Mears to Milwaukee. Perhaps in those discussions a general framework for Ryan McMahon was also discussed.

McMahon has a long-term contract, under team control for three more seasons, hitting free agency after 2027. He's due to be paid $12MM in 2025 and then $16MM each in 2026 and 2027. Taking on that contract may be a bit of a hit considering the Brewers are going to be operating with a tight budget, but he'd be a massive boost to the offense.

The 29 year old is coming off a solid season, hitting .242/.325/.397 with 28 doubles and 20 home runs. The Brewers will need to fill the production void that's going to be left behind by Willy Adames this offseason and McMahon would go a long ways towards doing that.

The contract could help dampen the price tag the Brewers would have to pay to get three years of McMahon, although it still would be costly.

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.

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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