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.