Brewers' rumored 'strong' interest in Mets' relief ace could start trade deadline on ideal note

With Major League Baseball's midseason trade deadline falling on Monday, August 3, the upcoming weekend is expected to include a great deal of activity as contending teams look to optimize their rosters for the final stretch of the 2026 season.

Though the deadline is still three days away and most of the activity notoriously happens in the final hours leading up to it, several trades have already occurred over the last week. The Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox made a rare one-for-one swap of big leaguers, the Los Angeles Angels received what feels like a light return from the Texas Rangers in exchange for a struggling catcher and solid, controllable reliever, and last night the New York Mets began their fire sale.

In a late-night swap with the Minnesota Twins, whose record sits at .500 entering play on July 31, the Mets traded left-handed reliever A.J. Minter for a pair of infield prospects. In addition to the move impacting the Milwaukee Brewers because it takes another possible seller, the Twins, off the market, the deal also establishes the price for high-end relief pitching at the deadline, a market Matt Arnold and company are expected to explore. While one of the two prospects New York received, Bruin Agbayani, now checks in as the No. 22-ranked prospect in the Mets' poorly rated farm system, the other player they received, Billy Amick, missed out on MLB Pipeline's list, meaning a relatively reasonable price has been set for relief pitching this year.

However, not only did the Mets set a price for bullpen help, they also signaled to the league that their anticipated fire sale has begun. With the second-worst record in the National League and plenty of intriguing trade candidates, the Mets are expected to execute a number of deals in the coming days. According to a recent report from The Athletic, one of those deals could come with the Brewers, as Milwaukee is reportedly interested in one of Minter's former colleagues in the Mets' bullpen. However, such a trade won't come without stiff competition from around the league.

Brewers, Pirates poised to battle for Mets' Luke Weaver at trade deadline

According to a report from Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Brewers are one of the teams interested in Mets' reliever Luke Weaver. In that same report, the duo from The Athletic noted that the Brewers' division rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, are also showing interest in the Mets' dominant right-handed reliever.

Weaver would be an excellent addition to Milwaukee's bullpen. The 32-year-old former first-round pick is in the midst of his most dominant season in the big leagues, with a stellar 1.88 ERA in 41 appearances to prove it. He backs up his surface-level numbers with strong underlying metrics that indicate his dominant performance is no fluke. Since converting to a full-time reliever in 2024, Weaver has a 2.91 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 191.2 innings. Ironically, Weaver has served as Devin Williams' set-up man in each of the last two seasons, as both players left the New York Yankees for the Mets during the offseason.

As one of the top names on the trade market, with plenty of interest in his services, Weaver won't come cheap, both in regard to prospect capital and the remaining salary he is owed. An acquiring team would be on the hook for the remainder of Weaver's $9.5 million salary (roughly $2.45 million) in 2026 as well as the $11 million salary he is owed in 2027. The Brewers could always deal him before next season, but if not, Weaver's 2027 salary would match Josh Hader's record for the largest single-season salary for a relief pitcher in franchise history.

Weaver would be an excellent way for the Brewers to start the 2026 trade deadline, as his addition would give Milwaukee one of the best bullpens in baseball. Alongside Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill, Weaver would complete a formidable quartet that no opposing lineup wants to see in the final four innings of a postseason game. Adding Weaver would certainly adhere to the reports that Milwaukee is expected to be more aggressive at this year's trade deadline, but it would also leave fans questioning whether or not the trade would be accompanied by another move at the deadline.

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