Brewers rumors: ESPN analyst reveals his biggest Brewers trade deadline need

The MLB Trade Deadline is far and away the most exciting one in any sport. Stars and impact players are always on the move, and blockbusters are aplenty. Not to mention the occasional move that ends up paying dividends later. On the surface, the Milwaukee Brewers didn't necessarily make that big blockbuster last season, but the long-term impact of Nick Mears may end up being last year's deal of the deadline for Milwaukee.

As the deadline approaches, with just over a month left to make deals, ESPN's Jeff Passan listed the top 50 candidates to be traded as well as potential fits for those players. Passan only listed two Brewers that could potentially be on the move out, Freddy Peralta and Rhys Hoskins. Fear not, though. Peralta was only given a 20% chance to be dealt, and Hoskins did not even have a percentage listed.

Milwaukee's recent surge towards the top of the NL Central, and back into the Wild Card race, puts them in position to potentially be buyers at this time next month. Whether or not they do it is yet to be seen. However, if they do choose to buy, Passan believes there is one very apparent need for the Crew, and up until a few weeks ago, Brewers fans would have wholeheartedly agreed.

Passan expects the Brewers to be in on multiple 3B options

Passan is certainly expecting the Brewers to be buyers, and for good reason. Milwaukee is playing good baseball and getting healthier as the season goes along. Despite a power surge from Caleb Durbin and Joey Ortiz, there is an expectation that the Brewers may be looking to add to the left side of their infield. In his article, Milwaukee is listed as fits for three third basemen: Eugenio Suarez, Ryan McMahon, and Nolan Arenado.

Eugenio Suarez is certainly a name Brewers fans should be familiar with, as he spent a large chunk of his career in the NL Central with the Cincinnati Reds. Now, in the final year of his contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and less than a month from turning 34, Suarez is having a fantastic year. He is hitting for a .251 average, and has popped 25 home runs through 78 games, well above Christian Yelich's current team-leading 15. He is still a solid defender at third with a 95.3% fielding percentage, and Arizona could feel some extra pressure internally to move on from Suarez, as their top prospect Jordan Lawlar is in need of an everyday spot on their big league roster.

Ryan McMahon presents an interesting option, given that he has two more years on his current contract with the Colorado Rockies. A player with extra years of control up is seemingly right up Milwaukee's wheelhouse, but also could lead to the Rockies demanding more from potential suitors. He certainly has plenty of pop, having hit 12 home runs this year already. He is also a fantastic defender, consistently ranking above league average in defensive runs saved. The biggest knock on him is his contact rate, as he is only hitting for a .222 average this year, but he combats that with a respectable .327 on-base percentage.

Last but certainly not least on Passan's list is Nolan Arenado. This is probably the least likely to occur for a number of reasons. Of course, St. Louis is hovering on contention in the National League and has been surging as well. There is also the aspect that the Cardinals would be unlikely to trade someone of any value to their division rival.

As for the actual on-field production, Arenado is still a solid defender, but has declined pretty significantly over the past couple of seasons. This year, he is only hitting for a .251 average, well below his career mark of .284, not to mention only having hit 10 home runs so far in 2025. The 8x All-Star also has two years left on his deal, after having opted into the remainder of his deal at the end of the 2022 season.

Caleb Durbin's recent hot streak making need for 3B upgrade less apparent

While each of the names listed above would certainly provide more consistent pop to the Brewers’ lineup than their current third baseman, rookie Caleb Durbin (though Durbin's three-run homer last night and subsequent bat flip might say otherwise), adding any one of them would not only cost considerable prospect capital and, in some cases, financial resources as well, but it could threaten the development of their young infielders.

Prioritizing player development for a team with playoff aspirations is absolutely not the right decision, but giving up on a player after just three months in the big leagues is also unwise, and that's what the Brewers would be doing by adding a veteran third baseman to their roster to replace Durbin.

Additionally, Durbin has been an above-league-average hitter since the middle of May, which marks just his second month as a big leaguer. Since May 15, Durbin is slashing .267/.346/.405 with a wRC+ of 112. Those numbers don't suggest that the Brewers should give up on their offseason acquisition anytime soon.

Additional trade deadline considerations for the Brewers

So, if they don't add a third baseman, what will the Brewers do at the deadline? While not highlighted in Passan's piece on ESPN, there are a couple of additional things to consider.

While Milwaukee has gotten great pitching as of late from both the rotation and the bullpen, Brandon Woodruff and Nestor Cortes are both progressing towards returns. Getting either one back, or both, may feel like a big-time acquisition without having to lose any additional pieces. Blake Perkins is also approaching his return to the majors, but after the latest news on Garrett Mitchell, is an additional outfielder being considered as well?