Brewers rumors: Milwaukee linked to two under-the-radar infield trade candidates

It's officially trade rumor season, and as they have been for the last seven seasons, the Milwaukee Brewers are on the "buying" side of the midseason trade talks. Several names have been floated around as potential additions to the Brewers' 2025 roster, ranging from former MVP candidates to buy-low options in need of a change of scenery.

One name that continues to be in the front of Brewers' fans’ minds is Arizona Diamondbacks' slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez. The 34-year-old Suárez, who spent seven years in the NL Central as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, currently leads the National League in home runs (35) and is posting a career-high slugging percentage (.601). Both metrics would lead the Brewers' position player group by considerable margins.

However, the issue with Suárez is that nearly every contender figures to be interested in his services with the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago Cubs all reportedly having interest in the NL's home run leader. As such, whomever ends up swinging a deal for Suárez at the July 31 trade deadline is bound to overpay, even if he does immediately add an impact bat to the middle of their lineup. Overpaying is not something the Brewers tend to do, as their prospect capital is that much more important than the big market teams who tend not to rely on players in the early parts of their career as much as the small market teams do.

Therefore, it's likely that the Brewers turn their attention elsewhere if they do make a move at the deadline. Matt Arnold is known for finding value in some of the least expected places, and it's possible, after recent reports of the Brewers having interest in two Miami Marlins infielders, that their 2025 trade deadline strategy makes use of Arnold's ability to complete "out of the blue" trades.

MLB insider Jim Bowden links Brewers to infielders Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins

In an article for The Athletic published on Monday morning, MLB insider Jim Bowden mentioned that the Brewers have interest in the Miami Marlins' everyday shortstop, Xavier Edwards, and the teams' everyday second baseman, Otto Lopez. Both Edwards and Lopez have the ability to play shortstop and second base, meaning their addition to the Brewers' roster would likely be as a replacement for Joey Ortiz in the everyday lineup. Let's take a look at each of these two infielders and see if they would be a good fit for the Brewers.

Xavier Edwards

Edwards feels like a Brewer. By that I mean that he is an excellent base-runner, has a contact-first approach at the plate, and has defensive versatility with the ability to play both shortstop and second base. When playing second base, Edwards is a plus defender, posting four Outs Above Average (OAA) and four Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). However, when he slides over to shortstop, his defensive value decreases as he's posted -3 DRS and -7 OAA at the position this season.

At the plate, Edwards has a profile similar to that of the majority of the Brewers’ lineup: he makes a lot of contact, gets on base, but struggles to hit for power. While his chase, whiff, and strikeout rates are all in the 70th percentile or higher, according to Baseball Savant, his underlying power metrics aren't encouraging, with an expected slugging percentage, average exit velocity, and hard hit rate all in the 12th percentile or lower. That said, Edwards, a switch-hitter, does hold a career batting average of .305 and can impact the game on the base paths once he gets on. He's collected 47 total stolen bases in 152 games over the last two seasons.

Edwards still has 4.5 years of team control remaining, so prying him away from the re-building Miami Marlins would likely require a significant amount of prospect capital on the Brewers’ part. The Marlins, however, would certainly benefit from controllable starting pitching, so including Tobias Myers or Chad Patrick in a deal for Edwards could be a possibility for Matt Arnold and company. The only issue is that Edwards doesn't add the pop that the Brewers' offense so desperately needs.

Otto Lopez

Though Lopez has spent more time in his career at second base, he has actually logged more games at shortstop than the keystone position this season. Lopez is a plus defender in terms of OAA and DRS regardless of where he's playing, and his 9 total OAA on the season are more than any Brewer has collected this year.

Additionally, Lopez has a bit more power in his profile than Edwards. He's slugged 11 HR so far this season, and his expected slugging percentage ranks in the 79th percentile. He doesn't get on base at the same high clip that Edwards does, but like his middle infield partner, he doesn't strike out much. While it's mostly pull-side power for Lopez, he utilizes all fields to collect plenty of base hits and has a respectable .266 career average through 208 career games.

Lopez also has 4.5 years of team control, so adding him to the Brewers roster would require a similar trade package to Edwards. However, Lopez's profile as a right-handed hitter with slightly more power, a plus defender, and someone who can still steal a fair share of bases (30 total in the last two seasons) makes him a better fit for the Brewers.

It's not clear whether or not the Marlins are willing to part with either of their two young middle infielders, but swinging a trade for an unexpected player with plenty of upside and team control would fit the Brewers’ strategy. It's also unclear how acquiring either Edwards or Lopez would affect Joey Ortiz's career moving forward, as neither player is a rental and would be a part of the Brewers organization for several years to come. The Crew also has plenty of intriguing shortstop prospects, including Cooper Pratt, Jesús Made, and Luis Peña, who are likely to be ready for MLB by 2027 or 2028, so adding Edwards or Lopez to the roster could affect their development. Having several shortstop options would, however, fall into the category of "good problems to have."