Brewers rumors: Several MLB insiders confusingly link Brewers to surprise position with latest deadline predictions

Just over one week remains before the MLB Trade Deadline shakes up the baseball world, with contenders shipping off prospect capital for necessary additions to help them reach the promised land. The deadline often comes with several predictable moves: the San Diego Padres will make a splash, the Colorado Rockies won't sell as much as they should, and the Tampa Bay Rays will fleece someone out of a future All-Star.

However, what is often far less predictable is what the Milwaukee Brewers choose to do at the deadline, and that trope rings especially true for the 2025 iteration of their deadline plans. With depth pieces that they could look to move, a need for more power in their lineup, and a general unwillingness to part with coveted prospect capital, Matt Arnold and company could surprise us all with an unpredictable deal in the next eight days.

The common rhetoric has been that the Brewers will look to upgrade the left side of their infield, but the recent performance of third baseman Caleb Durbin has seemingly reduced the need to just shortstop, where Joey Ortiz, despite a better last two months, still sports a .582 season OPS.

However, on Wednesday morning, multiple MLB insiders mentioned a new position as a potential place where the Brewers could add to their roster before next Thursday's deadline, but it's difficult to see just how it would work.

MLB insiders at The Athletic and ESPN's Jeff Passan mention corner outfield as a position that the Brewers could explore at the trade deadline

The Athletic published the third version of their MLB Trade Deadline Big Board this morning. The "board" consists of a list of the top 50 trade candidates and cites several teams that could be interested in each player. Despite being tied for the best record in baseball and having arguably the most resources to swing a trade at next week's deadline, with their plethora of starting pitching options, the Brewers were cited as fits for just six of the top 50 trade candidates.

Of the six players that the Brewers were connected to on The Athletic's Big Board of trade candidates, five of them were outfielders: Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox, Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians, Taylor Ward of the Los Angeles Angels, Jesús Sánchez of the Miami Marlins, and Trevor Larnach of the Minnesota Twins. The only player that was cited as a fit for the Brewers who wasn't an outfielder was Rockies' third baseman Ryan McMahon.

Meanwhile, over on ESPN this morning, MLB insider Jeff Passan also mentioned the Brewers as a team that could look to add a corner outfielder. To be fair, Passan did deem infielder Maikel Garcia of the Kansas City Royals as the best overall fit for the Brewers at this year's deadline, but outfield was still listed alongside shortstop as the Brewers’ biggest needs.

What would the Brewers outfield picture look like with another player in the mix?

The Brewers currently roster four true outfielders in Jackson Chourio, Isaac Collins, Blake Perkins, and Christian Yelich, who has shown an ability to effectively man a corner outfield spot despite making most of his starts at DH this season. That's not including Sal Frelick, who is expected to be back on the roster in the next few days after spending a brief stint on the IL with a minor hamstring strain. Additionally, Tyler Black, who is currently replacing Jake Bauers on the big league roster, has played more time in the outfield than first base in Triple-A this season. Bauers can also play a corner outfield position when he's healthy.

When Frelick is healthy, the Brewers will likely run out an everyday lineup of Collins in left, Chourio in center, and Frelick in right, with Yelich serving as the DH. That leaves Perkins as the fourth outfielder, a position he is perfectly suited for given his elite defense, switch-hitting ability, and his baserunning acumen.

Sure, the Brewers could relegate Perkins to the minor leagues, move Collins to the fourth outfield spot, and add a corner outfielder at the deadline, but it feels like their resources would be better used elsewhere. Additionally, in doing so, the Brewers would be taking Collins and his .763 OPS out of the everyday lineup. Among Brewers with at least 250 plate appearances this season, Collins trails only Yelich and Rhys Hoskins in OPS. He also leads the team in Outs Above Average, so taking his glove out of left field would be a hit to the Brewers' defense.

It's bound to be an interesting deadline, and the Brewers' front office certainly could surprise us all by adding another outfielder to the mix. However, the resulting roster crunch would lead to some difficult roster and lineup decisions that the Brewers could avoid by adding elsewhere.