3 Brewers prospects to keep at all costs, 2 to gamble with in trade talks at Deadline

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We are one week away from the MLB Trade Deadline. There's been little movement thus far, but that is going to change soon. The Brewers still have work to do to improve this roster.

In order to improve the roster, the Brewers will have to trade prospects from their farm system. That's just how the Trade Deadline goes. Luckily for the Brewers, they have a very strong farm system loaded with prospects.

However, that doesn't mean the Brewers should be willing to trade just anybody away from their minor leagues. Some prospects need to be kept at all costs, while other top guys the Brewers can gamble with possibly giving away as trade negotiations continue.

Brewers prospect to keep #1: SS Cooper Pratt

Breakout prospects are usually strong trade candidates. One team views themselves as getting a budding star player while the original team might view this as a chance to sell high while they can. In the case of Cooper Pratt's 2024 breakout, the Brewers should be buying what they're seeing and not selling.

Cooper Pratt was just named to the All Star Futures Game and named a Top 100 prospect by MLB Pipeline. The Brewers drafted him in the 6th round last year, and while that's not a premier round, he signed for a massive bonus and was considered a 1st round talent.

The Brewers are just now reaping the rewards of their excellent draft last year with Pratt becoming the next Top 100 prospect in a long list of them Milwaukee has developed in recent years. It's early in Pratt's career, as the teenager is still in Low-A. For the Carolina Mudcats, Pratt is hitting .294/.392/.399 with 10 doubles, three homers, and 22 stolen bases.

Pratt may have a ton of value on the trade market, but the Brewers should be holding him pretty tight to the chest.

Brewers prospect to keep #2: OF Yophery Rodriguez

Going back to Low-A Carolina, the Brewers have another keeper in teenage outfielder Yophery Rodriguez. He's been on the "Jackson Chourio track" in that he completely skipped the Arizona Complex League and went straight from the DSL to Low-A one year after being signed.

This season, as an 18 year old in full season ball, Rodriguez is hitting .256/.352/.423 with 16 doubles, six triples, and seven homers.

The pure hitting ability and power in his profile can make him a star in this league and his overall athleticism gives Rodriguez five tool upside in centerfield. That's incredibly valuable in trade talks, yes, but also valuable to the Brewers to hold onto as he matures and realizes his potential.

Trading Rodriguez now would likely be selling short of his highest value. He's just beginning to rise and make noise and the Brewers have him on the fast track for a reason. That reason is not for them to trade him at the 2024 Deadline.

Prospect to keep #3: RHP Logan Henderson

Of all the Brewers pitching prospects right now, Logan Henderson is the one the Brewers should make sure they hold on to. Guys like Robert Gasser and Carlos Rodriguez aren't going anywhere due to injury and being big league depth, but Henderson belongs in the category of "not going anywhere".

Now healthy, Henderson has dominated at every level this year, getting himself up to Double-A Biloxi and he sports a stellar 2.98 ERA in 11 starts. In 45.1 innings he's struck out 64 batters and walked just seven.

The changeup is a double-plus pitch and he's rapidly working his way up as a starting pitcher in this system and could very soon be a candidate for a big league rotation spot.

Because of his checkered injury history, it's possible other teams may not value Henderson as highly in trade talks. The Brewers know him well and should be happy to hold on to him and see him continue to develop under the guidance of the pitching lab.

Prospect to gamble with #1: RHP Brett Wichrowski

Few prospects popped up as much over the last few months as Brett Wichrowski has. Wichrowski was a 13th round pick out of Bryant University last year. The selection didn't really make waves at the time and a Day 3 college pitcher rarely does.

But Wichrowski went to instructs in the fall and opened a lot of eyes there and showed up at spring training flashing a 100 MPH fastball. He has a full four pitch mix, but the slider is his best secondary offering.

This season, across High-A and Double-A, Wichrowski has a 3.74 ERA in 16 starts with 64 Ks and 25 BBs. He initially struggled upon his promotion to Double-A, but has started to settle in a little more in his recent outings.

The Brewers perhaps should view this as their chance to sell high on a Day 3 lottery ticket in the Draft. How much higher can his stock really go? Baseball America already has him at the 5th best prospect in the organization. There's a ton of reliever risk with Wichrowski, he may not stick as a starter, and for the price they paid to get him just a year ago, he could be a headliner for a big time starting pitching addition. Teams can still see Wichrowski as a starter, which helps his value.

Prospect to gamble with #2: 3B Eric Bitonti

Eric Bitonti was one of the crown jewels of the Brewers 2023 Draft class. He and Cooper Pratt were the two big over-slot signings the Brewers made that they built their class around. Pratt made the group that should be kept at all costs, while Bitonti I think falls more in the category of being willing to gamble with floating him in trade talks.

Bitonti has spent the season in the Arizona Complex League, a level behind his draftmate Pratt. The numbers, overall, have been good. He's hitting .322/.441/.569 with 16 doubles, seven homers, and nine stolen bases.

However, he's struck out 59 times in 213 PAs. That's a 27.6% strikeout rate, which is higher than you'd like at such a level. Coming out of high school, the Brewers knew strikeouts would be a part of his game as a power-over-hit type of player. While the strikeouts haven't hurt the results so far, that doesn't mean they won't as he continues to rise up the farm system.

The prospect shine is still on Bitonti and it will stay there unless those strikeouts start to negatively impact his numbers. Perhaps the Brewers believe they can get his strikeouts down as he climbs the ladder, and if they do, there is tremendous upside here. But if they can't, and the Brewers see that strikeout problem not going away, other teams will see it too and his value will plummet.

The Brewers are going to have to give up some good players in order to get the players they need at the Trade Deadline.

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