3 Brewers trade targets from teams already falling out of contention

The Milwaukee Brewers have never been known to make the big moves at the deadline. However, in recent history, with the Brewers becoming more competitive in the NL Central. The trade deadline has been a point of emphasis for General Manager Matt Arnold.

In 2023, the Brewers found themselves competitive at the deadline, and were linked to a bunch of massive offensive weapons. However, they didn't reach agreement on any of those players. Instead the Brewers remained active and helped improve their roster with less risk. They added Carlos Santana and Mark Canha, two guys who could hit for power and help improve the offense. While also adding Andrew Chafin to a bullpen in need of a lefty.

The deadline comes on July 30th this year and although it is a long way out right now, teams have began making moves. This past week one of the top trade candidates, NL batting champion Luis Arráez, was sent from Miami to San Diego. Although the season is still very young, let's take a look at some possible trade targets for the Brewers.

1. Erick Fedde: RHP, Chicago White Sox

Erick Fedde is an interesting trade target that would make a ton of sense for a contending team in need of starting pitching. Originally a first round pick in the Nationals organization, Fedde had his struggles and never panned out for them. After a dominant season in the KBO last year, he earned himself a two year deal with the White Sox. He has been a rare positive for the Sox organization, as he's begun the season posting a 3.46 ERA and a 9.5 K/9 rate. In all likelihood, if Fedde continues producing these numbers he will be dealt around the deadline, and the Brewers might just be the perfect suitor.

2. Trevor Rogers: LHP, Miami Marlins

If you're starting to pick up on a theme here, the Brewers are in need of starting pitching. Rogers just feels like the perfect fit for Milwaukee at the deadline. The Marlins are off to a putrid start and have already established plans to sell/tank this season. Rogers definitely is not the most attractive pitcher on the market, as he's off to a bad start in 2024 with a 6.15 ERA and an 0-5 record. However there are still a lot of reasons to be optimistic with Rogers as he flashed his potential in 2021, finishing 2nd in ROY voting and being selected as an All-Star. He is also under contract through 2026 and could play a role in the rotation for years to come. Getting him out of Miami and with the Brewers pitching coaches could be fruitful.

3. Jesús Luzardo: LHP, Miami Marlins

Very similarly to Rogers, the Marlins "ace" coming into this season, Jesús Luzardo, has gotten off to a rough start. Luzardo is coming off back to back excellent seasons for the fish in 2022 and 2023, where he posted ERA's of 3.32 and 3.58 in each. A new environment might be of need for the 26 year old south paw. Luzardo isn't set to be a free agent until 2027, and with him on the IL currently, it will be interesting to see what the Marlins do. But if he gets healthy and becomes available for a contending team like the Brewers, the fit could be perfect. Luzardo pitched 178.2 innings last year, and if he can stay healthy, we've seen him post some outstanding numbers.

It's important to remember in all of this that we are just over a month into the season, and come July 30th it's possible that the Brewers end up in a spot where they are sellers. But if this first month has showed us anything, it's definitely been the need for starting pitching across the league. The Brewers seem to always proceed with caution around the deadline, not wanting to overpay for additions, and I'd expect that to continue in 2024.