5 prospect trade chips the Brewers could sell for pitching help at MLB Trade Deadline

4. RHP Shane Smith

Another pop up, seemingly out of nowhere pitching prospect success story for the Brewers in 2024 is Shane Smith. Smith started the year in the bullpen for Double-A Biloxi but has transitioned seamlessly to the starting rotation.

Smith made 38 appearances out of the bullpen last year with no starts, tallying 10 saves with a stellar 1.96 ERA, making it all the way up to Double-A. He appeared to be on the fast track to the majors as a reliever based on his performance.

Back in Double-A, Smith still has had great results with a 3.06 ERA in 53 IP with 68 Ks and just 15 walks. He's made 17 appearances, the last eight of which have been starts.

In those eight starts, Smith has a 2.75 ERA with 40 Ks in 36 IP. He's rapidly rising up the prospect ranks because of this success in his transition to the rotation. The Brewers may be willing to look to sell high on Smith, an undrafted free agent signed back in 2021.

Like many of the other trade chips on this list, Smith is going to be Rule 5 eligible this winter and given his breakout success this season, Smith could warrant a selection or perhaps even 40 man roster protection.

Smith could help bring back a pretty solid pitcher to help out Milwaukee's beleaguered staff. The track record in the rotation may be short, and Smith may ultimately be a reliever at the big league level, but he's looking more and more like a surefire big leaguer and that's going to be highly valuable to teams at the trade deadline.