Brewers Rumors: Crew Listed As Fits For 4 Top Trade Candidates

The Milwaukee Brewers have several areas of need to address at this year's Trade Deadline. Ken Rosenthal reports that a Brewers front office person said the "four through nine" spots in the lineup were weak. That's certainly not inaccurate.

It's clear the Brewers need to upgrade their offense. Fans know it, the team knows it, the front office knows it, other teams know it. It's no secret.

But offense isn't the only need. While pitching isn't the most pressing, adding more pitching depth generally isn't a bad idea. Mark Feinsand reported on the most likely players to be moved at the Deadline with fits for each and the Brewers were a popular destination.

As the trade rumors heat up, the Milwaukee Brewers are being connected to several top trade candidates as potential fits when the trades start flying.

Brewers rumored trade fit: Rockies 1B C.J. Cron

The Colorado Rockies reportedly have a pretty long list of players they are looking to shop at this year's Trade Deadline. Among them is first baseman C.J. Cron, which just so happens to be one of the Brewers biggest positional needs.

The Brewers were listed as one of the fits for Cron, which makes a lot of sense. This year, Cron is hitting .255 with a .779 OPS and 11 homers. While not lighting the world on fire this year, Cron would still represent a massive improvement for the Brewers at first base.

Cron is 33 years old and will be a free agent at the end of the year, so the acquisition cost will be fairly low and the Brewers won't be on the hook for any long-term contract. They can simply upgrade their current first base situation. Cron is one of the top players in the league in terms of barrel percentage, and getting more barrels is exactly what this Brewers offense needs.

While Cron provides solid defense at first base, the Brewers could also use Cron in a DH capacity as needed. That's another area of the roster the Brewers need to upgrade.

Also listed as fits for Cron were the Houston Astros and the Miami Marlins. The Astros currently have Jose Abreu at first base, who's having a down year and the Marlins have former Brewers farmhand Garrett Cooper. Cooper is having a somewhat down year but is still putting up better numbers than the Brewers have been getting at first base of late.

Brewers rumored trade fit #3: Rockies LHP Brad Hand

The Brewers might as well just trade for the whole Rockies roster at this point. Milwaukee has been listed as a fit for three Rockies players in Mark Feinsand's report. These are the 17 most likely players to move and of the three Rockies listed, the Brewers are a fit for each of them.

Switching from offense to the bullpen, Brad Hand does make some sense as a fit for the Brewers. They need a second left-handed option and another reliable bullpen arm down the stretch. The impending return of Justin Wilson may lessen this need, however.

Hand has had a long, effective career, but he's not having his best season in 2023. So far he has a 4.54 ERA through 37 appearances with a 1.45 WHIP. Granted, he is pitching in Colorado. He has a 5.40 ERA at home and a 3.71 ERA when he's away from Coors Field this year.

Brewers fans likely have a different lefty from the Rockies bullpen in mind when it comes to possible trade targets, however. Somewhat surprisingly, Brent Suter also made the list of 17 likely trade candidates but the Brewers weren't listed a possible fit for him. While Milwaukee did put him on waivers last year, I'm sure they'd be open to a reunion with Suter over Hand.

Hand has a club option for $7MM for 2024 with a $500k buyout. If the Brewers were to acquire him, it's likely Milwaukee would choose the buyout.

Brewers rumored trade fit #4: Tigers LHP Eduardo Rodriguez

This is one that's a little surprising. The Brewers starting rotation has battled injuries most of the year, yes. But they've handled it well and Brandon Woodruff is due to return to action soon, which could be a Deadline addition itself without having to give up the prospects.

Wade Miley's recent injury puts the rotation back in a spot where they could use another arm and Eduardo Rodriguez is one of the best available at this year's Deadline.

This season, Rodriguez is posting a 2.69 ERA in 14 starts with just a 1.9 BB/9. He'd be an excellent addition to any rotation but putting Rodriguez behind Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff would make this rotation one of the most feared in all of baseball.

Rodriguez's contract is a complicating factor. He's under possible control for 3.5 more seasons on his five year contract. But he has an opt-out after this year, which means he could hit the open market and look for more money. He'd currently be due $18MM in 2024, $16MM in 2025, and $15MM in 2026. That's a big chunk of change for a team like the Brewers.

Theoretically, Rodriguez could help bridge the Brewers rotation beyond the departures of Burnes and Woodruff after 2024 and give the Crew a solid ace when the current ones leave. But if he continues to pitch like this and opt out, Rodriguez will be out the door and so will Milwaukee's prospects.

What price would the Brewers be willing to pay for a player who could opt out at the end of the season. Surely the Tigers will want a team to be paying for long term control of Rodriguez, meaning a higher prospect cost, but if he opts out, the buying team won't want to pay for three and a half years and only get a half season.

While the Brewers biggest needs are on offense, if they don't find a deal to their liking there, they could double down on pitching as the strength of their team.