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 #2: Rockies OF Randal Grichuk

Sticking with the Rockies, the Brewers are also being connected to Colorado's Randal Grichuk. Milwaukee's outfield has been sorely needing more offensive punch ever since Garrett Mitchell was lost to injury. Right field has been particularly bad but Joey Wiemer has had his offensive struggles in center as well.

The promotion of Sal Frelick may lessen the need for the Brewers to add an outfielder, but perhaps adding a solid veteran presence that won't block any of the Crew's young outfielders isn't a bad idea.

Randal Grichuk is a free agent at the end of the year. That makes him a more viable option for Milwaukee to consider. He's hitting a spectacular .309 with six homers and a 118 OPS+. The Brewers, needing an infusion of offense, would certainly welcome that level of production.

Grichuk could plug the hole in right field, allowing Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer to duke it out for playing time in centerfield as Frelick gets his feet wet in the big leagues and Wiemer looks to get his bat jump started again.

The Rockies are motivated to sell and the Brewers could try to swing a deal for both Grichuk and Cron together in the same trade. Milwaukee could plug two holes with one trade and the package deal could change the quality or quantity of the prospects needed to give up compared to separate deals for both players.

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.