Ranking 5 trade candidates Brewers could shop around this offseason

RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez

Another young prospect the Brewers were expecting more out of in 2024, Carlos F. Rodriguez has seen his prospect shine dim a little bit. When the Brewers starting rotation was in desperate need of help early on in the season, Rodriguez was struggling in Triple-A, delaying his promotion and allowing a relative unknown in Tobias Myers to earn some opportunities.

Eventually, Rodriguez did earn some big league starts, just three, and they didn't go particularly well, pitching to a 7.30 ERA. His results in Triple-A weren't great either, finishing with a 4.51 ERA, though he pitched much better in the 2nd half. Rodriguez was passed up by Myers, who earned a regular rotation spot the rest of the season and Rodriguez was not seen in the majors again.

A bad three starts doesn't mean Rodriguez isn't ever going to be able to cut it at the major league level, but it does put into question where he fits in on this 2025 Brewers roster. While you can never have enough pitching depth, the Brewers will have a large number of starting rotation candidates entering next spring and Rodriguez is highly likely to be on the outside looking in.

Brandon Woodruff will be returning from injury, DL Hall and Aaron Ashby could very likely be heading back to rotation roles, Jacob Misiorowski could go back to starting, and Logan Henderson is likely to get a 40 man spot.

The Brewers could trade a young, controllable starter in Rodriguez and get a pretty decent return back. Because there's always a need for pitching, I wouldn't put the chances of a Rodriguez trade very high, but it wouldn't be all that surprising either.

Probability of being traded: 15%

RHP Aaron Civale

The Brewers traded for Aaron Civale in early July to help fill their desperate rotation need. They gave up a quality prospect in Gregory Barrios to get him for a year and a half. That extra year of team control gave Civale value that the Brewers wanted.

Civale had an ERA north of 5.00 when the trade was made. With the Brewers, Civale shaved his ERA to 3.53 in those 14 starts. That's a much more tolerable number.

Civale is projected to earn $8MM in his final year of arbitration in 2025. That last year before free agency is around the time the Brewers have looked to trade some veterans. Corbin Burnes was traded with one year to go. Granted, Civale has nowhere near the accolades nor potential earning power of Burnes, but the final year of team control is something to consider. Adrian Houser is another example who had one year left before free agency and was traded during that offseason.

This isn't to say the Brewers should trade Civale. The starting rotation could certainly use him and the innings he can provide, especially since he improved down the stretch. There's no guarantees with what Brandon Woodruff will be able to bring next year, or if DL Hall and Aaron Ashby can earn back rotation spots. Keeping a bona fide starter like Civale would make sense.

This is simply to say the final year of team control plus the arbitration price tag could combine for the Brewers to be open to moving Civale for the right return.

Probability of being traded: 20%