The next 4 Brewers in danger of having their role replaced at the 2025 trade deadline

For the front offices of contending teams, the MLB Trade Deadline is all about finding creative ways to improve their team and set themselves up for success in the postseason. On the rare occasion, this means acquiring a game-changer — a player who can add multiple wins to a team's second half just from their performance alone. However, more often it means finding the weak links on a team's roster and creating redundancy at their position, to ensure against a continuation of those players’ poor play.

The Brewers have already capitalized on this strategy, adding Danny Jansen from the Tampa Bay Rays just before last night's game. Jansen serves as an upgrade at the backup catcher position for the Brewers, who designated Eric Haase for assignment last night to make room for the new trade acquisition on the roster.

It might not always seem like much at the deadline, but improving on the margins of a big league roster can have major implications down the stretch. Additionally, it's not always the case that bringing in these new faces means an eradication of a current player’s playing time altogether, but adding a new face to the roster may push that current player into a different role than they currently occupy. As such, while it may seem like the following players are likely to be "replaced" on the roster ahead of Thursday's deadline, it would be more accurate to simply say that their roles on the team will change in the next week.

1. SS Joey Ortiz

Ortiz is the perfect example of a player whose role on the Milwaukee Brewers could change after the trade deadline, but he more than likely won't be totally replaced on the roster. Meaning he will still be on the roster and contribute in some way, he just might not be in the starting lineup every day.

Things just haven't clicked for Ortiz the way that they did a season ago. Despite the Brewers' shortstop having a solid month of June, in which he posted a .748 OPS, he's back to struggling at the plate in July. Ortiz is slashing just .224/.250/.362 for an OPS of .612 since the calendar flipped to July. His season OPS of .570 is more than 100 points lower than the next worse qualified Brewers' hitter.

However, several problems exist with completely replacing Ortiz on the Brewers’ roster. First, his glove is solid. Despite Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), a popular defensive metric, not liking Ortiz's defense this season, his seven Outs Above Average (OAA), a more accurate defensive metric, and the eye test both reveal that Ortiz has been a very good, if not elite, defensive shortstop this season. Additionally, taking him out of the lineup brings up questions of who replaces him at short, with neither Caleb Durbin nor Brice Turang being perfect fits.

Next, there's not a perfect replacement for Ortiz on the market. Yes, some have speculated that if the Brewers add a third baseman, they will move things around on their infield to ensure Durbin and Turang's bats stay in the lineup, but the team would certainly be sacrificing some defense regardless of how they replace Ortiz.

That said, if the Brewers can pull off a trade that pushes Ortiz into a defensive replacement/utility role, while adding some power to their lineup, that would seemingly be the ideal move for this ballclub.

2. UTL Anthony Seigler

Let's say the Brewers don't land a big bat that pushes Ortiz out of his starting shortstop role. That doesn't mean they can't still add a bench bat and improve around the margins of their roster. Someone who can step in and play an infield position while also adding some power off the bench would improve the Brewers' roster without necessarily impacting their everyday lineup.

If the Brewers do choose to add such a player, someone like Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins or Yoán Moncada of the Los Angeles Angels, it would make sense that one of their current infield bench bats gets pushed out of its current role. One such candidate for replacement in such an occurrence is Anthony Seigler.

Seigler has been up with the big league roster since the first of the month. Over the last month, he's earned 25 at-bats and collected just four hits (all singles) in that time. It's a small sample size for sure, and Seigler does add some value as a left-handed hitter who can play virtually any position, but that skillset is not something the Brewers are lacking in right now. Rather, the team needs a player that can impact the game with one swing of the bat at any point.

Seigler's major league story is far from written — there's a lot of value in his profile and he could be an everyday big leaguer at some point, but the 2025 chapter of said story might be coming to a close. Whether the Brewers add an impact bat or a bench piece, Seigler might be squeezed out of a roster spot before the end of the week.

3. UTL Andruw Monasterio

Monasterio no doubt adds value to the Brewers team apart from what he does on the field — he's a great clubhouse guy who is willing to contribute to the team in whatever way they need. However, depending on who the Brewers elect to add at the deadline, should they choose to add a bat, Mona's roster spot could be in jeopardy.

The numbers make it difficult to justify keeping Monasterio on the roster, but clubhouse presence should not be underrated. On paper, Mona is slashing just .188/.264/.292 in his 48 at-bats with the Crew this season. Yes, he's filled in at several positions, came up clutch in several spots, and served as the team's main pinch runner late in games, but a batting average below the Mendoza Line and slugging percentage south of .300 make it tough to continue choosing Mona when roster crunches present themselves.

Similar to Seigler, Monasterio could be forced out of a roster spot if the Brewers add an everyday player or a bench bat, and picking which of Seigler or Mona to send down to Triple-A could come down to the handedness of this hypothetical infielder that the Brewers acquire. If he's a lefty, Mona could remain on the team as a right-handed bench option, and if he's a righty, Seigler's left-handed bat could be prioritized.

4. LHP Jared Koenig

Koenig is another situation, similar to Ortiz, where he will more than likely remain on the roster regardless of what the Brewers elect to do at the deadline, but his role on the team could be replaced by a trade acquisition.

Koenig currently holds a 3.71 ERA in 43.2 innings pitched this season — completely respectable numbers for a reliever. However, there have been moments when Koenig's effectiveness has come into question. Specifically, he posted a 5.00 ERA during the month of June and more recently he allowed two homers in one inning of work to the Los Angeles Dodgers, turning what was a three-run lead into a one-run lead.

For most of the season, Koenig has served as the Brewers' main left-handed set-up man, meaning he gets the call in high-leverage situations when multiple lefties are due up. However, Koenig hasn't quite been the pitcher that he was a season ago, and it's possible that the Brewers could add a high-leverage lefty at the deadline, and move Koenig to a more middle-relief role.

Additionally, Koenig has worked a lot this year, making 50 appearances in the team's first 106 games. Adding another lefty to lighten his workload could set the Brewers bullpen up for success when the playoffs roll around.