Starting pitching has long been the Brewers’ top priority in the trade market — and may still be — but behind Christian YelichPlaced on the disabled list due to a back injury, the team is now looking for a left-handed hitter, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Yelich is trying to make a non-surgical recovery to get back on the field soon, but he will likely need surgery this offseason as he aims to fix a problem that has been bothering him for a while now.
Milwaukee is hitting .256/.332/.403 against right-handed pitching as a team – good for a 108 wRC+ that ranks ninth among MLB teams. However, Yelich’s return to MVP-caliber form this season played a big role in that production. The 2018 NL MVP and 2019 MVP runner-up owns a .315/.406/.504 batting line on the season. He ripped 11 homers and added 21 doubles, three triples and 21 steals (in 22 attempts).
Yelich has hurt both left-handed and right-handed pitchers, and Milwaukee has several good bats (eg. William Contreras, Joey Ortiz, Willy Adams) who worked well against the righteous. The rest of the roster, however, is lacking in terms of left-handed bats. Garrett Mitchell, Brice Turang, Sal Frelick and change-calling Blake Perkins (preferably as a right handed batsman) all easy hitting options. Yelich has been the team’s biggest threat in left field, and now it’s unclear both when he’ll return and how he’ll perform if he does.
The market usually doesn’t focus on impactful departures, but there are a few that have been floating around in all the rumors in recent weeks. Marlins center fielder/second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. it is expected to sell well before Tuesday’s deadline. He is in charge of the 2026 season. The Rays have been busy trading away some veterans to pay clear money and work for a low/cheap contributor and may be willing to move. Brandon Lowe, who can become a free agent at the end of the season but has two team options on his contract. Angels hitting infielder Luis Rengifo another option is also regulated until 2025. Former Brewer’s Pitcher and current Nats / DH Jesse Winker is enjoying a comeback campaign after one injury-plagued season (one in Milwaukee) and as a trade club hire is among the most likely trade options in the game.
The weekend’s performance will have to be watched closely. The Giants, for example, could have a number of left-handed bats that could hit the market if they fail to make any room in the standings (or even regress). Michael Conforto is an upcoming free agent, period Mike Yastrzemski again LaMonte Wade Jr. are regulated for the 2025 season.
Milwaukee currently has a cap hit of $112MM – a significant drop from last year’s offseason payroll of $126MM. This month’s discovery of Aaron Civale they’ve already added some money to the books, and the gap between current salary and last year’s mark should indicate that GM Matt Arnold and his team have some financial wiggle room as they look to address a number of needs in the next four-plus days. .
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