The Milwaukee Brewers can currently do no wrong; they have the Midas touch. Winners of 11 straight contests, the surging squad has closed the gap on the Chicago Cubs atop the National League Central. With the divisional race tightening, the upcoming trade deadline marks a pivotal potential turning point.
NL Central supremacy and the Brewers and Cubs' World Series odds hinge on how things shake out ahead of the July 31 cutoff point. They both know it, which is why all signs point toward them being buyers in the coming days. But Milwaukee has a prime opportunity to get back at Chicago for poaching longtime manager Craig Counsell from them in 2023.
Counsell spent 17 years with the Brewers as a player, executive and skipper. While owner Mark Attanasio has claimed no hard feelings over him leaving for the Cubs, revenge is a dish best served cold. How great would it feel to leave the former in the dust en route to securing a third consecutive NL Central crown? Milwaukee can stick it to the North Siders with three orders of business.
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3. Otto López is the shortstop upgrade the Brewers need
Milwaukee is "focused on improving the left side of their infield," according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic ($). Whether at shortstop or third base (or both), the goal is to bring in an "impact bat." Nonetheless, the insider specifically mentioned that the Brewers want an "offensive upgrade" at short to replace Joey Ortiz. With that in mind, the Miami Marlins' Xavier Edwards and Otto López have come up as possible options, though the latter makes more sense.
López has logged more than twice as many games at the keystone than at shortstop in the Majors. But he's mostly captained the infield in Miami in 2025 and is a plus defender no matter where you put him. Like Edwards, the 26-year-old is under team control through 2029, so both could command a considerable prospect haul to land.
Nonetheless, López's ability at the plate makes him a better target for the Brewers than his Marlins teammate. He has 11 home runs and boasts a respectable .392 slugging percentage and would give Milwaukee's lineup a massive boost. Ortiz is elite with the glove but batting .215/.270/.316 with a dismal .586 OPS across 307 at-bats; this gives them a more well-rounded alternative.
2. Do what it takes to acquire Eugenio Suárez from the Diamondbacks
You want Eugenio Suárez, I want Eugenio Suárez, the Brewers want Eugenio Suárez and so does every other title contender eyeing third base help. He's undeniably baseball's hottest commodity, pacing to hit 50-plus home runs this season and showing zero signs of slowing down. The problem is, no one knows if the Arizona Diamondbacks will move him, including themselves.
Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen is taking his decision to add or offload talent to the buzzer as Arizona tethers to Wild Card contention. But if the choice is to sell, a bidding war for Suárez will ensue. Notably, the Cubs are among the suitors in the mix.
It's not like Milwaukee needed more incentive to acquire Suárez, but beating out the Cubs for him is extra motivation. Not only would the Brewers address their most glaring need, but they would also prevent the All-Star slugger from joining the direct competition. It'd be a double whammy of unfortunate events for Chicago.
From a logistical standpoint, striking deals for Suárez and López may be tough. Yet, the Brewers might be one of the few franchises equipped to make two swaps of that magnitude. Their farm system is deep and loaded with frontline talent. 18-year-old infielders Jesús Made and Luis Peña are the Pipeline's Nos. 7- and 35-ranked players, respectively, and valuable bargaining chips. Milwaukee has six of baseball's top 100 prospects, one being the presumably untouchable Rookie of the Year favorite, burgeoning ace Jacob Misiorowski.
1. Hang onto Freddy Peralta at all costs
Yes, selling Freddy Peralta at peak value while he's still under team control with a cost-effective $8 million club option for 2026 is tempting. The All-Star right-hander would garner no shortage of interest if Milwaukee actively shopped him. However, despite recent chatter, Brewers general manager Matt Arnold has shot the idea down quite hard on the record -- and rightfully so.
Arnold referred to Peralta as "one of the most important parts of our organization" on July 18 (h/t Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). That's a ringing endorsement, one the Brew Crew faithful should be relieved to hear. Fans have seen standout pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams and Josh Hader get sent out over the past few seasons, so angst is warranted. Nonetheless, it appears the front office has reached the right conclusion not to reroute its ace.
Peralta is the No. 1 hurler for an elite Brewers rotation that's second in ERA and tied for the third-lowest opponent batting average (.230). He's 12-4 with a stellar 2.85 ERA, 1.080 WHIP and 122 strikeouts across 116.2 innings of work. His efforts have been a massive part of why Milwaukee might legitimately be a hitter or two away from the Fall Classic.