Another Brewers-Rays trade to go back to the well for rotation help

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays kicked off the 2024 MLB trade deadline season this past week when the Rays sent Aaron Civale to the Brewers for shortstop prospect Gregory Barrios.

Zachary Rotman of FanSided projects Civale to slot into the rotation perfectly, but, looking at the Brewers projected rotation, it could still use some work. Rotman projects Bryse Wilson as their fifth starter, which makes sense given the options, but there's one issue with this. Wilson performs much better as a reliever. His ERA as a reliever is over a full run lower and he's walked seven hitters out of the bullpen while walking 21 hitters as a starter.

Milwaukee could and should go back to the well to add yet another Tampa Bay starting pitcher in the coming weeks.

Another Brewers-Rays trade to add Zach Eflin to Aaron Civale in Milwaukee's rotation

The pitcher in question this time is righty Zach Eflin. Eflin's contract expires at the end of next season and he's having a solid 2024 as of July 4th. On the season, the 30-year-old holds an ERA under 4.00 and a WHIP right around 1.12. His addition would provide another reliable starter to the Milwaukee rotation while Wilson can return to the bullpen, where he throws significantly better.

Because of Eflin's contract having upwards of $20 million remaining on it, the Rays won't get the prospect haul that they would want for him. But they could grab another top infield prospect in the Brewers organization, Mike Boeve, if they're willing to eat a little bit of the money that Eflin is owed.

Boeve, Milwaukee's 13th-ranked prospect, is having an incredible 2024 season. The left-handed swinger has a keen feel for hitting which has led to an impressive slash line of .327/.401/.435 across High-A and Double-A this season.

His 2024 is no fluke either, as the 22-year-old slashed .324/.400/.529 in 28 games last season. He should continue to fly up the ranks of the minor leagues until he meets a level of pitching that can consistently get him out. At this point, from rookie ball to Double-A, he's shown he's better than the level he's at.

The Brewers are in win-now mode though. They can afford to continue to do these one-for-one deals down their prospect rankings if it's going to put them in position to continue to lead in the NL Central as well as pushing them toward a World Series Championship.

Zach Eflin wouldn't be the difference between winning the World Series and not, but neither is Civale. They both move the needle forward though, and with enough of these moves, the Brewers could give themselves the best chance possible.