The Brewers have made some major deals in recent offseasons. In the 2023-2024 offseason, they dealt Corbin Burnes to acquire DL Hall, Joey Ortiz, and the draft pick that became Blake Burke. In the 2024-2025 offseason, Devin Williams was dealt to the Yankees for Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin.

But Milwaukee has also made deals with lesser-known players that hit big. In the same offseason Corbin Burnes was dealt, the Brewers made the under-the-radar swap with the Athletics that brought Chad Patrick to Milwaukee in exchange for Abraham Toro. In the 2022-2023 offseason, the Crew moved Esteury Ruiz to the Athletics as part of a three-team trade that landed Joel Payamps, minor-leaguer Justin Yeager, and some guy named William Contreras.

Who might the Crew move in a deal nobody pays attention to? Here are five possibilities.

LHP Aaron Ashby
Ashby has become a key member of the Brewers’ bullpen, so he’s worked out reasonably well. But why might the Crew want to consider moving him? Part of it is the deal he signed after the 2022 season, where he was solid as a member of the starting rotation; in 2026, he gets $5.5 million, with $7.7 million due in 2027, along with $9 million and $13 million salaries in 2028 and 2029 if the options are picked up.

If Ashby became a mainstay in the rotation, it’d be money well spent. But Ashby has become a bullpen ace after missing 2023 and a large part of 2024 with shoulder problems. It may be time for Milwaukee to see what Ashby could fetch in return. It’s not that he’s a bad pitcher, but the chance to free up $13.2 million over 2026 and 2027 may make a deal worth it.

RHP Carlos Rodriguez
Rodriguez has been caught up in the numbers game among Milwaukee’s young pitchers in 2025. He emerged as an outlier with an extensive arsenal. He’s had two cups of coffee with the Brewers, and while he’s struggled, there’s a lot of potential.

The problem, of course, is that there are a lot of other pitchers with potential forcing their way up. The combination of team control and his youth could make Rodriguez a trade asset – either on his own, or as part of a larger package. A pitcher like Rodriguez could net a solid return, but not if the team holds on to him for too long.

SS Joey Ortiz
The Brewers have an interesting situation at shortstop. The top three prospects on the Brewer Fanatic Top 20 are all at shortstop. One, Cooper Pratt, is likely to start 2026 at Triple-A Nashville. Jesus Made will likely start at Double-A Biloxi, and then, there is Luis Pena. Joey Ortiz would likely be a prime trade chip if he’d matched his 2024 offensive numbers, but he instead fell off a cliff at the plate.

That said, Ortiz may still be someone who could draw interest. A big part is that he is cheap and comes with years of control. The Brewers moved a slumping JJ Hardy in the 2010-2011 offseason and acquired Carlos Gomez. Milwaukee could look to see if it can pull off something similar or use Ortiz to sweeten some other deal to get a difference-maker, particularly if Cooper Pratt is on a hot streak.

1B Andrew Vaughn
Vaughn helped save the Brewers’ season after Rhys Hoskins went on the injured list. So why put him on the block? One reason is the $7.8 million he is potentially due. The Crew could try to sell relatively high when it comes to Vaughn, especially with the presence of other first-base options (Jake Bauers and Tyler Black come to mind).

In this case, it is a bit of a salary dump. But at the same time, Vaughn’s run with the Brewers is much higher than his career OPS+ of 101. A regression to his 2021-2024 mean would not be the worst the Brewers have had at first base in their history, but it would not exactly be what the Brewers are hoping for from a $7.8 million first baseman, either.

OF Garrett Mitchell
When Garrett Mitchell’s been on the field, he’s been an incredible talent. The problem is that in his three full major league seasons, he’s averaged just under 38 games a season. That’s less than a quarter of a full major-league season. Yet he is now in his first year of arbitration – while he will only cost the crew about $1 million, the fact is that Blake Perkins, Isaac Collins, and Tyler Black could be more likely to play and contribute than Mitchell has so far.

Mitchell, like Ortiz, could be used to pull off a deal similar to the Hardy-for-Gomez trade the Brewers did in the 2010-2011 offseason. The other option is to see if Mitchell can land some prospects or a competitive balance pick.

Which players do you think the Brewers should be putting on the market? Let us know in the comments below!