If the last few seasons of baseball discourse have taught us anything, it's that it's never too early to start thinking about trade possibilities.
Even if trades still accumulate around the deadline, teams are becoming more receptive to making them early in the season, and the Milwaukee Brewers are a great example of that principle. Last season, they acquired Quinn Priester from the Boston Red Sox in April, and if they hadn't done so, they almost certainly would not have finished with the best regular-season record in baseball.
This year, we're not as certain about what the Brewers might be looking for in trades, but we can probably be sure that they'll make some. This exercise is about predicting which current Brewers players and prospects might be expendable in those trades.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Rob Zastryzny (58) throws in the outfield during spring training workouts Saturday, February 14, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Zastryzny is 34 and doesn't have any options left, and he just started a rehab assignment from a shoulder impingement. But there's also a case to be made that the Brewers' bullpen is already too left-handed, and he might not have priority over someone like DL Hall for the fourth lefty spot.
If the Brewers are going to trade a major leaguer anytime soon, Zastryzny seems like the No. 1 candidate, and if it's not him, another lefty bullpen arm (like Hall or Jared Koenig ) would make sense too.
Starting pitching depth has become a weapon for the Brewers, to the point where it's hard to project which young arms will be a part of the rotation at the end of the year. Henderson looked great in his five starts last season, but there's now a case to be made that he's expendable after the arrivals of Brandon Sproat and Kyle Harrison .
If it's not Henderson, then look for some other young, major league-ready starter to be packaged in a trade by the end of July.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Luis Lara plays catch during spring training workouts Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It becomes very difficult to figure out which position player prospects the Brewers might trade. It won't be Jess Made or Luis Pea, nor will it be Cooper Pratt, who just signed his pre-debut extension. The recently debuted Jeferson Quero was an option, but the Brewers might need to hold on him in case they think about trading William Contreras later.
That leaves Lara, who impressed many with his athleticism in camp, as the best position player who the Brewers would be smart to make available between now and the deadline if he helps them land an extra piece to assist in a pennant push.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/brewers/onsi as 3 Most Likely Brewers Trade Candidates to Watch Closely This Season .
