Almost a week ago, the Milwaukee Brewers traded two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees for left-handed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin. The move, which was expected by just about everyone around baseball, was made because Williams is going to be too expensive for the Brewers to sign once he hits free agency following the 2025 MLB season.
The same is true for Cortes, however. In addition to trading Williams before he hits free agency, Milwaukee received flexibility in replacing shortstop Willy Adames as Durbin can play either second or third base, meaning that either Joey Ortiz or Brice Turang can move to short.
There is, however, one more player that the Brewers are rumored to want to move this offseason.
The Milwaukee Brewers Want to Trade First Baseman Rhys Hoskins
According to a report by MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Brewers are looking into trading first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who picked up his $18 million player option earlier this season:
“As one might suspect, the budget-conscious Brewers are open to moving first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who will earn $18 million next season and also is owed a $4 million buyout on a mutual option for 2026.”
Hoskins signed with the Brewers ahead of the 2023 season after missing all of 2022 with the Philadelphia Phillies due to a torn ACL he suffered during Spring Training.
In his lone season with Milwaukee, Hoskins hit .214/.303/.419 with 26 home runs and 82 RBI.
According to reports earlier this offseason, the Brewers were planning on pursuing 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt in free agency before Hoskins picked up his option. Goldschmidt, who hit .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI last year for the St. Louis Cardinals, is still a free agent.
MLB Analyst Suggest the Milwaukee Brewers Trade Rhys Hoskins to the Pittsburgh Pirates
With the Brewers presumably actively shopping Hoskins, there are a plethora of trade scenarios that MLB reporters and analysts are putting forward. One such proposal is from Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, who suggests that Milwaukee send Hoskins and $8 million to the Pittsburgh Pirates for shortstop prospect Tsung-Che Cheng (their 16th overall prospect).
“By no means do we think they’re tanking the upcoming season, this despite losing Willy Adames to the Giants and trading Devin Williams to the Yankees. But if they can move Hoskins and save a huge chunk of money, they’ll happily take their chances on Tyler Black as an everyday first baseman to make it happen.
“The tricky part is finding a team that would be willing to take on Hoskins’ salary, when there are so many first basemen—Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell and Carlos Santana—still available in free agency.
“If the Brewers are willing to at least buy down the salary a bit, though, the Pirates could be an interested party.”
Tsung-Che Cheng, the shortstop Milwaukee would receive in his scenario, hit .2225/.329/.347 with 11 home runs, 55 RBI, and 17 stolen bases for Double-A and Triple-A last season. Of the 132 games Cheng played last season, 126 of them came at Double-A, where he hit .218/.320/.341.
Of course, the idea behind this trade is that it would give Milwaukee the chance to promote Tyler Black to take over as their everyday first baseman. However, Black hit just .204/.316/.245 in 18 games with the Brewers last season. However, he hit .258/.375/.429 with 14 home runs, 67 RBI, and 20 stolen bases with Triple-A.
The fact of the matter, though, is that if the Brewers want to trade Hoskins, they will likely have to send money in the deal, as Miller stated above. That may not be something they are willing to do.
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