Brewers Acquire Former Yankees Draft Pick For Nestor Cortes

The Milwaukee Brewers traded Nestor Cortes Jr. to the San Diego Padres on Thursday.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to break the news. “Brewers acquiring Brandon Lockridge from Padres for Nestor Cortes Jr., source tells @TheAthletic,” Rosenthal reported.

Lockridge, a 28-year-old outfielder, has limited major league experience. He has a .528 OPS with one home run, six RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 100 career at-bats. He made his MLB debut last season for San Diego.

Lockridge was selected by the New York Yankees in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. In 2019, he batted .251 with 12 homers, 56 RBI and 22 stolen bases for Single–A Charleston RiverDogs in 121 games.

The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pausing Lockridge's growth. In 2021, he thrived with High-A Hudson Valley Renegades and Double-A Somerset Patriots, posting a .298 average, 13 home runs and 18 steals in 75 total games. He stayed with Somerset in 2022, hitting .230 with 14 homers in 108 games, and in 2023 split time between Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, batting .296 with 40 stolen bases in 92 games. In 2024, he continued at Scranton to start the year, hitting .295 and swiping 34 bases.

In July 2024, the Yankees traded Lockridge to the Padres for Enyel De Los Santos and Thomas Balboni Jr. Added to the Padres’ 40-man roster, he debuted on September 13, 2024, and earned a spot on their 2025 Opening Day lineup.