Brewers reportedly interested in Diamondbacks OFs

The Milwaukee Brewers outfield will look much different in 2023. Hunter Renfroe left through trade and was replaced with Jesse Winker. Garrett Mitchell, Esteury Ruiz, Sal Frelick, Joey Wiemer and even Jackson Chourio are all potentially in line for playing time next year. With a surplus of outfielders, it’s interesting that a report from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Repbulic indicated that the Brew Crew called to inquire about trading for one of the Diamondbacks outfielders.

Piecoro reports that about 10 teams have been in touch regarding one of the Diamondbacks outfielders. He specifically lists the Yankees, Brewers, Blue Jays, A’s, Marlins, White Sox and Reds.

With the Brewers' current logjam of outfielders, why would they want to bring in another player from the Diamondbacks. Additionally, which outfielder are they interested in?

There is no indication as to which outfielder the Brew Crew is interested in. However, the Diamondbacks are in a similar situation as the Brewers, as they also have a surplus of outfielders. They also have arguably the top prospect in baseball in Corbin Carroll. This could mean that outfielders Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy and Daulton Varsho are available in order to free up more opportunities for Carroll.

Out of the mentioned outfielders, Varsho is the most established major league player. He broke out in 2022 as the former catcher turned into an outfielder and mashed 27 home runs. Overall he played 71 games in right field, 54 in center field, 31 at catcher and 15 at designated hitter.

Varsho is also is a Wisconsin native. He would come with four years of club control, all of which are arbitration years. He’s an intriguing, controllable and versatile player. Those are all qualities that the Brewers love.

As for McCarthy and Thomas, both are not established in the big leagues. McCarthy has appeared in 123 games over the past two seasons, and Thomas debuted in 2022. McCarthy is a left-handed hitter, and the Brewers have plenty of those. It seems unlikely that the Crew are targeting either of them.

Regardless of whom the Brewers are interested in, a trade with the Diamondbacks for one of their outfielders will be costly. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen has indicated that he wants MLB-ready players in return. It won’t be as hefty of a price as Sean Murphy, but it would be a multiple-player deal.