Both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Milwaukee Brewers are competitive teams with gaps that need to be filled this off-season. Whereas Toronto needs outfielders, Milwaukee needs starting pitchers. We shall examine a trading scenario that benefits both parties in this essay.
Milwaukee, who non-tendered Brandon Woodruff last week and could look to trade Corbin Burnes this winter instead of letting him walk at the end of the 2024 season, could benefit greatly from an experienced controllable starting pitcher. They have Freddy Peralta locked up until locked up through 2026, but may be relying upon prospects such as Robert Gasser, Carlos Rodriguez, and Jacob Misiorowski in the near future.
Toronto currently only has Daulton Varsho, George Springer, and Nathan Lukes as outfielders on their 40-man roster. This off-season they will be searching for one more everyday outfielder, but adding in a promising young player with MiLB options remaining could be considered as well.
Trade proposal sends starting pitcher Alek Manoah to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfielder Joey Wiemer.
Proposed Trade:
Milwaukee Brewers receive:
- RHP Alek Manoah
Toronto Blue Jays receive
OF Joey Wiemer
This exchange of players may benefit each side. Alek Manoah, who struggled in 2023 but was a Cy Young finalist in 2022 and rookie of the year candidate in 2021, could benefit from a change of scenery. There are some question marks regarding his health in which he reportedly underwent shoulder PRP injections last year, but he has not yet reached arbitration and is controllable through the 2027 season.
Joey Wiemer, who was a rookie for the Brewers last year, played excellent defense but struggled to be consistent at the plate. He could be traded by Milwaukee because outfield depth is a position of strength for them. The hard swinging right-hander sent a lot of baseballs a long way but also had a 28% strikeout rate and whiffed on a lot of pitches. Continued big league at-bats could go a long way in his development.
This deal is rated as fair by Baseball Trade Values. Joey Wiemer has a median value of 17.9, whereas Alek Manoah’s is 14.40. Based on this computation, the Blue Jays would marginally “win the trade” against the Brewers; nevertheless, in practice, this transaction would benefit both parties.
