This would be another combination for the last Brewers/Rangers trade. I think I'd start with this one and revert to the Jung/Bratt trade if that didn't work.

I don't think the Brewers trade Ashby this off season. They signed him to the long-term contract and since Burnes or Woodruff may be traded, they will want to keep Ashby and his reasonable contract. I also think it would be a bad look for the Brewers to trade him after he committed to Milwaukee long term.

Thank you for your opinion and reply. If Matt Arnold is also thinking like you, then how about trading Ashby and Urias for Kirk and Espinal (51.10 TV). You cover 2 needed positions and still have reasonable cost and 4 years of control on each. Or maybe Kirk and Zulueta (44.4TV) so you get another young pitcher to cover Ashby’s absence and still have a proven MLB catcher. I realize Jung is a top prospect and plays a position of need, but his rookie year didn’t go so well. (.203/.235.418.) Small sample size I realize but if I’m going to trade Urias and Ashby I’d like a little more certainty. The trade doesn’t have to be for Kirk, I just use that as an example of getting a proven player. Now with all that said, if Texas really believes that Jung will become a MLB star beginning as soon as next year, I don’t think they make this trade. I also doubt Toronto approves the trades I suggested unless other players are involved. I also like Arraez, Ober, and Urshila from the Twins in a trade for Ashby and Urias. ps: Just to be clear, I wasn't worried about Ashby's feelings. My thinking was that players like Mitchell, Frelick, Wiemer etc. would maybe hesitate to sign a longer-term contract if they felt the Brewers were going to just trade them anyway. But, as you said, maybe that doesn't matter to them as long as they have the security of a contract. That makes sense.

I think the Rangers have demonstrated that they have deeper pockets than most and can cover some miscues with dollars for a replacement. They also have a top 10 farm club even with Jung's departure. They have six players in the top 100 prospects. If/when Kumar Rocker starts lighting it up they'd still have six in the top 100 with Jung's departure from the list. Bringing in a pitcher like Ashby would be very tantalizing to ignore. Imagine RHP Leiter, LHP Ashby, RHP Rocker in the not too distant future. If they bring up former Brewer farmhand Kelly (for Matt Bush: my God!), there's another LHP to add to the list. While I can appreciate your Blue Jay scenario, why those pieces? Kirk's already a star at the position and the Blue Jays are contending now. You mention the Rangers reticence to depart with Jung. Similarly, why would the Blue Jays want to part with Kirk? I think the Zulueta scenario is more plausible. If you view the trades I posted recently as a series of moves, I think the Brewers best course of action is to move higher priced older infield talent (Wong) and higher price arb eligible INF talent (Urias) out to conserve money for Woodruff and Burnes. Brice Turang is ready to go for 2023. He can play 2nd or rotate to 3rd. The only exception on the INF is Adames. He's going to have to revert to 2021 form instead of the boom or bust HR SS we saw in 2022. The Brewers have too many of those already. Adames is the heart of that team now. You need guys like that to make it fun in the clubhouse. In my opinion, the Adames trade was the best of Stearns' tenure. Willy is a bonafide leader and someone the team can rally around. If the Brewers have any chance in 2023, this is what I think they could/should be considering all my suggested trades would go through: Rotation: Burnes (extended) Woodruff (extended) Lauer (arb or extended) Houser (arb) DL Hall (from the Orioles) Gasser (if you go with a six man rotation) Pen: Boxberger Cousins Topa Gott? Milner? Suter (long relief? I love the guy but I think he's washed) Small (long relief?) Fulmer (Free Agent signing) setup or closer Williams setup or closer INF Tellez 1B (Huira back up) Turang 2nd (Huira or somebody else as a back up, maybe call up Valerio? or a cheap FA) Adames SS (Turang back up) Jung 3rd (Peterson back up) Narvaez C (Feliciano back up) OF LF Yelich (holding my nose, noodle arm. How he qualified for a Gold Glove....?) (Mitchell and Weimer/Ruiz as back ups) CF Mitchell (back up Frelick) OF Renfroe (back up Frelick, Weimer/Ruiz) Ideally, I'd like to see Mitchell in LF, Frelick in CF, and Renfroe in RF. Yelich is such an albatross. If there was a way to trade him, I wish they would. He's a great guy but, unfortunately, you can't pay a guy like that to be a leadoff hitter or a six spot. DH Huira and Yelich. Rotation based on matchups but Huira needs AB's, in my opinion to be consistent. Batting Order: Yelich (Oh God why?!?) would prefer Frelick here. Mitchell Adames Tellez Renfroe Narvaez Turang Huira Jung OR Frelick (provided he continues to light it up at the plate) Adames Huira Tellez Renfroe Turang Narvaez Mitchell Jung

One thing I didn't address was 3rd base and 2nd base with the Freddy Peralta trade. Westburg could also play 2nd base in a rotation. If he shows enough power, he could be a back up at 3rd base. Mayo could play 3rd base or 1st base as a back up. That way if Huira would need to be packaged in a trade with other assets, the Brewers could alleviate a potential DH log jam. Now, I realize that all these rookies will not pan out and there will be some growing pains. Unfortunately, however, that is the current reality with a team unwilling to spend beyond what is comfortable.