Red Sox-Brewers Trade Idea Sees Milwaukee Cut Ties With $34 Million Power Bat

The longer the Milwaukee Brewers hover around .500, the more confusing their trade deadline prospects become.

It's rare to see the Brewers mortgage their future, but they'll bring in some veterans to help the cause if they think they're in the race. But at the same time, when they have a big name about to hit free agency, they're always willing to listen to other teams' offers.

The Brewers have one veteran bat going gangbusters at the moment--first baseman Rhys Hoskins. The 32-year-old has a 145 OPS+ in 48 games, and with only seven home runs, there's a chance the surge might continue if his power increases.

The Brewers and Hoskins do have a mutual option for $18 million next season, but wouldn't one side or the other decline it based on the slugger's performance? It certainly seems as though a trade could go down eventually.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly wrote that the Boston Red Sox make sense as a potential landing spot for Hoskins, because they still haven't replaced the injured Triston Casas in a permanent fashion.

"It's very easy to imagine a pull hitter with power like Hoskins thriving at Fenway Park," Kelly wrote. "The question is whether the Brewers will be in a position to wave the white flag this summer. They've disappointed so far, but at 24-26 are still within striking distance of the Chicago Cubs.

"With that said, the Brewers showed with the trade of Josh Hader during the 2022 season that they aren't necessarily afraid to move veterans they think are about to depart in free agency, even if the current iteration of the team is in contention."

The Red Sox have a deep farm system that the Brewers would love to poach from, especially after sending Boston one of their own farmhands in outfielder Yophery Rodriguez earlier this season in the Quinn Priester trade.

Ultimately, the Brewers have a couple of months to decide whether Hoskins is on the table. How he hits, coupled with where they are in the standings, should eventually lead them to an answer.

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