Marlins Could Have Potential Trade Deadline Move With Brewers

The Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers could hook up for a potential trade before the MLB trade deadline.

May 11, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) reacts after striking out against the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Miami Marlins will likely be open for business before the MLB trade deadline, and the Milwaukee Brewers may be frustrated enough with one player to place a call to South Beach about one budding Marlins star in particular: Otto Lopez.

Why? Because the Brewers are clearly perturbed by the regression of second-year shortstop Joey Ortiz, who is slashing just .210/.268/.302 this season, so much so that manager Pat Murphy recently said he was "pissed" with Ortiz.

Milwaukee is neck and neck with the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, so even though Ortiz was once a top prospect, it may be time for the Brewers to consider cutting the cord. Matthew Trueblood of Brewer Fanatic even came up with a list of potential replacements for Ortiz, but he conspicuously left out Lopez, who is in the middle of an impressive campaign.

Lopez is slashing .250/.320/.392 with 11 home runs and 48 RBI over 328 trips to the dish in 2025. He registered an .812 OPS with four homers and 22 RBI in June, and he has played brilliant defense at both middle infield positions.

Miami may be willing to move Lopez for the right price, and if Milwaukee is really that tired of Ortiz, it could very well make an actual offer to try and pry the 26-year-old away from the Fish.

Lopez is under club control through 2029, just as long as Ortiz. He is also younger than Ortiz, as Lopez is still 26 while Ortiz just turned 27 earlier this month.

The Brewers boast a pretty terrific ballclub, but its clear they need some offensive upgrades. Lopez would definitely represent that over Ortiz, who has also been terrible at shortstop this season. To be fair, Ortiz played third base for Milwaukee last year, but was moved to clear space for Caleb Durbin.

It would not be surprising if the Brewers did inquire about Lopez. Whether or not they would be willing to meet the Marlins' likely hefty price tag is the question.

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