Milwaukee Brewers Reportedly Willing To Trade Anyone On The Roster, Could Star Players Get Dealt?

It could be an offseason of significant changes for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Despite winning 92 games in 2023 and taking home another National League Central title, the Brewers could potentially be on the road to a sweeping overhaul. First, now-former manager Craig Counsell departed for the Chicago Cubs and a massive pay day.

READ: NEW CUBS MANAGER CRAIG COUNSELL WOULD HAVE BEEN THE HIGHEST PAID PLAYER ON THE OAKLAND A’S

Now, a new report hints at potentially more impactful changes that could drastically alter the product actually on the field. According to a Ken Rosenthal report, the Brewers are open to trading "virtually any player" on the 26-man roster. And that's a roster with some important names on it.

The Brewers, despite running relatively low payrolls, still have former MVP Christian Yelich, star starter Brandon Woodruff and the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, Corbin Burnes. Not to mention lesser-known, but still useful players like shortstop Willy Adames.

With a relatively weak free agent class, Milwaukee could be quite busy, if Rosenthal's to be believed.

MILWAUKEE - Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers takes the field prior to Game 1 of the Wild Card Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 3. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Brewers Have Plenty Of Talent, Little Money To Spend

According to Rosenthal, the Brewers' main issue is that most of their key players are rapidly approaching free agency. And for a team that operates on a limited budget, the decision hinges on whether to risk letting them get away for nothing, or maximize a potential trade return before they become midseason rentals.

Burnes is a free agent after the 2024 season, and already has a strained relationship with the organization after it blamed him for missing the playoffs.

Same with Woodruff, who carries with him the added problem of missing the entire 2024 season after a late-2023 surgery. So if Woodruff and Burnes are likely to play elsewhere in 2025, that makes a rebuild significantly more likely. And Christian Yelich would be awfully expensive for a rebuilding team.

Adames too is a free agent after 2024, and has been worth a combined eight wins the past two seasons, thanks to exceptionally strong defensive metrics. Put simply, the 2025 Brewers roster isn't likely to look anything like it did in 2023.

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has long resisted the type of Cubs or Orioles style teardown that leads to years of futility to hoard top draft picks. But unless he's willing to throw down significant cash to retain his free agents to be, that may be the best path forward.

The Brewers already traded Mark Canha just to avoid paying a $1 million buyout. Now it turns out there may be a lot more cost-saving trades to come this offseason.