With a deep farm system, it is often inevitable that some prospects will find themselves heading elsewhere. But which prospects should the Brewers move? It can be a hard call that could be painful for Brewers fans down the road.

Let’s look at four possibilities, which are either among the Brewer Fanatic Top 20 or the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospect lists.

3B Brock Wilken (#8 MLB Pipeline, #7 Brewer Fanatic)

.199/.312/.363 in 402 AB, 15 doubles, 17 home runs, 63 BB, 133 K with Double-A Biloxi

Take away a horrible August and September (and Arizona Fall League), and Brock Wilken had a decent year despite a real injury scare early in the 2024 season.

However, his late-season slump and his struggles in the Arizona Fall League may make it worth the Brewers’ while to consider selling (relatively) high on their 2023 first-round pick.

Wilken had a pure three-true-outcomes bat over the year.

The problem was his batting average didn’t cross the Uecker line, and he only stole one base over the course of the season. Still, it was his first full professional season, and he arguably warrants a mulligan after his injury in 2024.

It’s not as if there aren’t other options at third base in the system. Tyler Black held it solidly in 2023 in Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville, though defensive concerns may keep him off the cornerstone in Milwaukee. Mike Boeve looks like a left-handed version of one-time Brewer Jeff Cirillo.

Eric Bitonti brings a good power profile from the left side of the plate. Luke Adams has posted a strong three-true-outcome bat similar to Wilken’s but has also stolen 58 bases over his two full seasons in professional ball.

It’s not that Wilken is a bad option, but the Brewers arguably have several other great options for the hot corner, and as a firmer first-round pick, Wilken can net a better return.

SS Jorge Quintana (#25 MLB Pipeline)

.250/.361/.380 in 200 AB, 14 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 33 BB, 51 K with FRk DSL Brewers 1

Quintana was one of three shortstops the Brewers signed before the 2024 season. He wasn’t horrible. The switch-hitter flashed speed and on-base skills. However, offensively, he was overshadowed by Jesus Made and Luis Pena.

Made earned Brewer Fanatic Short-Season Minor-League Hitter of the Year honors with an excellent season in which he drew more walks than strikeouts.

At the same time, Pena flashed elite contact-hitting skills and posted a .393 batting average.

Quintana got a $1.7 million bonus to sign with the Brewers, who haven’t been shy about trading infielders in the lower levels of the minors for help elsewhere (the Crew traded Jhonny Severino for Carlos Santana in 2023, packaged Alex Binelas with David Hamilton and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the deal that brought Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee, and dealt Gregory Barrios for Aaron Civale in 2024). Quintana may be the next to be moved along those lines.

SS Filippo Di Turi (#23 MLB Pipeline)

.225/.358/.294 in 320 AB, 15 doubles, two triples, one home run, 64 BB, 84 K with Rk ACL Brewers and Single-A Carolina

Di Turi is another switch-hitter, and he’s got OBP skills galore. The issue here is a lack of pop and a high strikeout rate, particularly with Carolina. He’s been bypassed by 2023 draft pick Cooper Pratt, who reached as high as Double-A Biloxi. He’s facing Made and Pena as potential competition in 2025.

That said, he received a $1.3 million bonus, and he could be enticing enough given the .358 on-base percentage he displayed, even in a down year.

2B/OF Dylan O’Rae (#26 MLB Pipeline)

.217/.356/.265 in 475 ABs, 14 doubles, three triples, one home run, 87 walks, 122 strikeouts between Advanced-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi

O’Rae’s biggest asset is his speed – 106 stolen bases in two full professional seasons. That and excellent on-base ability make him a potential threat at the top of a lineup. His low batting average is not as bad as it looks, either – he spent half the year in Biloxi as a 20-year-old, over three and a half years below the league’s average age.

He’s a lot like Esteury Ruiz, who the Brewers acquired in the Josh Hader deal, only with more positional versatility and better plate discipline.

O’Rae faces a lot of competition at either the middle infield or the outfield in the Brewers system. Still, the Brewers were able to turn Ruiz into a package of William Contreras, Joel Payamps, and minor-league pitcher Justin Yeager. Could the same be done with O’Rae?

Which top prospects do you think the Brewers should consider moving? Let us know in the comments below!