The Brewers figure to buy at the trade deadline. Here are 8 players they could target.

Things should be a bit less chaotic this time around.

Don’t expect the Milwaukee Brewers, burned by the fallout from trading away Josh Hader last year, to do anything that level of daring at the trade deadline this season.

But while Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, Willy Adames and so on will all – almost certainly – still be in a Brewers uniform once the Aug. 1 deadline passes, don’t expect the Brewers to be any less active in general manager Matt Arnold’s first spin as the head of baseball operations.

This year’s market, of course, is highlighted by the lingering question of what the Los Angeles Angels do with Shohei Ohtani, but if you look past that, there is still a fairly deep crop of position players that could become available.

And while there might be a dearth of top-tier starting pitching, especially without the likes of Burnes available, the Brewers are much more likely to dabble in the expansive field of relief pitchers, a market that could, funny enough, actually be headlined by Hader yet again.

With an offense in need of some upgrades and the ever-present desire to bolster the bullpen for the stretch run, the Brewers could target these eight players over the coming weeks.

Hitters

Randal Grichuk, outfield, Colorado Rockies

The Brewers have gotten a .559 OPS from the right-field position this season. That is quite bad; so much so that it would be the worst of any team since the 1979 Athletics.

An upgrade is desperately needed.

Grichuk is one of a handful of names that would make sense. In the final year of his contract in Colorado, he has a 116 OPS+ in 55 games, can play all three outfield positions but is best in right, where he would get almost all of his playing time if traded to Milwaukee.

Teoscar Hernandez, outfield, Seattle Mariners

The buy-or-sell decisions of three American League teams could have a direct impact on the Brewers’ activity at the deadline.

Boston, Seattle and Los Angeles are all still at least somewhat in contention in the wild card race. The Red Sox were 1.5 games back of the third wild-card spot entering the week, while the Angels were farthest back at five games.

Boston is full of hitters who would be upgrades at key positions for Milwaukee – Justin Turner, Rob Refsnyder and Adam Duvall stand out – but it’s hard to see a large market like that punting on playoff contention unless they fall back in the race over the next two weeks.

It might make sense for Seattle, with a 46-46 record entering the week, to sell off expiring assets like Hernandez, a corner outfielder who has won two Silver Slugger awards and has a .823 OPS since 2020.

Tommy Pham, outfield, New York Mets

The Mets being sellers at the deadline was not a likely outcome three months ago, yet here we are. They’re nine games back in the wild-card chase and need to improve their organizational depth heading into next season.

Pham is a prime target to be moved. He has a 128 OPS+ with elite exit velocity and plate discipline numbers, and while he doesn’t have great range in the outfield, has enough arm strength to play a passable right field.

Pham also crushed lefties, something the Brewers could certainly use.

Ty France, first base, Seattle Mariners

The Brewers’ first base situation is something of a conundrum. They have gotten poor production from that spot (.644 OPS is second-worst in baseball). They have a proven performer in Rowdy Tellez there, but he will be out until mid-August and it’s no guarantee he will return to his old form once he’s back.

Owen Miller has been a passable performer on offense, but is far from the impact bat you want at the position. Keston Hiura exists at Triple-A, but the Brewers have been in no rush to call him back up.

France was an all-star in 2022, but hasn’t been as good this season with a .700 OPS. Still, there’s enough of a track record there (117 career OPS+) and two more years of control after 2023 that he would be an attractive target if Seattle makes him available.

Other names of note

First base: C.J. Cron, Rockies; Carlos Santana, Pirates

Second base: Andy Ibanez, Tigers; Zack McKinstry, Tigers

Third base: Jeimer Candelario, Nationals

Designated hitter: Mike Ford, Mariners; Andrew McCutchen, Pirates; Eloy Jimenez, White Sox; Justin Turner, Red Sox

Outfield: Max Kepler, Twins; Cody Bellinger, Cubs

Pitchers

Keynan Middleton, right-handed pitcher, Chicago White Sox

The AL Central may be the worst division in baseball, but it’s not without intriguing bullpen options for buyers.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell mentioned following Sunday’s game he would like for one more reliever to step up as a potential late-game option, and perhaps the team could dip into the Central to find them.

Middleton, like teammate Kendall Graveman, is one of those options. In 35 games this year, he has a 3.00 ERA with 43 strikeouts to 13 walks. He gets excellent swing and miss numbers on all three of his pitches – changeup, slider and four-seam.

He is a free agent at year’s end.

Jose Cisnero, right-handed pitcher, Detroit Tigers

Cisnero, another player set to hit free agency this winter, has been solid for the Tigers with a 3.34 ERA in 35 innings. Take out a blowup outing just prior to the break and he’s allowed only eight earned runs.

A rare reliever who throws five pitches, perhaps the Brewers could maximize his arsenal by simplifying it.

Scott Barlow, right-handed pitcher, Kansas City Royals

Barlow, the Royals closer the last three seasons, has a 2.61 ERA in that span with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He doesn’t throw all that hard, but his fastball plays up due to its metrics and he thrives on weak contact thanks to his wicked slider.

With a year left of team control after this, he would be an enticing option for Milwaukee.

Chris Stratton, right-handed pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals

While it’s difficult to see the underwhelming Cardinals pawning off one of their top players like Paul Goldschmidt or Ryan Helsley to a division rival – if they trade them at all – someone like Stratton doesn’t quite rise to that level.

Still, though, the righty has been a solid reliever for St. Louis since being acquired at least year’s deadline.

Stratton had a 2.78 ERA in 2022 with the Cardinals and has a 3.97 mark over 47 ⅔ innings this season with underlying numbers saying he’s deserved even better results. The veteran can fill a variety of roles, eat innings and is a free agent at year’s end.

'A huge statement': Brewers sweep Reds in Cincinnati, open two-game lead in NL Central

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 2023 MLB trade deadline players the Milwaukee Brewers could target