With reports that the Brewers are willing to trade anyone, who should the Mariners target?

The Brewers had a very solid 2023 season, winning a usually very talented NL Central. They won 92 games but lost in the first round to the NL Pennant winning Arizona Diamondbacks. They have some pretty talented players on their roster, but with Craig Counsel moving to division rival, Chicago Cubs, as well as some arbitration guys getting pretty expensive, this team seems to be looking to sort of reset. Let's look at 4 Brewers and examine their fit with the Mariners.

Mariners First Target: Devin Williams

The Mariners traded Paul Sewald at the deadline and I felt like they really missed him. Adding another high-leverage reliever to this bullpen should be a priority. There are quite a few solid free agents like Reynaldo Lopez, Robert Stephenson, or Matt Moore, but none of them are as good as Devin Williams. Williams is, without a doubt, the best fit for the Mariners, from the Brewers.

Williams immediately becomes this bullpen's best arm. He has a career 1.89 ERA with a 14.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9. He has gotten better every year improving in most categories. Relievers can be volatile, but Williams has been consistently one of the best relievers in baseball. Williams is under control through 2025, but is projected to earn only $6 million in 2023, which is an absolute steal for him.

If the Mariners were to trade for WIlliams, it would hurt. The Mariners traded Sewald, who had the same amount of control, but was not on the same level as Williams, and received an older prospect that hit everywhere, a solid, but struggling middle infielder, and a solid middle infield prospect close to the bigs.

I don't know if the Brewers would want the same type of package, or if they value prospects more, but it will be expensive. I would guess it would cost the Mariners something along the lines up Gabriel Gonzalez, Michael Arroyo, and maybe a pitcher like Michael Morales. I don't see the Mariners trading Cole Young here and I don't see the Mariners swapping a pitcher like Miller or Woo, with 5 or 6 years of control for a reliever with 2 years, but if the Brewers were to send over more on top of Williams, then maybe.

Mariners Target #2: Corbin Burnes

Where Williams is the best fit for this team, Corbin Burnes has probably the biggest impact on this team in 2024 alone. He is a one-year rental, so the value is hard to gauge. On one hand, he is a rental, on the other hand, over the last 3 years he has an average fWAR of 5.17. That is a truly elite talent and immediately becomes this teams 1A with Castillo and Kirby. The scary thing here is that Burnes' strikeout numbers have decreased every year, while his walk numbers have increased every year.

Burnes is a pitcher that every team would want, but considering what the Brewers would most likely expect to get for him, I just don't know if it is worth it. An interesting proposal from Jeremy Krom was Corbin Burnes and Christian Yelich for Bryce Miller and Jarred Kelenic. This is a big trade for both sides here, but one that would surely make the 2024 roster better.

However, you are taking on a lot of money and giving up a lot of control. I think the Corbin Burnes to the Mariners trade is highly unlikely and frankly, one I don't think I would care too much to see, unless it was a steal of a deal for the Mariners.

Mariners Target #4: Christian Yelich

Long gone are the days of Yelich hitting .330 with 30-40 home runs and compiling a 7+ fWAR. However, he is still a very solid player after a 4 win season last year. He slashed .278/.370/.447 with 19 home runs and 28 stolen bases. He is a CTZ guy with a BB% of 12% and a K% of 21.8%. Yelich is one of my favorite players of this era and I think that his swing and playing skills would do so well in Seattle. He's a gap-to-gap hitter with above-average walk and strikeout rates and would look great hitting in the lefty-friendly confines of T-Mobile Park.

The hardest part about dealing with Yelich is the contract. He signed a 7-year $188 million dollar extension with the Brewers in 2020. The contract has 5 years and $130 million left on it. There is no way the Mariners are eating that whole contract. As I mentioned earlier, Jeremy Krom proposed Yelich and Burnes for Miller and Kelenic with the Brewers eating $5-$7 million per year.

This could be a similar deal to when the Mariners traded Cano and Diaz to the Mets for Kelenic and a couple of other prospects. I wonder if the Mariners could get Yelich and Devin Williams for Kelenic and a prospect or 2 and the Brewers send $5 million a year to cover the difference. I would love that deal! One can dream! Go Mariners!