Matching the Milwaukee Brewers With Their Most Likely MLB Trade Deadline Targets

With a 53-49 record coming into play on Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers are in the middle of a dogfight in the National League. They're two games out of first place in the NL Central and half a game out of the second Wild Card spot. If the Brew Crew want to qualify for the postseason, they'll likely need to invest in pitching at the MLB Trade Deadline.

With that in mind, here are five of the most likely trade deadline targets for the Brewers.

5. Madison Bumgarner, SP, San Francisco Giants

Madison Bumgarner's trade status is up in the air right now, as the San Francisco Giants are seemingly back in the playoff race, but if San Francisco does decide to sell, the Brewers could be a fit for the 29-year-old southpaw. Bumgarner is in the midst of another solid season and has been a quintessential innings-eater (six-plus innings in 17 of his 21 starts) for the Giants. With a wealth of postseason experience, Bumgarner could provide the Brewers with a bonafide ace for the stretch and potentially in the playoffs.

4. Will Smith, RP, San Francisco Giants

Josh Hader has been a dominant closer for the Brewers this season, but finding a reliable late-inning bridge to him has been a struggle for the rest of Milwaukee's bullpen (4.41 ERA, No. 14 in MLB). That being said, adding a rental like Will Smith at the deadline could be just what the Brewers need. The 30-year-old lefty has been lights-out for the Giants, notching 24 saves to go along with a 2.55 ERA and 0.92 WHIP this season.

3. Marcus Stroman, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

Marcus Stroman has been one of the American League's best pitchers this season, despite his 6-10 record. Sporting a 3.06 ERA (No. 5 in AL) and a 3.0 WAR (No. 7 in AL) across 20 starts this year, Stroman could provide an upgrade to Milwaukee's rotation. Since the right-hander is under team control through the 2020 season, Stroman could provide the Brew Crew with a front-line starter this season and into the future, as he seemingly heads into his prime.

2. Zack Wheeler, SP, New York Mets

This isn't the first time that the Brewers have shown interest in Zack Wheeler at the MLB Trade Deadline, but it could finally be the year that they acquire the soon-to-be free agent righty. The Brew Crew's rotation has been rounding into form lately, but could still use another starter if they want to come out on top in the NL Central. Wheeler has electric stuff and a change of scenery could be just what he needs to rediscover the ace-caliber stuff he displayed in the second half of last season (9-1, 1.68 ERA in 11 starts).

1. Ken Giles, RP, Toronto Blue Jays

The trade market for relievers is flush with talent this year, but Ken Giles could be the perfect addition to Milwaukee's bullpen. The 28-year-old fireballer has been borderline unhittable for Toronto, posting a 1.64 ERA with 14 saves (1 blown save) and 57 strikeouts across 33 innings pitched this season. Giles could serve as a dominant setup man or closer for the Brewers and shouldn't command too high a price as he'll be a free agent at the end of the season.

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Mike Esposito is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Esposito also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username espo6891. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.