Milwaukee Brewers: David Stearns’ 5 best moves in first year
By Tim Muma
These are just five of the numerous transactions David Stearns has already made for the Milwaukee Brewers. And trust me, there will be many more to come over the next year.
There were also a few deals he made within the past year that could have slipped into the top five and should be considered honorable mentions.
Stearns signed first baseman Chris Carter to a one-year, $2.5 million deal in the offseason. Carter responded by blasting a career-high 38 home runs, good for second in the NL (numbers as of Monday morning).
He also currently has an .807 OPS for the Brewers, despite setting a franchise record for strikeouts (199 and counting). Carter is under team control through 2019.
Stearns also traded outfielder Khris Davis to the Oakland A’s in exchange for catcher Jacob Nottingham and pitcher Bubba Derby. Both players are minor leaguers, but Nottingham has a chance to be a power-hitting catcher in the bigs if he develops.
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Don’t forget about the trade of Will Smith to the San Francisco Giants for catcher Andrew Susac and the Giants’ number two prospect, starting pitcher Phil Bickford. Bickford has a career 2.78 minor league ERA with 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
There’s a chance Stearns gets even more aggressive this winter as he continues to try and push the Brewers forward.
Many feel the club is already a touch ahead of schedule thanks to guys like Villar, Davies and Domingo Santana.
Players like Ryan Braun, Scooter Gennett and Tyler Thornburg could draw additional interest on the market, making it feasible one or more of them are flipped as well.
Next: Milwaukee Brewers: What to do with Jonathan Villar?
If things keep progressing like they have – on the field and off – we’ll need a top-10 list by the end of next season. It would also mean Stearns is quickly steering the franchise closer to the Promised Land.