Milwaukee Brewers roundtable: Who are their trade targets?
As the calendar continues to creep toward July, the trade rumors ramp up. Who could the Milwaukee Brewers target in a trade this season?
The Milwaukee Brewers‘ weekly roundtable is back to discuss trades! That’s right, it’s almost trade season. The non-waiver trade deadline is July 31 which means we have a little while to go, but it’s never too early! Here are what three Dairyland Express writers have to say bout the current trade market
1. Name three players the Brewers could realistically trade for that would help the team THIS season.
Brian Sampson (@BrianSampsonNBA): A.J. Ellis, Jose Iglesias and Freddy Galvis. None of these three players are guys who would push the Brewers over the top one way or the other, but they would each have their role on the team.
Ellis is 37-years-old, but is having a career year at the plate for the San Diego Padres hitting .304 with a .402 on-base percentage. He’s unlikely to continue that throughout the rest of the season, but would give the Brewers a decent backup option behind the defensive-minded Manny Pina.
Iglesias and Galvis are also defensive-minded players at shortstop and would provide Milwaukee with some much-needed depth up the middle. Orlando Arcia has struggled in all aspects of the game so these two guys would at least provide the team with some stability on defense even if they are below-average hitters. Smaller moves like these are the most realistic for the Brewers this season.
Mitch Reichert (@MitchReichert): Jed Lowrie, Nick Hundley, and J.A. Happ.
Starting with Lowrie, it’s no secret second base has been an issue for the Brewers for much of this season. Jonathan Villar has performed better as of late, but is still making silly mistakes that you don’t want to see on a contending team. Lowrie is currently having a monster year for the Oakland Athletics, batting to a .285/.349/.466 line and has the ability to also play short stop and third base. The switch-hitting Lowrie is in the last year of a four-year, $28 million deal and is only owed $6 million this season.
Nick Hundley is even cheaper, having signed for just $2.5 million this past offseason. Hundley is another guy who is currently performing on another level having hit seven long balls this year for the San Francisco Giants. Adding Hundley could help stabilize an inconsistent catching position for the Brewers and shouldn’t cost them much in terms of prospects.
Lastly, J.A. Happ would be the priciest of the names mentioned, in terms of both cash and prospects. Happ is owed $13 million for the remainder of the season and is in all likelihood going to be difficult to acquire as every team is looking for pitching.
Mike Wendlandt (@MikeWendlandt): I’ll start with the obvious name in Chris Archer. The team just made a trade with Tampa, showing that the phone lines are open for them to talk a bigger move. And while Archer is struggling this year and is currently injured, his natural ability and charisma would be a great fit in the Brewers rotation. And with his struggles and injury, he could be had for a lesser price as well. Think similar to the Sonny Gray last year for the Yankees.
The next name would be JT Realmuto. The Marlins catcher would be a great fit in the seven-spot in the batting order and brings top-flight athleticism and hitting ability to the position. As much as I like Manny Pina, his struggles at the plate are a major problem and I don’t expect a 38-year old Erik Kratz to continue his current pace. I’d gladly send them Luis Ortiz as a centerpiece to get Realmuto.
Finally, looking to boost the middle of the rotation, I’d look at Kevin Gausman from the Orioles. Stuck with horrible luck throughout his tenure in the big leagues, he’s always had very good stuff on the mound and could benefit from a move out of the AL East.