Milwaukee Brewers: Eric Thames a likely trade candidate this summer

To help make their playoff push, the Milwaukee Brewers could be active before the trade deadline and Eric Thames is a likely candidate to be a part of a trade package.

Following a strong 2017 campaign for the Milwaukee Brewers, Eric Thames was hoping to build on that performance in 2018, but after a stint on the IL with a thumb injury, he would lose his spot to a red-hot Jesus Aguilar and would never get on track.

That season, Thames’ role was reduced to sporadic starts at first base or in the outfield when Aguilar and Ryan Braun needed breaks and some pinch-hit opportunities.

For many hitters, it’s a difficult job to produce when they’re receiving inconsistent at-bats as they struggle to find any sort of rhythm and Thames was no different. Last season, he would post a slash line of .219/.306/.478, with only 16 home runs and he would strike out over a third of the time.

Entering the offseason there was speculation that Thames could have been traded at that time, but the Milwaukee Brewers held on to him and before we entered the 2019 season, it was up in the air what Thames’ role was going to be on this team.

Well once again, GM David Stearns made the correct move and held on to Thames, who has been splitting time with the struggling Aguilar at first base and in recent weeks has been more of the everyday starter because of his play at the plate.

On the season, Thames has a slash line of .248/.379/.456, with an OPS of .835. Thames’ batting average, OBP and OPS are all above his career averages in those respective categories.

While having Thames to fall back on has been nice to have, he really doesn’t fit into the Milwaukee Brewers long term plans and trading him before the deadline for another bullpen option or a starting pitcher may be the better route for the Brewers in 2019 as they have the horses to fill the hole at first base if Aguilar continues to have issues at the plate.

Now, obviously the hope is that Aguilar begins to figure it out, but if he does not and Thames is no longer on the team, the Milwaukee Brewers could call Keston Hiura back up from Triple-A to play second and Travis Shaw or Mike Moustakas could play at first, while the other plays at third.

Of course, this plan is contingent on Shaw putting it together as well, since you clearly don’t want a platoon of two players who are struggling to break .200 at the plate. Hopefully, Shaws 2-3 night with a walk against the Miami Marlins will get him going.

Given this potential cause for concern, this next month or so from Shaw and Aguilar could play a deciding factor into whether or not the Brewers do decide to trade Thames. With that said, I do see the above scenario as a likely solution if Milwaukee does end up finding a trade partner.

Thames alone isn’t going to get any worthwhile trade completed, but he could be a nice veteran add on for a team in need of a first baseman, or really any AL team looking for a DH, along with a minor league player or two.

As far as Thames’ contract goes, it shouldn’t be much of a factor in a team’s decision-making process in regards to whether or not they make the deal.

In 2019, Thames is due $6 million and has a base salary of $7.5 million in 2020. However, his contract does include an option in 2020 with a $1 million buyout. So whichever team does acquire Thames can move on from him at the end of the season without major implications.

A couple of candidates that the Milwaukee Brewers could be targeting on the trade market include Will Smith, the left-handed relief pitcher out of San Fransisco or Marcus Stroman, a righty with Toronto.

The expectations on this Milwaukee Brewers team are very high this season, and to help propel them back to the NLCS and hopefully beyond, being active at the trade deadline is a likely necessity.

While Thames has been a welcomed addition since joining this team in 2017, given the Brewers options around the infield and need for pitching, along with his solid play in 2019, making Thames a part of a trade package just makes sense.