Milwaukee Brewers: Looking back at the Carlos Gomez trade

Domingo Santana

Domingo Santana certainly had his ups and downs in a Milwaukee Brewer uniform. His ability to get on base was never questioned as in four years with the Brewers he had a .354 on base percentage. 

After being arguably the best offensive player for a Milwaukee squad that was one game away from the playoffs in 2017, he regressed in 2018 and was pushed out of the starting lineup by the aforementioned acquisitions of Cain and Yelich who both had All-Star season. He was even sent down to AAA for 55 games in 2018.

Santana did come back strong from the minors and was an important piece as the most reliable bat off the bench for the Brewers in the playoffs. He drove in three runs as a pinch hitter in the NLCS and without him, the series may have not gotten to seven games.

In December, he was traded for Ben Gamel and pitching prospect Noah Zavolas. Zavolas is 23 years old and recently threw a complete game two-hitter with 11 strikeouts. Zavolas was a former 18th round pick who is currently on the Carolina Mudcats. We will likely not see him in a Milwaukee Brewer uniform for a few years, but he has shown that he can go deep into games, something the Brewers have woefully lacked this season.

Now for the big piece, Ben Gamel.  Gamel has already done more for the Brewers than his brother Mat Gamel did in his 106 games with the club. Ben Gamel has been nothing short of a perfect fit for this Brewer squad. He has quickly become a fan favorite for a plethora of reasons. His beard and flowing locks of hair make it easy to like him, but he has done everything that the Brewers could have wanted.

He is definitely a defensive upgrade from Santana and can stay in games after pinch-hitting to play reliable defense. He has made 42 starts already this season, filling in for Lorenzo Cain who has struggled with a thumb injury this season and has done a great job. Recently, he has been put in the nine spot in the lineup in an attempt to get runners on for Christian Yelich. He is hitting .323 out of that spot and getting on base at a .436 clip. It is a small sample size, 39 plate appearances, but that’s not nothing and even if he can stay anywhere close to those numbers, he’s going to score a lot of runs and help this team win a lot more.

Finally, he’s at his best when the game is close late. In late and close situations, outlined by Baseball Reference as, “Plate Appearances in the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck”, he’s hitting .286 with a .359 on-base percentage. Everyone loves a late-game hero, and Ben Gamel has played that role multiple times this season.

Directly and Indirectly, the Milwaukee Brewers are majorly reaping the benefits of a great trade from four years ago. While the trade that brought MVP Christian Yelich to Milwaukee will be remembered as the best in recent history, this one should be up there right next to it.

Comment below or @DairylandXpress which player from this trade is your favorite or what is your most memorable trade from any Milwaukee Brewer era.