Milwaukee Brewers: 4 Potential Starting Pitcher Trade Targets

Martin Perez – Boston Red Sox

For Perez’s first eight seasons in the major leagues, he was about an average fourth or fifth starter with a career ERA of 4.72 over those eight years with his best season coming in 2013 when he posted a 3.62 ERA and went 10-6 in 20 starts.

This season, however, he has put up a career-best 3.45 ERA and is allowing far fewer hits than any other year in his career. His career-best in hits per nine innings was 8.8 in 2014 and his career average is exactly 10 hits per nine. This season, he’s allowed just 6.3 hits per nine, making for much less traffic on the bases, a career-best 1.18 WHIP, even though he’s given up more walks, a career-worst 4.3 walks per nine innings. He’s always had somewhat of a control issue, with a career rate of 3.3 BB/9, but this season it has been even worse.

Another lefty like Perez would be a welcome sight in the Milwaukee Brewers’ rotation which currently only features on southpaw, Brett Anderson. In fact, Baseball Savant lists Brett Anderson as one of the most similar pitchers to Perez in terms of velocity and movement.

The lack of hits against him hasn’t been a mistake or stroke of good luck either. He’s been among the league’s best at keeping hitters’ barrels off the ball this season, ranking in the 92nd percentile in opposing exit velocity and 85th percentile in hard-hit percentage. This is largely due to his newfound success with the cutter which he started throwing in 2019 and has thrown on 35 percent of his pitches this season and an increase in his two offspeed pitches, the changeup, and curveball which are both up about five percent from last season.

Perez’s contract situation isn’t ideal for what the Brewers are probably looking for, but it doesn’t disqualify him from being a possibility. His contract is only guaranteed for the rest of 2021, but there is a $6,250,000 team option for 2021 which Milwaukee could exercise to keep him here for an extra year if they liked what they saw.

He also would likely not command a huge trade haul back because he hasn’t historically been anything special and Boston may be looking to offload his contract with their recent financial issues. He may be the most realistic name on this list because of his past seasons, contract, and age of 29 years old.