The Brewers and White Sox are in talks about a trade that would send right-hander Anthony Swarzak from Chicago to Milwaukee, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
After signing a minor league deal with a $900K base salary this offseason, the 31-year-old Swarzak has broken out with the best season of his career. In 48 1/3 innings with the South Siders, he’s averaged 9.7 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 with a 40.5 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 2.23 ERA. The former second-round pick is averaging 94.5 mph on his heater this year and has posted a 14 percent swinging-strike rate that dwarfs his previous career-high of 10.6 percent. Swarzak’s 71.9 percent contact rate sits nearly six percentage points below the league average of 77.5 percent.
Swarzak picked up the first save of his career in yesterday’s win over the Cubs, though his stint as the de facto closer in Chicago may not last all that long, as he’s a free agent at season’s end and is widely expected to be traded. The Brewers are known to be on the lookout for bullpen help, and Swarzak’s status as a rental and lack of a dominant track record should make him a reasonably affordable piece to acquire via trade, even with this year’s exceptional results.
This seems like a solid move for the Brewers if it pans out. Won’t drain the farm but still strengthens the pen. They’re set to contend for the future and with the way they’ve sputtered recently this season isn’t worth a huge investment.
As a Cubs fan, I hope the Brewers don’t acquire any players and continue losing games in the standings. Lol
And as a Brewers fan, I hope the Cubs continue to upgrade their team and the Brewers turn it around by winning with the players that have gotten them as far as they are now.
+1
Very shrewd move by the White Sox who might be trying to drum up interest to create a mini bidding war for a player who cost them nothing and given his age is unlikely to be on the roster when they’re good again. Anything they get in return will just be more kiddies to pick from in 2019 or 20. Not all top five prospects make it and many unexpected ones do (Travis Shaw to name one).
Return is unlikely to be all that much. They should’ve gotten more for Kahnle, but they won’t get much for a rental nobody had heard of before this year.
I can’t believe the Brewers aren’t all over gray. Two more years of control at his price is something the Brewers shouldn’t pass up.
Yes and no would love to have gray… but seeing what the Cubs payed the cost would be high.. but I do like the team control… the nice part is A’s are looking for a 2 year out center fielder (when they open there new home) and the crew are full of em… but it would take a lot more then just that prospect… would a duban, ray, burns get the deal done? Do the Brewers want to give up that much just to make the playoffs… I’m on the fence either way but it’s a fun debate around gray….
No don’t want to give those three for gray. I’m sure they would love that
As a Brewers fan I hope they don’t continue losing… And bigcubsfan while I congradulate your team for there World Series win it was well deserved… you have to be impressed with how fast our rebuild is going.. I’m all for the brewers buying but I would like to see years of control involved… what would a swarzak trade look like? Would a gatewood type prospect make it happen? Possibly a Harrison type player… can’t imagine it would take much for a rental….
I would be surprised if it was a top 20 prospect in their system.
Niether of them are top twenty but they are top 30… and there stacked in outfielders so Harrison wouldn’t hurt the farm
Sox also have a log jam of OF’s in their low minors.
My guess is they go for pitching.
Trying to fix Medeiros would be a very Sox move.
Wouldn’t want to trade Gatewood but I’d give up Harrison for a rental arm
I’d be happy with Harrison but I’m expecting someone off the top 30
Maybe Devin Williams?
I could definitely see Gatewood being enough in a 1:1 swap. With almost no money going to the brew crew the absolute peak in return has to be him or Ryan Cordell
I’d do it for Harrison. Sox have a bunch of outfielders, but it’s unlikely all of them work out. With all the risk in their farm, though, I’d rather them get a higher floor player with a lower ceiling than a boom or bust guy like their minors are loaded with.
Swarzak is a 31 year old journeyman who’s never been this good and will be a free agent after the season. I would look at the Barrett Astin for Jonathan Broxton trade the Brewers made a couple of years ago as the type of prospect going back.
The Brewers, if they want to save their bullpen, might want to go with an 8 man pen. Especially with short length from their rotation.
Their leverage guys are fine. Just over-extended.
maybe like Ryan Cordell and Monte Harrison. one big league ready 4th outfielder type and one high ceiling guy who is having a solid year.
too much
No way a few months of a reliever who is having a career year but average otherwise won’t net you a prospect like Cordell. I could see someone who was highly touted but has since fallen out of the Brewers top 30 go to Chicago (Devin Williams or Monte Harrison both come to mind).
Think more along the lines of a Tristan Archer, Nate Griep, etc.
Great call, chief.
Yep. Brewers overpaid.
well that was a good guess
The Brewers have a deep farm system. Even a prospect in their top 20-30 range for a 31-year old rental like Anthony Swarzak would be a good get for the White Sox.
Perhaps a potential deal might be expanded sufficiently enough for the White Sox to land Chicago native Corey Ray who was a member of the organizations ACE (Amateur City Elite) program before earning a baseball scholarship to the University of Louisville.
Sorry but you already traded away Quintana. I don’t see anyone else who the Brewers would value this high.
The Brewers should of Traded for Quintana
Sounds like they have completed the trade
WhiteSox getting Ryan Cordell back from Brewers for Anthony Swarzak.