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Brewers Acquire Jake Thompson, Designate Alec Asher

By Steve Adams | August 14, 2018 at 4:48pm CDT

The Brewers have acquired right-hander Jake Thompson from the Phillies in exchange for cash, the Phillies announced Tuesday. Right-hander Alec Asher has been designated for assignment to open roster space, and the Brewers have optioned Thompson to Triple-A, per an announcement of their own.

Thompson, 24, was once considered to be among the game’s best pitching prospects, entering both the 2015 and 2016 season as a consensus Top 100 prospect. Originally a draft pick of the Tigers, he was traded to the Rangers alongside Corey Knebel in exchange for  Joakim Soria and then traded from Texas to Philadelphia in the Cole Hamels blockbuster. In somewhat amusing and ironic fashion, the Brewers now hold all three pieces of that 2014 Tigers/Rangers swap in Knebel, Soria and Thompson.

[Related: Updated Milwaukee Brewers depth chart]

Of course, Thompson hasn’t exactly delivered on his considerable prospect status. He’s tallied 116 1/3 innings at the Major League level across the past three seasons, all with the Phillies, and pitched to a lackluster 4.87 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 1.55 HR/9 and a 46.1 percent ground-ball rate. The Phillies had been using Thompson primarily in a relief role with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season, so he could conceivably give Milwaukee some depth either in the rotation or in the bullpen. Thompson has one option year remaining after 2018, so the Brewers will have some flexibility with him in 2019 as well, if he sticks on the 40-man roster for that long.

As if the sequence connecting Knebel, Soria and Thompson wasn’t strange enough, the Brewers are opening room on the roster by designating one of the players alongside whom Thompson was traded from Texas to Philadelphia in that Hamels blockbuster. Both Thompson and Asher went from Texas to Philadelphia in that deal, and Thompson’s addition to the Brewers’ roster will come at the expense of his former teammate.

Asher, 26, has tossed three scoreless innings for the Brewers this season but owns an ugly 5.42 ERA with a 39-to-32 K/BB ratio through 88 innings of Triple-A work between the affiliates for Milwaukee and the Dodgers. That 5.42 mark is a dead match for his career ERA through 119 2/3 Major League innings, the majority of which have come as a member of the Phillies. Milwaukee has a week to trade Asher or try to run him through outright waivers in hopes of retaining him as a non-roster player.

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Milwaukee Brewers Philadelphia Phillies Transactions Alec Asher Jake Thompson

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Rangers Acquire Alexander Ovalles From Cubs As PTBNL In Cole Hamels Trade
View Comments (22)

Comments

  1. Anonymous Man

    4 years ago

    Ariel Hernandez DFA incoming

    Reply
    • Anonymous Man

      4 years ago

      actually suprised

      Reply
      • natsfan11

        4 years ago

        Looked at Asher’s AAA stats for the year. ERA north of 5 with 39:32 K/BB ratio with 4.0 K/9.

        Reply
        • alb-3

          4 years ago

          Colorado Springs ain’t an easy place to pitch. Look at Hader and other numbers there last season. It’s easier facing major leaguers in Miller Park than it is to pitch to AAA hitters there.

        • natsfan11

          4 years ago

          It’s not easy but the low K and high BB rate is still worrisome.

    • alb-3

      4 years ago

      Heh.. Swing and a miss on that one.

      Reply
  2. stubby66

    4 years ago

    Gotta believe that maybe Wilkerson or Orf would be designated first over Hernandez because of their age and upside.

    Reply
    • Anonymous Man

      4 years ago

      But they would keep them since Orf is a sogard type and Wilkerson is SP depth

      Reply
  3. stubby66

    4 years ago

    That or on September first bring Dubon up and transfer him to 60 dl

    Reply
  4. The Adrian Beltre

    4 years ago

    These two have quite a history together…

    Reply
  5. KnollN

    4 years ago

    this post is like a personal attack on the rangers pitching development system.

    Reply
  6. Texassooner

    4 years ago

    Very disappointed in GM JD of the Rangers, AGAIN. Thompson was an obvious pickup. Brewers got him for a few dollars. JD again asleep.

    Reply
    • AidanVega123

      4 years ago

      Same here. Would’ve been a good fit on the team right now — anything is better than Drew Hutchison at this point.

      Reply
      • Daniel Youngblood

        4 years ago

        Thompson’s not a major league caliber starter. He wasn’t even particularly effective at Triple-A.

        His future’s in the bullpen, and even there he doesn’t miss many bats.

        Good luck to him in Milwaukee, but he’s not one I’m losing sleep over.

        Reply
  7. afsooner02

    4 years ago

    I LOVE that he was traded for a bunch of pitchers the brewers now own. (Knebel and Soria)….apparently the brewers loved that trade

    Reply
  8. justin-turner overdrive

    4 years ago

    I don’t know why, but Cole Hamels owes Jake Thompson a couple lunches.

    Reply
  9. Phillies2017

    4 years ago

    Funny move,
    Thompson re-joining Knebel with whom he was traded, and parting with Alec Asher with whom he was also traded

    Reply
  10. jbigz12

    4 years ago

    Not that it matters but Asher actually has tossed 60 ip with the orioles and that would be the team he’s seen the majority of his big league innings with. I was just genuinely curious after you said the Phillies were where he saw the largest part of big league action.

    Reply
  11. connfyoozed

    4 years ago

    This whole article and the relationships between every player involved is like a giant game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

    Reply
  12. ray_derek

    4 years ago

    Brewers making a run here

    Reply
    • augold5

      4 years ago

      Better watch out

      Reply
  13. Garmo87

    4 years ago

    Welcome home to Texas, Mr. Asher. We will look forward to you coming back to Texas. Jake, your next.

    Reply

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