MLBTR’s team-by-team look at the upcoming deadline continues with the Brewers. Milwaukee is firmly in a playoff spot and should be looking to buy. However, their financial restraints and apparent surplus of starting pitching could allow them to do some selling or some classic "baseball trades."
Record: 56-40 (82.9% playoff probability, per FanGraphs)
For other entrants in this series, see this post.
Buy Mode
Potential needs: Infield
As of a few months ago, starting pitching would have topped the list of potential needs, but that's no longer the case. The Brewers had a number of injuries early in the year, which spurred them to make a late-spring signing of Jose Quintana and an early-season trade for Quinn Priester. Since then, some of the injured pitchers have returned healthy while several young arms have stepped up to post encouraging results. Now the Brewers seemingly have a rotation surplus they could theoretically deal from. More on that later.
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Wut
What’s Milwaukee looking for. Yanks got them, Yankees need to be on sell mode so what does the brew crew need?
Volpe?
The Yankees are not going to be selling. I don’t know why you think they would be. Just because you aren’t held accountable for saying or doing dumb things doesn’t mean the gm and owner wouldn’t be. Big market teams in playoff spots can’t sell.
SS is top priority then after that a good reliable Setup man
Uribe is one of the best set-up arms in baseball.
The Brewers need Willi Castro from the Twins and Ryan O’Hearn from the Orioles. The Yankees are not getting Freddy Peralta. But Nestor Cortes is a possibility.
A 3rd base bat. See saurez
Durbin>Suarez
I watch the Brewers play almost every day. Caleb Durbin has come a long way at third base since he came up from AAA. His OBP has skyrocketed in June. I would like to see his exit velocity improve. Don’t give up on him — he has the ability and potential to become a Jose Altuve type of hitter (no, he is NOT Jose Altuve!), His arm at third has improved due to learning the footwork of his position.
Durbin has blown me away. I did not expect to see anywhere near this improvement at the start of the year.
The NL Central is the best division in baseball. Who saw that coming?
The Brewers should reach out to the Phillies about Edmundo Sosa.
Long term solution to 1B and 3B would be ideal.
They might have found the former in Vaughn.
He’s a great story but I kind of doubt that one.
Vaughn isn’t the answer. He’s just another in a long line of a certain type player that the Brewer front office throws against the wall hoping it sticks. See Durbin, Black, Winker, Hoskins, Capra, Dunn, Seigler, Avans, Miller, Voit, Anderson, Sogard, Healy, etc., etc. shall I continue? It’s not difficult to see what all of those players have in common!!
They need a 1B and 3B. Or SS by moving Ortiz back to third and leaving Turang at 2B.
Brewers don’t need to be buyers. This should be a “dont add or subtract deadline.”
This is it. Let the kids keep developing as they have all season.
Could see IKF and a bullpen arm.
Depending upon Frelick’s diagnosis we may want to consider an outfielder.
Frelick I would bet doesnt see the IL, I think we learn more about his condition from Murph today. Blake Perkins is off his rehab assignment and will play in AAA to catch up, but that might take a while considering how long he’s been out.
Bullpen arm I can see being Miz to reduce his innings. IKF is going to cost way too much for an OPS+ of 84. Someone else will pay more. I would strongly bet that we are stuck with Joeys bat and SS be a glove-first position.
Don’t go crazy but they should fill their holes. Not sure how many years they’ll have Peralta for and Mix healthy pitching like a number 1 ace. No one is going to want to face those two in a series. Bring in a legit big bat and a supporting piece, extra pen arm, and look out.
Freddy is so cheap he will stay. Woody will earn more than the Brewers will afford and be gone unless he accepts a QO or a “thank you for paying me two years to not pitch” offer.
Chad Patrick played way better than his stuff and came back to earth. Bring Logan Henderson back up, and trade CP for Suarez (throw in a minor league 3B/1B since we have many playing well who haven’t yet reached the majors). Henderson has a top 5 spin rate in baseball and nasty stuff, so CP and his below average stuff can go.
Maybe move Turang to SS and Durbin to 2B and make Joey the utility guy (superb D for late innings, when his bad ABs won’t matter).
The team needs nothing else, unless they want to look for the 1B of the future (who is actually probably in the minors).
Ok everyone wants offense, so it’s Saurez or nothing. I’m old school, pitching and defense wins WS. We have the defense. Make a Nasty boys 2025, add Clase to bullpen, it’ll cost, but he’s under control until 28. We’d rather have him as an asset, then have to face him, cause mets philles looking at him.
Peraza for Cortes – who says you can’t go home again?
Durbin, Ortiz, Turang and several IF in the system are all about the same type player with Turang being the best of the bunch thus far. Trade Black or Durbin or some of the other overrated players in the system for either a legit hitter who’s not an iron glove @third defensively, Or outstanding defensively to make up for what he lacks at the plate. Also bring C.Santana back for the rest of the season or two at 1B.