Milwaukee Brewers Trade Rumors: Tracking Hot Updates, News and Reaction
The Milwaukee Brewers have played much better recently, but unfortunately for the club, it is probably a little too late.
That means that Milwaukee is in position to sell at the trade deadline. Oddly, it's better for the club's long-term future to be clear sellers this year rather than fringe contenders. There are so few teams that have completely fallen out of contention thus far that the Brewers will be a popular team come July 31.
Should the team have a fire sale this summer, it will have plenty of attractive assets to deal. Whether it be aging veterans (Aramis Ramirez) or stars in their prime (Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy), teams will be making calls to Milwaukee.
Check in throughout July to see what rumors the Brewers are involved in and what deals they make before the trade deadline passes.
All stats via MLB.com.
Done Deals
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July 23: Traded 3B Aramis Ramirez and cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Yhonathan Barrios
July 30: Traded CF Carlos Gomez, RHP Mike Fiers and an international slot to the Houston Astros in exchange for OF Brett Phillips, OF Domingo Santana, LHP Josh Hader and RHP Adrian Houser
July 31: Traded RHP Jonathan Broxton and cash to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for OF Malik Collymore
July 31: Traded OF Gerardo Parra to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for RHP Zach Davies
July 31: Trade RHP Jonathan Broxton to Cardinals
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The Milwaukee Brewers have traded reliever Jonathan Broxton and cash to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor-league outfielder Malik Collymore.
Broxton had a 5.89 ERA and a 1.391 WHIP in 40 outings for the Brewers this season.
The 31-year-old is making $9 million this season, and his contract includes a $9 million mutual option (or $2 million buyout) for 2016.
July 31: Trade Gerardo Parra to Orioles
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The Milwaukee Brewers have traded outfielder Gerardo Parra to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for right-hander Zach Davies.
The 28-year-old is slashing .309/.344/.496 through the first 87 games of the season, making him a good fit for any team that needs help at the top of its lineup. To go with a good slash line, he has nine home runs, 21 doubles and two triples.
Parra is making just over $6 million this year and will be a free agent after this season.
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July 30: Trade Carlos Gomez, Mike Fiers to Houston
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One day after a Carlos Gomez trade fell through, the Milwaukee Brewers have found a new taker for their star center fielder.
The Brewers and the Houston Astros have reached a deal that will send Gomez and Mike Fiers to Houston in exchange for outfielder Brett Phillips, outfielder Domingo Santana, left-hander Josh Hader and right-hander Adrian Houser.
It's not easy to decide to trade the best player on the team, but thinking about the long-term future, the Brewers were aggressive once they decided it was time to move him.
Gomez is a legitimate star in this league when healthy. As a result, he may choose to hit the market when his contract expires after next season. He is making $8 million this year and is owed $9 million next year. If he returns to form by the end of his contract, he is going to get paid.
Fiers had a 3.66 ERA in 71 games (56 starts) with the Brewers. The right-hander posted a 3.89 ERA and a 1.356 WHIP in 21 starts this season.
The 30-year-old has not yet hit arbitration and is under club control through the 2019 season.
According to MLB.com, Phillips (No. 2), Santana (No. 7), Hader (No. 14) are among the best prospects in the Astros' farm system.
Phillips, 21, can do a little bit of everything. The left-handed hitter is slashing .320/.377/.548 with 16 home runs, 27 doubles and 11 triples between High-A and Double-A this season. In other words, he has the potential to be a star.
Santana, 22, is closer to the majors, as he is already in Triple-A. And he is looking good there. In 75 games this season, he is hitting .320 with 16 home runs, 18 doubles, three triples and 59 RBI. The biggest concern with him is his tendency to swing and miss. He has 91 strikeouts in 275 at-bats this season and has struck out in 34 percent of his career at-bats. There's plenty of potential in his bat, but he needs to be able to make contact with more frequency.
Hader, 21, has a 3.17 ERA and a 1.286 WHIP in 17 games (10 starts) at Double-A this season. He has struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings in his career, which is a fairly impressive rate. His fastball can get to the mid-90s,and if his secondary stuff improves, he could become a solid major leaguer.
Putting Gomez and Fiers in the same deal to a team that has a deep farm system was a smart move by Milwaukee. Judging by the return package, it's clear the Brewers did their homework on Astros prospects and set themselves up well for the future.
July 23: Trade 3B Aramis Ramirez to Pirates
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The Milwaukee Brewers have traded third baseman Aramis Ramirez and cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for catcher Yhonathan Barrios, according to the team's official Twitter account.
Ramirez has spent his entire 18-year career in the National League Central, and that is going to continue as he is going back to the place his major-league career began.
For the Brewers, the move was just the beginning of things to come. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reported earlier this year that Ramirez said this would be his final season, and with the way the season has gone for Milwaukee, the team decided to send the veteran on his way and look toward the future.
In exchange for Ramirez, the Brewers are getting back a 23-year-old pitcher. Barrios has split time between Double-A and Triple-A this in 2015. In Double-A, he posted a 1.46 ERA and a 1.054 WHIP in 20 appearances. He's had a bit of a tougher time trying to adjust to Triple-A hitters, posting a 4.60 ERA and a 1.723 WHIP in 13 outings.
Barrios isn't going to strike a ton of hitters out. He has struck out just 6.6 batters per nine innings in 84 career games, striking out 21 hitters in 40.1 inning this season.
Not only did the Brewers get a player in return, but according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, Pittsburgh will take on $3 million of Ramirez's remaining salary.
Milwaukee had a chance to shed some salary and get a pitcher who is close to the majors by dealing Ramirez. While his trade value wasn't what it once was, the club was able to start the rebuilding process with this move.
Trade Candidate: 1B Adam Lind
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Update: Monday, July 27 at 10 a.m. ET
The Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals have had talks involving Lind, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
--End of Update--
Milwaukee acquired Adam Lind to fill the hole at first base, but the team's performance hasn't been what it had hoped. Now, its first baseman may be a valuable trade chip.
With the first half he had, Lind had a solid case for an All-Star nod. He slashed .292/.375/.512 and hit 15 home runs and 19 doubles in 85 games. To go with those impressive numbers, he has also driven in 52 runs.
The 31-year-old is making $7.5 million this season and has an $8 million club option ($500,000 buyout) for the 2016 season. Given the way he is hitting this season, those are affordable salaries for a team that needs help at first base.
Trade Candidate: RHP Francisco Rodriguez
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Francisco Rodriguez represented the Brewers in the All-Star Game for the second straight year, but come August 1, he could be wearing a different uniform.
The 33-year-old closer has posted a 1.41 ERA and a 0.875 WHIP while recording 19 saves through his first 32 games. His strikeouts per nine (10.4) are back up to near his career average, and his walks per nine (2.5) are still fairly low. Most importantly, he is allowing just 0.6 home runs per nine innings, which is one of the best rates of his career.
Rodriguez is making $3.5 million this season and will make $5.5 million next year. His contract also includes a $6 million team option for 2017, which is essentially just $2 million once the $4 million buyout is taken into account. If he keeps pitching like he is right now, the six-time All-Star will be considered a bargain throughout the remainder of his contract.
However, the fact that the aging reliever is guaranteed $9.5 million after this season could be scaring some teams. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal recently reported that Rodriguez is attracting little interest.
Trade Candidate: RHP Kyle Lohse
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Cincinnati Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto and Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels will be the most coveted starting pitchers on the market, but Kyle Lohse may be in the next tier of pitchers who will be available.
Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Lohse is having one of the worst seasons of his career. He has posted a 6.17 ERA and a 1.398 WHIP through his first 19 starts of 2015. His strikeouts per nine (6.7) and walks per nine (1.9) are both better than his career averages, but his hits per nine (10.7) and home runs per nine (1.8) are both significantly higher than any of the ones he posted in the previous four seasons.
The 36-year-old has only had a handful of terrible starts, but he has only had one great start this season. The rest of his starts have been somewhere in the middle, and his inability to go deep into games isn't helping the cause. He hasn't thrown more than 6.1 innings in a start since the middle of May.
Lohse is making $11 million this season and then will hit free agency. If a team believes that all he needs is a change of scenery, it would be a low-risk move. If he improves, it would be a good trade. If he doesn't, he's a free agent after the season.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote that although Lohse has struggled this season, his clubhouse presence and contract will make him attractive to some teams. Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reported that the Houston Astros are "doing their homework" on Lohse.
Trade Candidate: SS Jean Segura
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If the Brewers decide to blow up the club and subsequently make Jean Segura available, there will be some interest in the shortstop on the market.
According to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi, the Brewers and the New York Mets have talked about possible trades involving Segura and Aramis Ramirez.
Segura is hitting .273 this season but has just 12 extra-base hits in 73 games. Last year, he had just 25 extra-base hits in 146 games. Although he doesn't have much pop in his bat, his speed allows him to turn singles into doubles. He has 83 stolen bases in 410 career games, including 12 this season.
Unlike some of the veteran players on the team, the Brewers don't have much incentive to trade their 25-year-old shortstop. Segura has yet to hit arbitration, so he is under club control at an affordable salary for the next few years.
Trade Candidate: RHP Matt Garza
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Like his teammate Kyle Lohse, Matt Garza is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career. That's definitely going to hurt his trade value should the club try to move him.
Garza's 5.55 ERA makes it obvious that he is having a rough season. However, his numbers have deteriorated across the board. His WHIP (1.545), hits per nine (10.9), strikeouts per nine (6.2), walks per nine (3.0) and home runs per nine (1.5) are all either the worst of his career or among the worst.
Through his first 17 games (16 starts), Garza has had two terrible starts and a handful of poor starts. He has recorded just six quality starts this year, and his best outing of the season came in the form of a five-inning relief appearance in a 17-inning game.
Garza may not be pitching quite as poorly as his earned run average indicates, but he's certainly not pitching the way he has in the past. The overall decline in his numbers will probably scare many teams off, especially considering his contract. He is making $12.5 million this season and will make $12.5 million in each of the next two seasons. His contract also includes a $13 million vesting option for 2018.
That contract is why, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, rival teams believe Garza has limited trade value.
Trade Candidate: LHP Neal Cotts
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Milwaukee has some big names that other teams may be interested in, but Neal Cotts may be an under-the-radar player who gets moved at the deadline.
The 35-year-old has a 3.50 ERA and a 1.250 WHIP in 36 appearances, making this one of the best seasons of his career. He struggled mightily with the Texas Rangers in 2014 but has bounced back nicely after a change of scenery.
Cotts would be an attractive option for a team in need of a left-handed specialist. The southpaw is holding left-handers to a .196 average, which is even lower than his .243 career average.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal wrote that Cotts will likely be in demand. The reliever is making $3 million and is in the final year of his contract.
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