Jonathan Broxton to Cardinals for Malik Collymore: Trade Details and Reaction

The St. Louis Cardinals are using the MLB trade deadline to shore up the back half of their bullpen, acquiring reliever Jonathan Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

The Brewers announced they will acquire minor league outfielder Malik Collymore as part of the trade. Milwaukee will also send cash to help cover some of Broxton's salary.

Broxton, 31, is 1-2 with a 5.89 ERA and 1.39 WHIP this season, which is his second with the Brewers. Acquired from Cincinnati at last season's waiver deadline, Broxton has been the primary setup man for Francisco Rodriguez.

The Cardinals should look for Broxton to fill a similar role, though he'll have competition for the eighth-inning spot. Seth Maness, though inconsistent, has racked up 15 holds and has flashed the ability to be a solid option. Maness' downturn in July, which has seen him post a 6.10 ERA, likely played a large part in St. Louis' decision to fortify its options.

Broxton will also face competition from Steve Cishek, whom the Cardinals acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins earlier this month. Maness, Cishek and Broxton have all had their fair share of issues this season—none have an ERA lower than Maness' 3.79—but there is power in numbers. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick highlighted the need for depth among the reasons St. Louis made these trades:

As for Broxton, there is some reason to believe he's been better than his standard stats let on. His xFIP, which calculates a pitcher's expected ERA based on non-luck factors, is 3.07—nearly three full runs lower than his ERA. Opponents are hitting .346 on balls in play, more than 100 points better than their average last season. 

Milwaukee, which is nosediving out of playoff contention, would nonetheless prefer to not deal with the $2 million buyout owed to Broxton for declining his 2016 mutual option. Collymore is also a 20-year-old prospect who flashed some potential in 2014 before struggling this season. He's currently hitting .216/.326/.378 with two home runs and seven RBI through 23 games of rookie ball.

Baseball America ranked him as the 27th-best prospect in the Cardinals organization, per Crasnick.

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