Report: 2018 All-Star Jesus Aguilar Traded from Brewers to Rays for Jacob Faria

The Milwaukee Brewers traded first baseman Jesus Aguilar to the Tampa Bay Rays for right-hander Jacob Faria, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

Aguilar has struggled at the plate in 2019, a year after reaching his first All-Star Game. Through 94 games, he's batting .225 with a .374 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 34 RBI.

Passan noted his performance may be trending upward, however:

According to FanGraphs, Aguilar's batting average on balls in play has fallen from .309 to .264, which partially explains his drop in production.

His other offensive peripherals paint a similar picture. His exit velocity is up slightly from 89.8 mph to 90.1 mph, but his launch angle (14.6 degrees) and barrel percentage (8.4) are down compared to a year ago, per Baseball Savant.

If he can return to a level approaching that of 2018, Aguilar will be an obvious help to a Rays offense that ranks 16th in weighted on-base average (.321), per FanGraphs. He's also under team control through 2022, so he'll provide value to Tampa Bay beyond the 2019 season.

A starter for the bulk of his minor league career, the Rays moved Faria into a relief role this season. He has made seven appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 2.70 ERA but allowing seven walks in 10 innings.

Faria made a strong impression as a rookie, going 5-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 16 games in 2017.

With Jhoulys Chacin, Brandon Woodruff and Jimmy Nelson all on the injured list, the Brewers needed to address their pitching staff in preparation for the stretch run. They're only 1.5 games back of the first-place St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central and one game off the final wild-card spot.

Based on his success two years ago, perhaps Faria emerges as a candidate to help the starting rotation. His experience in the bullpen will allow Milwaukee to be creative with his usage in the second half.