Buying High, Selling Low: Milwaukee Brewers Trade Candidates

Friday's trade of Brewers SS J.J. Hardy to the Twins for CF Carlos Gomez kicked off what should be a busy offseason for Brewers GM Doug Melvin. While this trade left some wondering why pitching was not acquired, it opened up a whole new batch of possibilities for the Brewers.

So with the ink still wet on the J.J. Hardy trade, let's look at some possible trade candidates from the Brewers.

The most notable names being thrown around are those of Matt Gamel, Angel Solome, and Corey Hart; all of who are coming off their worst seasons as professionals.

So I will throw this out there. Why should the brewers trade one or all of these guys for pitching?

The answer? They shouldn’t.

We saw Friday what the market will be for a former All-Star playing one of the most sought-after positions in the game. The thought that any combination of these guys would land us a viable number two behind Yovani Gallardo just doesn’t hold water.

So why not sell high?

The Brewers are getting themselves into a tricky situation while holding onto Prince Fielder. While proving last year to be one of the most feared hitters in the game, he also played himself out of the Brewers' price range. For a small market team, players of his caliber cannot be allowed to leave via free agency with only draft picks.

The thought of losing Prince Fielder sends shivers down most loyal Brewers fans' spines, and losing the home run power of both Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron would drastically reduce the potent Brewers offense. 

The fact remains that the Brewers cannot hold onto him past the next two years. In all reality, the Brewers will be forced to trade him either at this year's All-Star break, or next offseason.   

In trading Prince this year we could obtain a young, controllable pitcher, and more than likely a player to help replace the power shortage caused by trading him.

With the FA market thin of difference makers—which the Brewers need to improve on the second-worst ERA in the game—and no pitching in return for a former All-Star shortstop, a trade needs to happen.

Whenever Prince is traded, it is going to sting for Brewers fans. If we are not going to make a serious run, then isn't moving forward now the best option?