The MLB Trade Deadline is Approaching and the Brewers Are Stacked

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The 2016 Milwaukee Brewers were not supposed to be an exciting team. General Manager David Stearns has already admitted that the team is in rebuilding mode. The team has a few former all-star veterans that they were expected to move, but seems to have stuck trade-deadline gold with a few of their recent acquisitions. The Brewers have a substantial amount of trade-bait this year and have already made one move by trading Aaron Hill to the Red Sox for two young prospects. The 2016 season could and should see the Milwaukee Brewers acquiring some impressive young talent. Here is a rundown of the players that could be departing Milwaukee soon:

Jonathan Lucroy, Catcher

The player who should get the most interest and the most in return is Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy is a former all-star who is having another great season. Another reason that makes Lucroy worth a lot on the trade market is his team-friendly contract. Lucroy is only owed about $2 million this year and $5.2 million next year. That is not a lot of money for a catcher of Lucroy’s skill-level. The Brewers shouldn’t settle for anything less than a top-prospect for Lucroy because he has proven his worth by being one of the best offensive and defensive catchers in MLB the past few seasons. He should bring in a similar haul to Carlos Gomez, who was traded along with Mike Fiers for two upper-level prospects and two medium-level prospects.

Chris Carter, First Base

Carter is having his best full season as a big-leaguer and is currently 4th in National League in home runs. Carter is a free swinger who probably will not repeat the kind of success he is having this year. The time is now to sell-high on Carter. The Brewers should at the very least be able to get Gerrado Parra value from him. The Brewers traded Parra last year to the Orioles for their 3rd ranked prospect, Zach Davies.

Matt Garza, Starting Pitcher

Next to go should be Matt Garza. Garza was pretty good in the 1st year of his three-year contract in 2014, but absolutely awful in 2015. He was so bad that his W.A.R was -1.7 and the Brewers demoted him to the bullpen towards the end of the season. Garza did not respond well to the demotion and threw a hissy-fit more reminiscent of a tired 5-year-old than a MLB pitcher making a cool $12 million a year. He basically left the team for the last few weeks of the season. Garza spent most of this season on the D.L with an “arm injury”, but has pitched alright since his return. If a team agrees to pick up his contract he might not warrant much in return as far as prospects though. But, at this point I think the Brewers would be happy to part with him for a few brats and beers.

Ryan Braun, Outfield

Braun is off to a really good start this season and is a couple of years removed from his performance-enhancing drug issues. He is under contract through 2020 and just might spark the interest of a contending team looking for a strong bat. Prospects that the Brewers could get would probably depend on how much of his remaining salary the other team is willing to take. The more salary they are willing to take on, the less the Brewers are probably going to get in return. The Brewers should be willing to listen to anyone willing to take him off their roster, as a change of scenery would probably be good for the Brewers and for Braun.

Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith, Relief Pitchers

Both Jeffress and Smith have been really solid relief pitchers for the Brewers. Good pitching is always a commodity in MLB. Both Jeffress and Smith are under control for more than just this season, so anyone looking to pry them away from the Brewers would have to give up something substantial in return.

Jonathan Villar, SS

Villar is having a standout season. Villar has produced at a rate much higher than was expected of him. Like Jeffress and Smith, he is under team control for several years still so the Brewers would be able to get a pretty big return for him. Another option would be to keep Villar and move him to 2B. That would make for a pretty solid middle-infield when super-prospect Orlando Arica makes his way to the Brewers.

So, the Brewers have eight players that they could trade this year that would add to the club’s already pretty good farm system. If they were able to make the right moves, their talent level in the minors could potential be one of the best in baseball. It should certainly be an exciting few weeks for the future of the Milwaukee Brewers.