Milwaukee Brewers: Should They Trade Ryan Braun Over The Winter?

For some years, Ryan Braun has been loved and hated by fans of the Milwaukee Brewers. For those that are kids still growing up, they can’t help but be pleased with his accomplishments, But should the team trade Braun?

Braun’s accolades include an NL MVP award, six All-Star Selections, 5 Silver Sluggers, and a Rookie of the Year Award. Additionally, for the Milwaukee Brewers, Braun also hits home runs, has a Major League career batting average over .300 and a career average with Runners in Scoring Position of .315.

For the adult Brewer fans, it is hard for them to ignore the suspension Braun had for PED use. In addition to the PED suspension, it has been well documented that Braun has had nagging injuries such as an oblique/intercostal problem, back issues, and a unique thumb injury that requires him to get a maintenance procedure done every few months.

At the time of this writing, he has missed at least an average of 30 games each year in his big league career, which is a pretty good chunk of the season. Combine the injury history Braun has had along with his past PED problems and his sizable contract, and many adult fans are not exactly thrilled that the Brewers are “stuck with him.”

Ryan Braun is aware of the fact that the rebuilding Brewers could part ways with him.

On Sunday, September 25th, the Brewers played their last home game of the season for 2016. As Braun came up to bat in the 8th inning, fans cheered pretty loudly for Braun because they realized that this might, in fact, be the last time he comes to bat at Miller Park as a Milwaukee Brewer.

Braun even admitted that the chances of him being traded are higher than they have ever been in his career.

In an interview and report by Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Braun talks about his time with the Brewers.

“I think that people here, at least most of them, recognize there is at least a chance that today is my last home game as a Brewer,” Braun said in the wake of a 4-2 loss to the Reds. “I don’t think there is a great chance, but certainly a higher chance than at any point in the 10 years that I’ve spent here.”

A small market team like the Brewers needs to consider all avenues for improving the club. Does trading Ryan Braun make sense?

As we look at the current state of the Milwaukee Brewers franchise and the rest of Braun’s contract, the question is: Does it even make sense to trade him? After looking at the facts, one could make the point that it seems too little too late to deal the guy.

Whether you like him or not, Braun has put up some pretty noticeable overall numbers each season.

He has been a Brewer a long time, and the club made a decision to make him the “Franchise Player” so it may seem like that it does not make sense to trade him NOW after a good portion of his career is already over.

There are those that say even a REBUILDING club needs SOME SORT of stability or something that is proven and works. Whether you like him or not, Braun has put up some pretty noticeable overall numbers each season.

The question that lurks is: Where is the current Brewers lineup going to get their offense from if Braun is gone?  Would an offseason free agent signing put up an average over .300 with 30 homers? Not likely. Look at how well the Brewers free agent signings have done. Jeffrey Hammonds anyone?

Who do you expect to replace Ryan Braun’s numbers with the Brewers? Who steps up?

Do you as a fan think that an outfielder currently in the Brewers system would STEP RIGHT IN just like that to fill Braun’s void from Opening Day 2017 on and put up a .300 average and 30 home runs? No Chance! Look, even a REBUILDING TEAM has to have SOME sort of stability.

When I ask where the Brewers will get their offense from, I mean it when I emphasize that I cannot say it enough! The Brewers have already dealt some nice offensive players such as Gerardo Parra, Carlos Gomez, and Jonathan Lucroy among others.

I now feel that Braun needs to be the one that at least helps ‘Steer the ship in the right direction.’

The point is, even a rebuilding team has to understand that they have to put SOME sort of lineup out there. Is Hernan Perez going to bat over .300 and drive in over 90 runs? Heck no.

Do you really think Jonathan Villar will do it, or anyone else on this team will?

When the team puts out a nine-man line up each day for the whole season, and nobody has an average over .260, it is not only depressing; it is pathetic.

How does a team ADVANCE to being a playoff contender without at least SOMETHING that is proven? As much as I did not like having Braun on the team as a “Franchise Player” for several years because I was a Prince Fielder fan, I now feel that Braun needs to be the one that at least helps ‘Steer the ship in the right direction.’

Even the NL Central last-place Cincinnati Reds still have proven players Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto after trading away Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier.

Ultimately, the Brewers made a pact. Why pay money to another team to have Braun play for them, just so we can HOPE we get another player who is cheaper?

Braun is owed 72 Million Dollars by the Brewers between the start of the 2017 season and the end of the 2020 season. In 2021, Braun has a mutual option worth $15 million plus performance incentives.

I believe by that point the Brewers would decline to bring him back. It seems reasonable that Braun would probably hang it up and call it a career after the team exercises their part in the option decision.

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Braun will turn 37 in the 2020 offseason, and it should be noted that in addition to the decision on the option in 2021, some of his contract also includes annual payments of deferred money over the years 2022-2031.

For the 2016 season, the Brewers payroll was roughly $64 million, and that is down from about $104 million in 2015.

While it may be a big burden for the Brewers to retain Braun considering how much of the payroll he takes up, I truly feel he has done a pretty good job of redeeming himself.

I think he can become the type of guy the Brewers can count on to put up good numbers and be a part of their future when they eventually get at least 90 wins again.