Milwaukee Brewers: Discussing the Trade Deadline Approach

David

The Chicago Cubs have made their first play for the Division crown. They added Jose Quintana from the crosstown White Sox. The Cubs are going all in this year and seek to deny the Milwaukee Brewers their first Central crown since 2011.

The Brewers made a trade of their own shortly after, acquiring LHP Tyler Webb from the Yankees for 1B Garrett Cooper. Webb will be heading to Triple-A Colorado Springs after an awful beginning with the big league club. In previewing the deadline, we believed that the Brewers would only make minor deals and that looks to be the case with Webb.

There could be some more minor moves on the way for Milwaukee as they look to improve going down the stretch.

But the Cubs move for Quintana may have pushed the Brewers to have to make a bigger move at the deadline. Could they go after Sonny Gray, could they add a high-profile name?

The question may not even be could they do it, but should they? What do you think, Trevor?

Trevor

David, The Chicago Cubs absolutely made a statement by dealing for Quintana.  It is time for the Milwaukee Brewers to respond in some way.  There has yet to be a rumor that has them going after a position player, which means pitchers are on the horizon.

With a strong farm system, they are in the market for anyone available.  But what do they give away for them?

It is a thin market for pitchers so the Milwaukee Brewers will have to cough up a top prospect.  As you mentioned in a previous article Corey Ray could very well be in a different uniform at the deadline.

Ray could very well answer the call enough to save a lot of the farm system. He is certainly worth looking into giving away.  It is worth noting the high price tag of Quintana and how that effects the whole market.

If help is to come, it will not be cheap.  Milwaukee Brewers fans may not like takes. But looking at the bigger picture of a division title is the important issue.

I am a firm believer, though, that they need to make a move to take advantage of the lackluster National League Central.  They need to find a way to stay on top.

David 

 I think the move they need to make is for Sonny Gray if they want any chance of making a deep postseason run. The starting rotation they have now just isn’t good enough in a playoff series. Should they win the division, their most likely NLDS matchup will be the Washington Nationals, who have an excellent rotation. If they want to match up against Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez they need Gray at the top of that rotation.

If Counsell sticks Garza or Davies or Guerra in a spot against Strasburg, the Milwaukee Brewers don’t stand much of a chance. The offense will be stymied by the Nationals rotation and if our pitching staff can’t hold up, the series will be over quickly.

Sonny Gray would fit beautifully into this team. He has ace-caliber stuff and has two more years of control. Plus he has a great relationship with Pitching Coach Derek Johnson and former A’s on the roster in Eric Sogard and Stephen Vogt. The only problem would be the cost it would take to acquire him.

Corey Ray will have to be included and probably Luis Ortiz or Brandon Woodruff will have to go to as well. It might take a few more less heralded prospects to finish the package. That’s just the price for an ace in this trade market. It’s going to be a similar package to Jose Quintana. He’s the only ace available, unless you still count Justin Verlander. There’s going to be a lot of teams asking for Gray and the Brewers need to strike before anyone else puts up their best offer.

Whether the Milwaukee Brewers should get Gray or not depends on what they need to give up to get him. Giving up too much will only hurt the future. What do you think it would cost to acquire a guy like Sonny Gray?

Trevor – You make very good points about Sonny Gray.  However, I am not sure the price is worth it.  The team is sitting in first place without a true ace as it stands.  I am not sure one pitcher will be the difference in a series against a team with multiple aces in their rotation.

What a post season can really come down to is the bullpen.  That is why I believe the best move is for Pat Neshek.  The age and role of the Philly reliever would make him cost less than finding an ace.

Don’t forget, Neshek is an All Star.  He is putting together a dominant year where he has left 92 percent of runners on base. The one year rental could be a good option.  It helps the team this year, and lets Stearns attack the offseason however he wants.

Age is just not a huge concern based on how he will contribute to the team. His level of play sures up the bullpen enough to help the starting rotation more effectively.

The follow up to this is getting creative with the pitching staff.  Adding another All Star reliever would sure up the bullpen enough to try and push Josh Hader into the rotation down the stretch.

Yes, that is a pipedream at this point, but it could be the right move.  If he can get some experience as a starter, it could help his control and help the team.  They will need him deep in games, and that sink or swim of throwing strikes in his first start will be very telling.

Neshek would be a cheaper and more beneficial move down the stretch.  Letting Craig Counsell show his creativity with the pitching staff.  It will keep the team in first place.

David

 C’mon Trevor, Pat Neshek?! The guy is 37 years old and a free agent at the end of the year. Sure he’s having a good year but he’s not under long term control and the Milwaukee Brewers are looking for control. I think the reported interest in him is just due diligence. I wouldn’t want to give up a top 30 prospect or two for a rental in the 7th inning.

Don’t get me wrong, bullpen help is also a need but Neshek has too many suitors and would cost too much for a rental. I would rather have a guy like David Phelps from Miami who the Brewers are also reportedly interested in. He still has another year of arbitration left and while 30 years old isn’t necessarily young compared to the rest of the Brewers, he’s way younger than Neshek.

Perhaps another relief pitcher that could be available is Chris Beck of the White Sox. He isn’t arbitration eligible until 2020 and isn’t a free agent until 2023. He’s got a lot of team control left and is having a decent season. He’s only 26 and would fit perfectly into what the Brewers are trying to do. Since the White Sox have nearly everyone for sale, perhaps he could be on the move as well.

As for Gray, you make a good point about the price being worth it. If he dominates like CC Sabathia did in 2008 then the price will be easier to bear. He may not make a huge difference in a series with the Nationals but it will at least give us a fighting chance. If Gray isn’t in that rotation, the Brewers stand practically no chance of making it out of the NLDS.

Jimmy Nelson and Chase Anderson can’t pitcher every game of a series, as much as we’d like them to. Gray also brings postseason experience, something that Nelson and Anderson don’t have. He pitched well in both of his starts in the 2013 ALDS including an eight shutout inning performance in Game 2. And he could do the same with Milwaukee. If the move for Sonny Gray is not made, the chance at a deep postseason run this year is gone. That may not necessarily be a bad thing in the long run, though.

Keeping those prospects it would’ve taken to acquire him could end up being huge contributors in later playoff teams for Milwaukee. I’m not sure David Stearns is willing to pay the price it would cost to get Sonny Gray and that’s not a bad thing either. I think the Milwaukee Brewers fanbase is pretty split right now between wanting to get Gray and go for it this year and wanting to stand pat and save the prospects for the future.

I’m not advocating that they should get Gray and I’m not advocating that they shouldn’t, but they need him IF they’re going to make a deep postseason run. It could be a huge gamble on the future of the team and the prospects Stearns has worked so hard to acquire and it could backfire. But if it pays off, and they make a run, it’s going to be the most magical baseball season in Milwaukee since 1982.

What would make the potential acquisition of Gray a truly great deal is if he signs a long term extension with Milwaukee. If, when he reaches free agency after the 2019 season, or even before, signs a long term deal to stay in Milwaukee, it would make for an incredible trade that would be well worth the prospect price.

Next: What Brewers Prospects could be available?

You can’t win a World Series without good pitching and that’s the upgrade the Milwaukee Brewers need if they’re going to make any postseason runs in their window of success. Gray makes the most sense and it would show everyone in the baseball world that the Brewers are serious contenders and they are here to stay.