Milwaukee Brewers: Building the perfect trade with the Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves still have an outstanding farm system even with the recent punishment they’ve received. However, they still need to continue their tear down in order to rebuild. The Milwaukee Brewers have a ton of outfielders. The Atlanta Braves have arms. Could the two teams make a deal this off season?

The Milwaukee Brewers have to flip a few outfielders to strengthen other spots on their Major League roster. The Atlanta Braves have a ton of awesome arms, but outside of Ronald Acuna, they don’t have much in the outfield. Christian Pache is several years away, and most of the other outfield prospects in their system aren’t exciting. They need to look to the trade market to bolster their outfield.

Is there a deal that works for both sides?

What would a deal between the Braves and Brewers look like?

Why would this deal make sense for the Brewers?

The Milwaukee Brewers would clear up part of their outfield logjam. Either Brett Phillips or Lewis Brinson would have a clear path to a starting job, while the other could start the season on the bench or head back to Colorado Springs.

Keon Broxton‘s issues have been discussed in detail. He has value, and could develop into a player the Braves could flip down the line. For 2017, Broxton slides into a corner spot, and phases out Nick Markakis and Matt Kemp. Ender Inciarte should stay in center where he’s won a pair of Gold Gloves.

Trent Clark was the Milwaukee Brewers first round pick in 2015, and looks like he needs a change of scenery. He slashed .223/.360/.348 with eight homers and 37 steals at High-A last year. Clark has impressive strike zone judgment, but needs to figure out that swinging for the fences isn’t always the best idea. A new home could help that message stick. The Brewers have a ton of outfielders throughout their system. Not all of them will ever spend a day on the Major League roster. Clark looks like he’ll become a roster casualty.

In return, Arodys Vizcaino heads into the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen. Manager Craig Counsell gets a high-leverage arm to create a bridge to closer Corey Knebel. Vizcaino has two more years of arbitration before hitting free agency. Vizcaino has been around since 2011, but he’s only in his age-27 season.

Why would this deal make sense for the Braves?

The Braves don’t seem to trust Vizcaino with the closer’s job. He was better than Jim Johnson for the majority of 2017, but only started picking up saves late in the year. One of Johnson or Jose Ramirez could slide into the ninth inning. The Braves could also go with one of their young arms as a possible closer.

The Braves also lack outfield depth. Inciarte and Acuna are the two long-term solutions they have, but they don’t have much else right now. Broxton would slide into the Major League roster. Clark will head to Double-A, but could work his way into a September call up if he can adjust his approach.

Next: Could the Yankees deal a reliever to the Brewers?

This deal solves the Braves lack of outfield depth, and gives the Brewers the late inning bridge to closer Corey Knebel. Atlanta continues their rebuild with a pair of toolsy outfielders, while the Brewers reload their bullpen for a Wild Card run in 2018. It’s a win-win deal that helps both sides achieve their goals.