Milwaukee Brewers: Impact of Ohtani and Stanton Deals

Over the past two days, the best two players available this off season went to their new teams. Shohei Ohtani, a free agent who was a star as a pitcher and hitter in Japan, signed with the Angels. Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning National League MVP, went to the Yankees. But what do these deals mean to the Milwaukee Brewers?

Unfortunately, these deals didn’t involve the Milwaukee Brewers. Most of Shohei Ohtani‘s description of the team he wanted to go to fit the Brewers, except the fact that he wanted to go to the west coast, which he did. However, there really wasn’t anything real between the Brewers and Ohtani.

There also weren’t any connections, or even rumors of the Brewers being a fit for Giancarlo Stanton. However, based on the teams these two were interested in, things could have been a lot different for the Brewers.

How could their decisions have impacted the NL Central?

The Cubs and the Cardinals were both heavily involved in these two players. The Cardinals had a deal in place and agreed upon with the Marlins. However Stanton, with his no-trade clause, declined to go there. On the other side, the Cubs were one of the final four teams for both players, but missed out.

The Milwaukee Brewers dodged two bullets with these players moving past their division rivals, but there’s even more to it. Ohtani and Stanton didn’t just pass up the NL Central. They went away from other NL teams like the Padres, Giants, and Dodgers.

This means that the deals for these two players goes from significantly impacting who can win the NL Central, to not having any impact on Milwaukee at all. The Brewers don’t have either the Angels or Yankees on their schedule in 2018. They also won’t compete with either of them for playoff seeding.

This is important is because the additions of Ohtani and Stanton significantly change the outlook of these teams. The two stars would’ve had the same impact same on either Chicago or St. Louis. Not having to worry about those two is a win for Milwaukee. It’s also a loss for the Cubs and Cardinals.

How can the Brewers respond?

With the Cubs and Cardinals losing out on these players, it will now be up to Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns to come back with some key moves. You know that both of those teams are going to be looking around and trying to improve in any way. The Cubs have already signed a potential Brewers target in Tyler Chatwood, and will probably continue to make more moves.

The Winter Meetings are key for the Milwaukee Brewers, as they will show what Stearns’ mindset is as far as this season goes. There are plenty of rumors going around. Especially about starting pitchers. Stearns needs to make a splash in order for the Brewers to be looked at as a big competitor.

Next: Are the Giants calling on Brewers right fielder Domingo Santana?

The deals for Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton have shaken up the landscape, but they have not had much of an effect on the Milwaukee Brewers. With these two big pieces off the market, it will be exciting to see what the rest of free agency brings. The Brewers can also do a lot to make their division rivals ‘pay’ for losing out on these big pieces.