Milwaukee Brewers: Could the Crew join the Marlins clearance sale?

It is funny how something considered the second or third need for the Milwaukee Brewers is now looking like a top concern.

The relief pitching market is depleting faster than David Stearns can dial the phone to call a pitcher. Earlier today Anthony Swarzak joined the Mets. Shortly after that another potential target Juan Nicasio struck a deal with Seattle.

There are still plenty of reliable, or at least reliable enough, names out there. However, it looks like the guys who would give the most bang for a Brewer buck are no longer available. That leaves a few big names, some risks, and internal options.

Stearns has proven trustworthy over the years. So it should not be alarming. After all, landing a player like Chris Archer would more than likely make up for not getting a top priority reliever. Besides there are still some interesting options out there.

One that intrigues me a lot is Tony Watson. He closed games for the Pirates, but struggles moved him out of that role. After that, the team shipped him off to the Dodgers at the deadline. That was a move that almost paid off for him with a ring. The lefty could be a very nice addition to the bullpen.

Of course a reunion with Brandon Kintzler is not out of the question either. He performed very well last season. The bottom line is that someone needs to reliably set up Corey Knebel. That is where some of these names come in handy. The team does not need a closer at all.

But, for the sake of rumors, let’s say things stay the same. Assorted teams pick up the rest of the reliever scraps, leaving the Crew with internal options. That would make for an interesting year. At that point, it would be time to bolster the rotation in a big way.

A suggestion made by Adam McCalvy might provide an answer. It might be time for the Milwaukee Brewers to take advantage of Miami’s fire sale. The Fish reportedly are taking calls for Dan Straily.

This move would certainly solidify the middle of the Milwaukee Brewers rotation. Plus, he would look really good next to Archer in a welcome press conference. Though Getting the ace would be the main issue there. Getting Straily is also not a certainty.

The big appeal to Straily is that he will consistently give the team a chance to win. That is all a team can ask for really. The 29 year old’s four plus ERA starts to look a little better when he is under team control until 2021.

By no means is Straily going to be the catch of the winter. And yes, I do fish puns as well. Getting an arm who will win you more games then he will lose is not a bad asset to bring in. Especially for the potential price.

Usually, it would appear to be a higher price tag…say Marcos Diplan maybe? However, due to the status of the Marlins front office, it might come even cheaper than that. It would be a shame to avoid this clearance sale.

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There is no connection other than McCalvy’s tweet. All he did was merely suggest the Milwaukee Brewers might be interested. And he knows better than anybody. So I feel confident in saying, the Crew might be interested in Straily. It would not be a bad move at all.