Milwaukee Brewers: Could Domingo Santana be on the move?

Somebody call the fire department! The stove is getting hot and the Milwaukee Brewers are heavily involved.

After a slow start to the off-season, the Milwaukee Brewers are making some noise, and fans are anxious for something to happen. According to reports, last night the Brewers submitted a formal contract proposal to Yu Darvish. If that isn’t enough to get you excited, maybe this news will…

The Brewers are currently deep into trade discussions with multiple teams. After far exceeding expectations in 2017, this organization might be ready to go for it NOW. The Crew have trade assets all over the place, and one of the biggest is Domingo Santana.

Why would the Brewers trade Santana?

The only way the Brewers trade Santana is if they’re getting a big return. He stayed healthy last season and broke through in a big way. He hit .278 with 30 home runs while driving in 85 over 151 games for Milwaukee.

Trading Santana now means Milwaukee will be capitalizing on his value. He takes walks, hits for power, and has a strong accurate arm in right field. Santana could push a contending team over the top and will net Milwaukee a huge return.

Hopefully part of that return isn’t Jacoby Ellsbury‘s contract, because that’s about all you’re getting out of him. The Brewers need pitching, not another below average outfielder. A frontline starting pitcher pushes Milwaukee into contention and Santana is the centerpiece to any deal.

Santana has been around a while, but he is only 25 years old. He has barely scratched the surface of the player he will become. He has the potential to hit 25-30 home runs a season and the ability to hit anywhere in the lineup.

Santana isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season. That’s an affordable potential All-Star for the next four seasons. This would have to be a blockbuster trade for it to make sense for the Milwaukee Brewers. However, the reported interest in acquiring Darvish is a sign that this organization is in “contention mode”.

Next: Is there an offer on the table to Yu Darvish?

Furthermore, trading Santana for a starting pitcher now, might help nudge Darvish to sign. The Brewers have a wealth of outfielders right now, so trading Santana doesn’t hurt the depth. What Milwaukee doesn’t have is top end pitching and he can net that in any trade.