Milwaukee Brewers Rumors: David Stearns Looking For An Ace

Milwaukee Brewers General Manager David Stearns is well known for his desire to acquire depth. But he’s not looking to add anymore depth to his rotation this time around.

Stearns knows he has enough depth for the rotation. The Brewers have enough middle to back-end rotation pitchers to fill out a starting five. What he lacks right now is a true leader in the group. Chase Anderson has not been able to repeat his results from last year, and Jimmy Nelson‘s return has been pushed back to August at the earliest.

The Milwaukee Brewers have gotten production out of Junior Guerra, Jhoulys Chacin, Brent Suter, and Freddy Peralta. But none of those guys are someone that can be counted on for clutch games late in the postseason.

Getting a frontline starting pitcher has been of high priority since last offseason began. Because they weren’t able to acquire one prior to the start of this season, Stearns appears focused on getting one this July.

When #Brewers GM David Sterns was asked about potentially adding a starting pitcher: "For us to go out and trade some young talent potentially to acquire a starting pitcher it's not really going to be to add to that depth, it would be a guy that we think could lead the rotation."
— Matt Hietpas (@MattyHip) June 29, 2018

Read that as: “We’re going to get an ace”. He’s not going after depth adds like Ivan Nova and J.A. Happ. Stearns wants a No. 1 starter and the fact that he’s even commenting on that desire is a sign of how strong the need is.

Who will Stearns target?

Unfortunately, this is a poor time to be in need of a frontline starting pitcher. There aren’t very many big names on the market worth getting. Chris Archer and Marcus Stroman have been injured this season and might not get traded at all. Cole Hamels has been okay this season, but he’s more name than production at this point.

That leaves Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard as the only frontline starters worth acquiring this July. And there’s going to be a lot of competition for these pitchers. Luckily the Brewers can make a competitive offer for DeGrom and Syndergaard because of their strong farm system.

While many could be skeptical that Stearns would part with the prospects necessary to acquire one of the Mets pitchers, his recent comments show that he will be. He’s going to have to be aggressive to get a deal done.

Don’t be surprised to see Jacob DeGrom in a Brewers uniform in August. With the way Stearns has gone about his business since getting this job, he’ll come up with an offer that adds to the current roster without compromising the future.

Next: Rumors: Crew interested in Whit Merrifield

The Milwaukee Brewers are in a position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011. With the team in clear contention, making one big move could be all it takes.

Milwaukee Brewers General Manager David Stearns is well known for his desire to acquire depth. But he’s not looking to add anymore depth to his rotation this time around.

Who will Stearns target?

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