Milwaukee Brewers: Trade Rumors For Pitchers Chris Archer, Marcus Stroman

The Milwaukee Brewers failed to trade for Manny Machado, but trade rumors continue to emanate from Milwaukee. The Brewers still could use a bat, but will also look for a starting pitcher to add for the 2018 playoff push.

Some trade rumors are coming from New York, where the Mets might be shopping Jacob DeGrom and Noah Syndergaard, but the Milwaukee Brewers might not want to give up the amount of prospects it would take to get one of those aces.

In other trade rumors, the Milwaukee Brewers looked at Tampa Bay Rays starter Chris Archer before the 2018 season. To a lesser extent, trade rumors also linked Milwaukee to Toronto Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman.

All of these pitchers are good fits for the Brewers because they are young, cheap, and controllable by the new team for longer than just the rest of 2018.

However, Archer and Stroman would cost Milwaukee less than trading for DeGrom or Syndergaard.

Milwaukee Brewers Trade Rumors: Chris Archer

Chris Archer has a team-friendly contract, which is important to a small market team such as the Milwaukee Brewers.

However, Archer has not overcome the same negative analytics that made him a risky acquisition for the Brewers before the season.

The young flamethrower continues to struggle keeping runs off the board. Archer’s 2018 ERA sits above four late in July. His strikeout rate is lower than normal and his walk rate is high leading to a higher than normal WHIP.

Reports indicate the Brewers are scouting Archer, but the Tampa pitcher might not help the team make a playoff push right now. It makes no sense for Milwaukee to unload several talented prospects for a player with so much risk.

Archer shows a unique ability to eat innings and strikeout batters, but his inconsistency, high ERA, and shaky 2018 numbers make him a questionable pick-up for the Brewers before the Trade Deadline.

Milwaukee Brewers Trade Rumors: Marcus Stroman

The Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays have recent trade history. In 2014, they made a mutually beneficial trade when Milwaukee acquired Adam Lind for pitcher Marcus Estrada. Both players helped both teams.

Fast-forward to 2018. The Brewers are looking to add pitching this time and Toronto has two starters showing up in trade rumors.

Reports from Toronto suggest the Blue Jays are scouting the Brewers farm system. Some believe the Brewers and most others are focusing on J.A. Happ.

However, Marcus Stroman also makes sense for the Brewers. Milwaukee has plenty of prospects to compile a package for Stroman if they really want him. Stroman would be relatively cheap and under team control for more than a season, similar to Archer.

Unfortunately for the Brewers. Stroman has also struggled during the 2018 season. Like Archer, Stroman might be a risky acquisition if the Brewers expect to rely on him to carry the team into the 2018 playoffs.

Which option is better?

On the positive side, Stroman projects better than Archer for a future Brewers club.

Archer strikes out more batters, and that makes him look better to fans. However, a deeper look questions who might be a better fit. Stroman gives up less home runs per nine innings over his career. He is also a very good groundball pitcher. These traits gel with the hitter-friendly Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Furthermore, Stroman has playoff experience, and he showed the ability to excel under pressure with his stellar performance for USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic title game.

Archer and Stroman have both been injured and endured poor starts through the halfway point in 2018. It might be that neither of them would help much for a playoff run, but they do have the potential to turn things around and dominate. Also, they could help the Brewers in 2019 and 2020.

Stroman, however has a history that suggests he would be a better option pitching half his games in Miller Park.

Next: Rumors: Zach Britton A Potential Bullpen Addition

Combining Stroman with Jimmy Nelson, Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes, and any of a number of other options could make the Brewers an intimidating major league ball club.