Milwaukee Brewers Rumors: Trade Talks with Orioles Slowing?

The Milwaukee Brewers were rumored to be deep in trade discussions with the Orioles a few days ago. But new reports now say that talks between the two teams has dropped off significantly.

It may not come as a complete surprise. Early on Friday, the Brewers were reportedly heavily involved in trade talks with Baltimore. The targets were believed to be either second baseman Jonathan Schoop and/or starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.

A few hours later, Brewers GM David Stearns ended up acquiring third baseman Mike Moustakas from the Royals.

After that, Travis Shaw was moved to second base, and the idea of acquiring Jonathan Schoop looked to be unnecessary. But Kevin Gausman could still make some sense. We wondered if talks would still be going on. But that appears to not be the case.

In Robert Murray’s latest for The Athletic (subscription required), he reports that talks with the Orioles have slowed over the weekend.

Why Have Talks Slowed?

While it was unconfirmed who the Milwaukee Brewers were targeting in their talks with the Orioles, I think it’s safe to assume David Stearns was focused on Jonathan Schoop to fill the hole in the middle infield. With the new acquisition of Mike Moustakas, the Crew no longer needs Schoop.

If the Brewers don’t need Schoop anymore, there’s not as much reason to be having trade talks with the Orioles.

Could They Pick Back Up?

The Brewers could still have some interest in picking up Kevin Gausman to fortify their rotation. But he’s likely not their first option. If he was, the talks never would have slowed down. Murray also believes that the cost to acquire Gausman will be extremely high, and Baltimore doesn’t want to part with him. So it may take a lot to convince them to move a starter with a career 4.22 ERA.

Unless the Orioles back down from whatever their demands might be, it appears unlikely a deal will be reached.

There’s still two more days until the Trade Deadline. David Stearns has much to do and not much time to do it in. For the most part, rumors were quiet in the past 24 hours. But Stearns works quietly and very rarely do we find out about Stearns’ intentions before the deal is finalized.

The Milwaukee Brewers could use a frontline starting pitcher for the playoff run. A Jimmy Nelson return would go a long way towards achieving the ultimate goal, but it can’t be counted on at this point.