Milwaukee Brewers: Could they make a deal with the Nationals?

The Washington Nationals have three players who cleared waivers. This means they can all get dealt without other teams making a claim. Could one of them end up with the Milwaukee Brewers?

Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Zimmerman, and Matt Wieters have cleared revocable waivers. This means the Washington Nationals can deal them to any team without worrying about a team claiming them. The Nationals may also work out a better deal since they now have the power to negotiate. The Nationals should get a better prospect if they choose to send cash to the team they make a deal with.

Is there a fit for a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers?

Wieters & Zimmerman? Really?

No. There is no chance the Milwaukee Brewers work out a deal for Weiters or Zimmerman.

What about Gonzalez?

This is where the Milwaukee Brewers’ focus needs to be. Gonzalez is a capable lefty who can gobble up innings and provide a boost to the starting five.

How has Gonzalez been this year?

He’s a little more exciting than Matt Harvey? In 25 starts with the Nationals, Gonzalez owns a 4.51 ERA. Gonzalez has logged 133 2/3 innings, and has struck out 118 while walking 67. He’s also been tagged for 14 homers this year.

He’s in his age-33 season, and his velocity isn’t quite what it used to be. At his peak, he averaged over 92 MPH on his fastball. He’s averaging just under 90 MPH this year.

What’s his contract status?

He’s a free agent in November and he’s still owed over $2 million of the $12 million that he’s owed for 2018.

How likely is a deal at this point?

The good news for Washington is that they can now work out a deal with any of the 29 other teams. The bad news is that only about half the teams in the league are still in the mix for a playoff spot, and even fewer are in need of pitching.

Jimmy Nelson isn’t coming back soon, and Zach Davies just got optioned to Single-A. If the Milwaukee Brewers are going to add a boost to their rotation, it’s going to come from outside their organization. Gonzalez won’t cost more than a low-level ‘not-a-prospect’ if the Nationals pick up all of his salary for the rest of 2018. It was rumored that the Brewers were sniffing around Gonzalez at the deadline. It makes sense for them to sniff around now, too.