Milwaukee Brewers: Top Five Presents In Recent Memory

We all have that favorite present. The present that trumps all other presents. Mine was getting the chance to watch my Phoenix Suns lose to the Golden State Warriors each year. Keep in mind this was during the Steve Nash era. You’re a top team in the Western Conference and you can’t win a game against the lowly Warriors? Are you kidding me? Can you tell I’m still definitely not bitter?

Anyways, being that time of year, it’s time to talk presents. Specifically those from David Stearns the past few years. The Milwaukee Brewers’ GM has been in a very giving mood of late. He’s made some great moves that now have the Brewers as legit contenders in the National League. Yes, Stearns has his fair share of failed deals or missed opportunities. But, given its the holiday season we’re here to celebrate the positives, not his shortcomings.

To truly become a contender in a small market, the front office and coaching staff have to work flawlessly in getting the right talent. The organization must perform similar to the “moneyball” Oakland A’s, taking advantage of market inefficiencies whenever they are present.

From nabbing a future Most Valuable Player to signing a solid contributor in the bullpen, the Brewers have done this. Their acquisitions will never lead headlines with “$400 million to Player X” but they’ve been calculated and, most of the time, have worked out. This is essential for a small market team that can’t mindlessly spend money.

We’ll count this list down from five and throw a few honorable mentions in there. We’ll reach as far back as a 2015 trade that set up a lot of the future of Milwaukee Brewers baseball and make a few stops each following year. Naturally, I believe you know what number one will be but it’s about the road to it, not the result itself!

Honorable Mentions

We have four total honorable mentions, though there are others that could be argued into one of these spots. The first is bringing back an old friend in Jeremy Jeffress for pitcher Tayler Scott.

If you haven’t heard of Tayler Scott, don’t worry, neither have I. Turns out, he’s a 26-year-old right hander in Triple-A for the Rangers.

In return for Scott, the Brewers got Jeremy Jeffress, a centerpiece in a dominant 2018 bullpen. His 1.29 ERA and high strikeout rate were instrumental to building the style of pitching that Milwaukee relied upon in their run to the playoffs. While he’s likely to regress given his FIP (fielding independent pitching) and xFIP are closer to three than two, he is still a significant piece in this organization that was acquired for next to nothing.

Next up is the trade that sent beloved Brett Phillips and Jorge Lopez to the Royals for Mike Moustakas.

This deal is purely in this section because Moustakas might just be a half-year rental. If it weren’t for that fact, this could very well have cracked the top five just because the nickname “Moose” fits Milwaukee perfectly.

Ignoring that, Stearns picked up a solid corner infielder for a small cost. Moustakas was always a significantly underrated contributor to those Royals teams of 2014 and 2015. His bat, for some reason, always went unnoticed in a massive ballpark and, given a full year in Milwaukee, would produce ridiculous power numbers.

On the other side of the trade, Phillips struggled at the plate in Kansas City but played superb defense, sticking to his scouting report to perfection. Lopez, on the other hand, got lit up after the trade and doesn’t seem to be on track to make the Brewers regret this trade.

Following that is the signing of Wade Miley. After struggling before 2018, he came to Milwaukee and provided shocking positivity to an unstable rotation. He showed up in the postseason, performing well against exceptional offenses, including a start in Coors Field.

Last but certainly not least is a 2015 deal that sent Adam Lind to the Seattle Mariners for Freddy Peralta, Daniel Missaki, and Carlos Herrera.

At the time, Lind was coming off an impressive two seasons in Milwaukee and Toronto. However he declined in his only year in Seattle, experiencing offensive woes with troubling defense, producing a negative WAR in that season.

In return, the Brewers received two extremely young pitchers in Peralta and Missaki. While Missaki struggled with injury troubles (Tommy John in 2016), Peralta has shown potential to provide stability at the top of the rotation.

Though small in stature the 22-year-old righty announced his presence in a big way, with a 13 strikeout performance in the most difficult pitchers park in the league. Peralta posted large strikeout numbers in his first year in the big leagues and, if he can cut down on his worrisome walk rate, will be a key piece in a young, high potential rotation for Milwaukee.

No. 5: The Jonathan Lucroy Trade

Coming in as the fifth best present from David Stearns is an August 1st, 2016 trade featuring Jeremy Jeffress once again. This time, however, Jeffress was dealt with Jonathan Lucroy to the Texas Rangers for Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz, and Ryan Cordell.

At the time, this was a fair trade for each side. Lucroy was in the midst of a stellar season from a position that lacks in offense. His power was peaking and his defense was above average, contributing to a wins above replacement (WAR) of three after just below 400 plate appearances prior to the trade. Jeffress was also having a productive year, with an ERA of 2.22 and a FIP of 3.17.

Each player continued their success with the Rangers, but struggled in the year following. Jeffress returned to form two years later while Lucroy hasn’t experienced nearly the same success. However, in return for just about a third of a season’s worth of productivity from each veteran, the Rangers relinquished three key players in future Brewers’ deals.

Ryan Cordell would be sent away in 2017 in the midst of a banner chase for Anthony Swarzak. Swarzak came into Milwaukee and was very effective for a few months, putting up high strikeout numbers and a solid ERA.

Next up is Luis Ortiz, who was the key piece in a deal for Jonathan Schoop. While this gives Brewer’s fans bad memories of a, lets just say, below-average trade, Schoop was supposed to come in as a solid hitter at a position that needed filling. He didn’t perform up to the expectations of the trade, but given his history, was seen as the possible “missing piece” in the 2018 run. Had he performed similar to the three years previous, Ortiz would have gone down as the prospect that bought the Brewers’ World Series run.

Finally comes Lewis Brinson, the highlight of this trade. He will be discussed more at depth later (spoiler alert) but, apart from struggling in Miami this year, was most recently rated as the 13th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com. Brinson was pegged as a Carlos Gomez-style hitter but was in the middle of a crowded outfield. In some ways Brinson did produce for the Brewers, just in an indirect fashion.

No. 3: Lorenzo Cain

Next up is gift number three, all packed into a five year, $80 million dollar contract. David Stearns bringing back Lorenzo Cain was a massive boost to the young Milwaukee Brewers roster. His performance throughout the season solidified the Brewers lineup and defensive outfield.

Cain produced a top 15 season among all players (top five in the National League) in WAR while playing exceptional defense in center field. He wasn’t a slouch at the plate, either. His .308/.395/.417 slash line and 124 wRC+ was essential at the top of the lineup as a table setter. He also set a career high in steals at 30, though he needs to be more efficient with his attempts as he was caught a career high seven times.

David Stearns paid big for a consistent veteran and was rewarded with the season that Lorenzo Cain produced. His performance at the plate and in center field was well worth the $14 million he was due in 2018. Cain was a steal for Stearns last year, especially given that he didn’t have to trade away any assets to acquire him.

However, a five year, backloaded deal for a 32-year-old with his injury history does have the potential to become a problem. Cain has only played more than 130 games three times in his career and is only getting older at a position that doesn’t age kindly. If injury troubles or just natural deterioration in talent rear their ugly head down the road with $66 million still due then this contract will be a major problem for a small market team like Milwaukee.

Yet Stearns and Brewers’ fans aren’t worried about that. Cain is an essential part in making a deep run with this organization. With the team they currently possess and a weaker National League (nowhere near the talent the American League has), a trip to the World Series is well worth mortgaging the next three years.

So, the risk of Cain’s contract becoming an albatross in exchange for the reward of a legitimate chance at a banner is well worth it. As they say, banners fly forever and I’m sure no fan regrets the electric 2018 season they just experienced.

No. 2: The Tyler Thornburg Trade

We’re reaching back a few years for what I believe to be one of the most one-sided trades in recent memory. In late 2016 the Milwaukee Brewers dealt breakout set-up man Tyler Thornburg to the Boston Red Sox for Travis Shaw and prospects Mauricio Dubon and Josh Pennington.

Unfortunately for Boston, Thornburg has thrown a total of 24 major league innings since the trade, all in 2018. The reliever was initially seen as a stabilizer in the back end of the bullpen but went through shoulder troubles that cost him the entire 2017 season.

If not for those problems, this trade might look a little more fair. Thornburg was coming off an incredible season and showed no signs of slowing down.

The Brewers netted a solid return in their third baseman of the future, Travis Shaw, and a prospect at a position of need in second baseman Mauricio Dubon.

Shaw has blossomed into a top 10 third basemen in the two years he’s been in Milwaukee, ranking 9th since 2017 in the MLB with a WAR of 7.1. He’s also provided solid defense from third base along with great offense. His power (63 home runs the last two seasons) and ability to get on base (.347 OBP) make him a crucial hitter in the middle of the lineup.

In addition to acquiring Travis Shaw, the Brewers also received Dubon, who may factor into a contributing role on the major league roster soon. Dubon has hit well down in the minor leagues while also producing speed on the base paths. He was also providing solid power with a .574 slugging percentage in the 100 plate appearances before injuring his ACL in 2017. He looks to return to full strength for spring training in 2018 and, if he can return to his past production, may compete to fill in at a vacant second base position for a postseason run.

No. 1: The Christian Yelich Trade

Finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for but certainly know the answer for. The best David Stearn’s gift in recent memory is this years trade for the upcoming MVP, Christian Yelich.

Earlier this year, the Brewers joined in on the Miami Marlins’ fire sale and traded four prospects for Yelich. Milwaukee gave up a haul for the 26-year-old, controllable outfielder. Their package included two of Milwaukee’s top six prospects in outfielder Lewis Brinson, and middle infielder Isan Diaz, along with outfielder Monte Harrison and right-handed pitcher Jordan Yamamoto.

As recently as 2017, Lewis Brinson was the number 13th ranked prospect according to MLB.com. His combination of power and speed led those to believe that Brinson could be a potential 30-homer, 30-steal outfielder.

Though he struggled in his minor appearance in Milwaukee in 2017, Brinson was still a top prospect with a lot of potential. However, the young outfielder continues to have problems with strikeouts and, thus, has not been able to translate his above-average power and speed.

Isan Diaz, the young middle infielder that went to Miami, was also a top prospect. He ranked 86th in 2017 and displayed elite defense and the potential to develop into a power hitter. Unfortunately for the Marlins, Diaz also struggled with strikeout issues in the minors which is never a good sign before reaching the best of the best.

The two main returns for the Marlins in this trade have not performed up to expectations. Given their youth there is still potential for Brinson and Diaz to turn it around. But until that occurs, the Marlins haven’t gotten enough return for what they sent to Milwaukee.

In return for the four prospects the Brewers received outfielder Christian Yelich. Yelich has been nothing short of excellent since arriving in Milwaukee. He secured the MVP award in his first season after a stellar year at the plate, nearly doubling his career high in home runs and finishing with a wRC+ of 166.

Yelich is also young, turning 27 barely a month ago, and affordable, critical for a small market team. The Milwaukee Brewers will continue to reap the benefits on Yelich being sold low if he continues the natural progression while in his prime.