Milwaukee Brewers: Which teams make the most sense as trade partners?

The Milwaukee Brewers have dealt away Domingo Santana, cut Jonathan Schoop, and allowed Stephen Vogt to walk. However there is still more work that needs to be completed on the 2019 roster. Which teams make the most sense as trade partners?

The Milwaukee Brewers have about $123 million in payroll commitments for the 2019 season. They can fit an affordable second baseman into their roster, but they can’t take on a larger contract unless they trade Chase Anderson, Zach Davies, Eric Thames, or a combination of the trio. All three have reasonable deals, but are a luxury for the Brewers, not necessities. In order to afford an upgrade to their rotation, or an expensive option at second base, they’ll have to clear a few salaries.

Ryan Braun would have been a logical name to include in year’s past. However, he has 10-and-5 rights and has a full no-trade clause. He’s probably not waving it, and unlikely to move on. The Milwaukee Brewers will likely have Braun on the roster until his contract finally ends after the 2020 season.

We’ve already covered the Philadelphia Phillies, so they won’t show up on our list, but they could make a fantastic trade partner for the Milwaukee Brewers. We also have four other teams that are possibilities when it comes to potential deals. Whether that means dealing for an ace, or flipping extra starting pitchers, we have a list of teams that make the most sense a potential partner in a deal with the Brewers before Spring Training starts.

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland A’s really need to add starting pitching if they want to build on last season’s 97-win campaign. Sean Manaea, Daniel Gossett, Jharel Cotton, and Andrew Triggs all figure to miss time recovering from injuries. A healthy Anderson or Davies could stabilize the A’s rotation while their quartet(!) of injured starters work their way back.

Oakland has an offense that’s ready to contend for a division title, but they need to get innings from somewhere. Right now, it’s hard to piece together 162 starts with their current roster configuration.

The A’s also have a ton of intriguing arms in throughout their system that could make sense for the Milwaukee Brewers, but they don’t have a ton of salary commitments.

The A’s have about $83 million committed to their payroll for 2019. Adding Anderson or Davies at their salaries could make sense for them, and provide payroll relief for the Brewers to add one more free agent. Dallas Keuchel might fit if the Brewers can clear a little more payroll.

If the A’s don’t want to provide salary relief, the Milwaukee Brewers could also choose to eat Davies’ or Anderson’s salary for 2019 in exchange for a quality prospect or two.

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres have names such as Eric Lauer, Robbie Erlin, and Luis Perdomo on their depth chart. They also have Garrett Richards and Dinelson Lamet working their way back from Tommy John surgery.

The Padres need to put together a Major League rotation, and they have the deepest farm system in the league. They also have a seemingly endless supply of surprisingly capable relief pitchers. The Padres need starting pitching. The Brewers have starting pitching.

A deal for Anderson or Davies could be worked out between the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres. Such a trade would provide the salary relief the Brewers need to add the final piece for 2019, and they’d be trading from their insanely deep pool of starting pitchers.

The Padres have about $87 million in payroll commitments as of right now. They could easily find space for Davies or Anderson, and they wouldn’t have to part with much to do so. However, if Brewers GM David Stearns can get the Padres to part with a real prospect or one of their solid relievers, it’s essentially found money.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are a hard team to figure out a path to deal with because they view players differently than most of the league does. However, they only have three starting pitchers of Major League quality listed on their rotation depth chart. Davies or Anderson would help fill out their rotation, and gobble up innings. They’re both better options than Yonny Chirinos and Jalen Beeks. For a team with a serious shot at the 2019 AL Wild Card, the Rays really need to find an upgrade to their rotation, even if they don’t value starters the same way as other teams. Someone has to take the ball to open the game, and they can’t do a ‘bullpen game‘ every day, can they?

In addition to the need for more starting pitching, the Rays could also make sense as a destination for Thames. Whether they make him a DH or a first baseman, the Rays could stand to add Thames to their roster. The Rays could also keep Thames around beyond 2019 if they choose to exercise his club option worth $7.5 million.

Thames team-friendly deal makes sense for the cost conscious Rays, and he could provide more from the DH or first base spots than the current options.

The Milwaukee Brewers could also look to flip Thames for a lottery ticket from the low minors, and then look to add to their roster with the salary relief a deal provides. The Brewers could also look to package Thames and a starting pitcher to get a more favorable deal.

With $57 million committed for 2019, even the Rays can afford to add Thames or an affordable starter from the Milwaukee Brewers. They also have the payroll room to add a contract, but they also have the prospects to send back if the Brewers agree to pay the salary of any Major League talent heading back.