Could Brewers Target 1B/3B Prospect Sherten Apostel At Trade Deadline?

The MLB trade deadline is right around the corner. If the Brewers do in fact decide to be buyers, here’s one player who could fill a big need.

The 2020 MLB trade deadline is on August 31, 2020, just five days away. The Brewers find themselves in a unique spot where they are not performing to expectations but the playoffs are still within grasps.

At one moment it feels like the ballclub should be buyers at the trade deadline and the next it feels like they should be sellers. Given the uncertainty and the current roster construction, I think the Brewers should target Rangers prospect Sherten Apostel at this years trade deadline.

Uncertainty for the Brewers at corner infield

Currently occupying third base is a combination of Luis Urias, Jedd Gyorko, and Eric Sogard. Of the three, Urias is the only player under guaranteed club control for multiple years beyond the 2020 season. Gyorko and Sogard both have club options for the 2021 season.

At first base, the Brewers currently have Justin Smoak under contract for 2020, but he will have to perform much better, despite his current streak, if he wants the Brewers to exercise their club option on him for the 2021 season. Still, with fewer internal options at the position, they could end up just riding the contract out.

At 21 years old, Apostel would not make an impact on the 2020 Milwaukee Brewers, but rather could be a corner infielder of the future. But as outlined above, with no clear favorites to play third base or first base for the Brewers after this season, Apostel would help fill that void.

Who is Apostel and why would he fit?

Initially signed by the Pirates in 2015, Apostel elected to play third base as a professional as opposed to a pitcher. As a 16 year old, he was throwing in the low 90s in Curacao as a pitcher. He was traded to the Rangers in 2018 in the Keone Kela deal.

In 2019 Apostel played in two separate levels of A-ball and mashed 19 home runs along the way.  His 6’4″ frame gives him a naturally long stroke at the plate. His 51 walks and low strikeout rate shows he has great plate discipline and contact skills.

Primarily a third baseman, Apostel started to experiment around with playing first base in 2019.  Given he is already a below average runner with subpar defensive range, a switch over to first base makes sense for him long term.

Why Apostel? According to MLB Pipeline, he is the Rangers 10th ranked prospect.  The Rangers could look to trade away Apostel this year given that their best prospect in their minor league system is another third baseman in Josh Jung.

Despite a losing record, the Rangers have not admitted to being sellers at this years trade deadline, which means the Brewers could look to trade away a less impactful big league player in order to acquire Apostel.

Currently, the Rangers are in desperate need of pitching, and their 5.18 team ERA reflects that.  Could the Brewers look to trade away a pitcher with big league experience to get a deal done?  Maybe a couple of Eric Lauer, Alex Claduio, or even Jake Faria would be enough to strike a deal.

With how the Brewers constructed their lineup heading into 2020 there will likely be a lot of roster overhaul at the season’s end, so a trade for a high end prospect may be just what the Brewers need to do at this years trade deadline. Acquiring Apostel now and getting him familiar with the staff would only help accelerate his growth.