Brewers Rumors: Could An Orlando Arcia Trade Come To Fruition?

Brewers rumors continue to swirl ahead of Monday’s Trade Deadline.

After the Brewers loss to the Pirates, they fell to 15-18 on the year in the final game before the 2020 MLB Trade Deadline passes on Monday. GM David Stearns has seen all that he can see of this team and now decisions must be made as more Brewers rumors start to fly.

Will he buy and add to this team, or will he sell and try to regroup, or will he just stand pat with the guys he has? Only Stearns knows and only time will tell what his decision will be.

However, most of the Brewers rumors swirling around on Twitter in recent days have indicated that the Brewers would be sellers at this deadline. There have been reports of interest in Josh Hader, while also the noted possibilities of veterans like Brett Anderson and David Phelps who could be on the move.

Now another name is being added to mix of a possible sale.

Brewers Rumors: Orlando Arcia A Trade Target?

According to none other than Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia could be of interest to teams such as the Blue Jays who are seeking middle infield depth.

The theory goes that Arcia could help fill the shortstop hole left by the injured Bo Bichette and then he could simply be non-tendered in the offseason since Bichette has that job on lockdown for years to come when healthy.

The Brewers would still have a strong infield group with Luis Urias slated to take over as the everyday shortstop in this scenario followed by Keston Hiura at second and the Sogard/Gyorko platoon at third base.

Arcia has improved his trade value this season since he’s been able to produce at the plate. Currently, he’s hitting .253/.333/.373 with a pair of home runs, 10 RBIs, 10 walks, and 12 strikeouts. He’s clearly been making more contact at the plate with an improved swing and the success compared to previous years has been obvious.

He’s been about a league average hitter this year with a 101 OPS+. That would be the highest total of his career.

Since Arcia would likely be non-tendered in the winter and the Blue Jays would plan to use him as a rental, the return for Arcia likely wouldn’t be very high. If another team were to look at him and view him as a piece for the next few years, then perhaps the return would be better.

Based on recent play, Luis Urias has been showing himself to be the superior hitter and a very strong defender. He’s finally in the leadoff spot where he belongs and Arcia is in real danger of not having a job in Milwaukee for next season. If the Brewers can get something for him, might as well, right?

We’ll see what happens between now and the Deadline, but this is just another possibility Stearns is dealing with. I’m sure more Brewers rumors will continue to fly leading up to the deadline’s passage.