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Brewers: A Look At The 3 Worst Deadline Deals in Franchise History

By Jacob Lenzendorf

MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 05: Jonathan Schoop #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers at bat during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park on August 5, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Rockies defeated the Brewers 5-4 in eleven innings. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 05: Jonathan Schoop #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers at bat during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park on August 5, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Rockies defeated the Brewers 5-4 in eleven innings. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 5: Carlos Lee #45 of the Milwaukee Brewers smiles during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 5, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Brewers 10-6. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 5: Carlos Lee #45 of the Milwaukee Brewers smiles during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 5, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Brewers 10-6. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

With just over a week from the MLB Trade Deadline, rumors are flying and the buyers have the sellers’ phone number on speed dial. A deadline acquisition can propel a team to heights they wouldn’t have reached before. So with the Crew sitting comfortably in 1st place for the time being, they’ll more than likely look to improve their squad.

But sometimes those trades before the deadline can backfire for one of the sides.

The Brewers haven’t had too many cases of bad deals around July 31, but they have had a few. Here’s a look at the three worst MLB Trade Deadline deals in club history.

#1 Brewers Send Away Cruz and Lee

Rangers received: OF Carlos Lee, OF Nelson Cruz

Brewers received: RHP Francisco Cordero, OF Kevin Mench, OF Laynce Nix, LHP Julian Cordero

In what was probably the worst one out of the three we’ll go over, Milwaukee shipped away two phenomenal slugging outfielders for not much in return.

Carlos Lee played in all 162 games in his first year as a Brewer in 2005 and was an All-Star twice in the year and a half that he was in Milwaukee. Lee ended up leaving one Texas team and going to another after his 59 game stint in 2006 when he was shipped from Arlington to Houston. Some of his best years came in Houston where he slashed .286/.338/.479 with 133 home runs and 533 runs batted in.

In 2005, Nelson Cruz played in eight games for the Milwaukee Brewers. Fast forward to today and ‘The Boomstick’ has logged 1,827 games with 436 home runs and 1202 runs batted in. The seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger has established himself as one of the best power hitting players of this generation and he has shown little to no signs of slowing down as he continues to climb up the all-time ranks in the home run department.

In return, the highlight of the deal for the Crew was Francisco Cordero. Cordero had a sensational 2007 season in Milwaukee where he was selected to the All-Star Game and he had 44 saves, but the year after that he decided to test free agency and signed with the Cincinnati Reds for four year and $46MM (the highest paid relief pitcher ever at the time).

Laynce Nix and Kevin Mench never really amounted to much in a Brewers uniform, both fighting to find themselves in the lineup. Julian Cordero never made the big league club in Milwaukee.

The Brewers could’ve had one of the best sluggers of this generation, on the same team as Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. That dynamic duo could’ve been a terrific trio, and Brewers history from 2008-2011 could’ve looked a lot different.

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