Brewers Trade Deadline: A Look At The 3 Best Deadline Deals In Franchise History
The stove is getting hot. Deals are being made and some big time players have joined new squads. A couple days ago we looked at some of the worst trade deadline deals done by the Brewers and today, we’ll dive into the best ones.
David Stearns has established himself as an executive who will listen to offers on anyone and everyone. His track record to this point has been impressive so it’s pretty safe to assume a key addition will be made before July 30th at 3:00 CT.
But the point of this article is to highlight some of the best moves in the past, so let’s explore some of those key trade deadline deals made by the Milwaukee Brewers in previous years.
3. Doug Melvin Acquires K-Rod
Mets received: Danny Herrera LHP and RHP Adrian Rosario
Brewers received: RHP Francisco Rodriguez
The Brewers knew they had a team capable of making a deep run in 2011. They traded for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum in the offseason and Prince Fielder was raking, but was a free agent at year’s end. It appeared the window was closing so Doug Melvin made a huge move for the organization. They went out and got one of the best relievers from the 2000s to be the setup man for John Axford.
Axford ended up leading the National League in saves that year and Milwaukee had to sure up the back end of that bullpen staff besides the Ax Man. Enter Francisco Rodriguez. After joining the club, all he did was post a 4-0 record with a 1.86 ERA, a 1.138 WHIP and strikeout 33 batters in 29 innings of work. Even more impressive, he embraced his new role of being a setup man after logging 254 saves in his previous six seasons between New York and Anaheim.
Adrian Rosario spent a couple years in the Mets farm system but never made it above Double A and Danny Herrera actually had a 1.13 ERA in 16 games with the Mets in 2011 but was later released.
It was a great deal for the Brewers and they wouldn’t have made it all the way to the NLCS without the prestigious reliever.
This also kicked off a stretch over the next several seasons where K-Rod would stick around with the Brewers and serve as the closer. The final time they traded him away, he netted Manny Pina for the Crew. Rodriguez brought plenty of value to the Crew and it all started with Melvin’s acquisition of him in 2011.
2. The Carlos Gomez Trade That Was
Astros received: OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Mike Fiers and cash considerations
Brewers received: OF Brett Phillips, OF Domingo Santana, RHP Adrian Houser and LHP Josh Hader
It is always hard to see a fan favorite leave the club in the midst of a difficult season. The Crew were cellar dwellers in the NL Central at 44 wins and 59 losses on July 30, 2015 so a move was bound to happen. The return on investment on this trade was nothing short of phenomenal…and it’s a gift that keeps giving.
This wasn’t the original plan for the Carlos Gomez trade at the 2015 Trade Deadline. As most remember, he was supposed to be sent to the Mets in exchange for Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler. The Mets backed out at the last minute, and the Brewers had to scramble for a different solution.
Enter the Houston Astros and their package of four prospects instead of the two New York proposed.
Most of Carlos Gomez’s best years came in Milwaukee. In his two years in Houston he slashed .221/.277/.342 with an OPS+ of only 72. And while Brewer fans only wished the best for GoGo after he left the team, it appeared he was let go at the right time.
Mike Fiers was drafted by Milwaukee in 2009 and it seemed after a couple years of finding his footing in MLB, he was traded. He went on to be a (for lack of a better word) “interesting” instrument in the Astros World Series run orchestra.
All four guys in return for Gomez and Fiers helped Milwaukee in one way or another. Brett Phillips was a big piece of the trade that brought Mike Moustakas to town. Domingo Santana had a big 2017 campaign along with a couple of other efficient seasons in a Brewers uniform. Adrian Houser is an integral part of the current Brewers rotation and Josh Hader needs no introduction further than one of the best in the game at what he does. It was an all around great trade for the Crew.
1. CC Sabathia Puts The Brewers On His Back
Indians received: OF Michael Brantley, LHP Zach Jackson, IF Matt LaPorta and RHP Rob Bryson
Brewers received: LHP CC Sabathia
There are trades that change the course of a team for that season but this was an example of a transaction that had further implications for the Brewers. A winning culture was established for years beyond 2008 thanks to the acquisition of CC Sabathia.
While it was pretty well known this move would essentially be a season long rental, that didn’t lessen his impact. The Brewers had a playoff drought of 26 years and fans were thirsting for a return to October baseball. CC Sabathia came in and posted some ridiculous numbers. 11-2. 1.65 ERA. 1.003 WHIP. Seven complete games. Three shutouts. 128 strikeouts in 130 innings.
The man was an absolute workhorse and at times it seemed he single handedly willed that team to the playoffs. And from then on, Milwaukee wasn’t okay with mediocrity and the winning culture finally came to fruition.
The Brewers gave up a decent amount for Sabathia with the best chunk of the package being Michael Brantley who was actually the ‘player to be named later’ at the time the deal was struck. Brantley is currently a five-time All Star and has a Silver Slugger award to his name as well. He hasn’t posted a batting average under .300 since 2017 and that year he finished with a .299 ironically enough. He is a star in the league right now.
Matt LaPorta never made a huge splash in Cleveland, only playing there for four years and he finished his career there with just 31 home runs and 128 runs batted in. Zach Jackson played for the Indians for two years with a 2-3 record and Rob Bryson never made the big league roster.
David Stearns rarely leaves a stone unturned when an opportunity to make his team better arises. Hopefully if a move is made before this Friday, it can be looked upon and added to a list like this in the future.
Interestingly enough, as many good moves as Stearns has made at the helm of the Brewers, none of his trades have made this list.