Brewers: Should Crew Look into Patrick Wisdom at the Trade Deadline?

MLB’s 2022 trade deadline is on August 2nd this year, roughly a week and a half away. The Milwaukee Brewers, who have a 51-43 record as well as a game and a half lead atop the NL Central, should be among the teams who will be considered buyers at the deadline.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Chicago Cubs. They weren’t expected to be particularly competitive in 2022 and that is exactly how their season has developed as they currently have a 36-57 record and are 14.5 games behind the Brewers in the division. They should be sellers at the deadline.

The Cubs have a number of players who have been mentioned as possible trade candidates. Catcher Willson Contreras has had his name floated around in rumors since last season while outfielder Ian Happ and reliever David Robertson have emerged on that front this year.

Chicago has another possible trade candidate who is a little less obvious, though, in third baseman Patrick Wisdom. And though he would also fill a less glaring need for them, perhaps it’s a name that a team like the Brewers should at least consider.

Why should the Brewers look into Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom at the 2022 MLB trade deadline?

A former first round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012, Wisdom finally got his first chance at extended major league playing time with the Cubs last season and ran with it. In 106 games, he would slash .231/.305/.518 with 13 doubles, 28 homers, and 61 RBIs.

This season, Wisdom has seen some of his numbers tail off as his average (.221) and slugging (.442) have dropped. He also currently leads the NL with 124 strikeouts. However, his OBP has actually raised a bit (.317), he still has a decent 17 homers in 89 games, and his .758 OPS and 111 wRC+ are still at least decent.

MLB Trade Rumors recently published a piece about Wisdom being a possible trade candidate and they brought up some good points in that regard. They mention how a team like the Cubs may want to focus on more of their young talent as opposed to a 30-year-old. But also, Wisdom being pre-arbitration eligible could be something that is attractive to other teams.

The site mentions the Brewers as a possible fit for a Wisdom trade due to their situation at third base. The Crew have primarily utilized Luis Urias there with Mike Brosseau and Jace Peterson also seeing time at the hot corner when Urias has been absent. Milwaukee could also use an offensive boost in general.

It’s true that the Brewers offense could use some more firepower. Though they currently sit 12th in the league at 4.50 runs per game, a 16th-ranked team OBP (.314) and a 24th-ranked average (.236) have combined to produce some inconsistent offensive performances at times.

The Crew could use some more production at third as well. Going into Saturday, the Brewers have produced a below average 91 wRC+ at the third base position. And while Urias was a bit of a revelation there last season, he has not repeated that production in 2022, slashing just .221/.311/.379 with seven doubles and 10 homers in 64 games so far.

Wisdom fits the more classic mold of a third baseman and would help as a run producer. But should they really bring in yet another guy with a mid-.700’s OPS with a propensity for strikeouts? Or is it worth it to see if there’s even more run-producing potential to unlock?

Consider what the price might be as well. The Cubs may want a decent amount back for one of their better run producers over the last couple years and may also add the good old “intra-division tax” for Milwaukee. That may be more than the Brewers are willing to pay for a player who just hit his 30s.

The Brewers have other more pressing positions to address in the outfield (particularly center) and bullpen (which they just reportedly added to in the form of Jake McGee). It would probably make more sense to worry about that instead of bringing in a guy like Wisdom.

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Still, it never hurts to at least check in on a player like Wisdom. If the Brewers can negotiate a reasonable price, a trade would at least be worth considering.