Brewers deal recently DFAd reliever to Royals in All-Star Break trade

The All-Star Break isn't a break for the Milwaukee Brewers' front office, who, moments ago, swung a trade with the Kansas City Royals. In exchange for cash considerations, the Brewers dealt right-handed reliever Easton McGee, whom they designated for assignment back on Friday, July 10, to the Royals.

McGee's designation for assignment was the result of the Brewers, somewhat surprisingly, reuniting with right-hander Bryse Wilson, whom they signed to a major league deal and immediately added to the bullpen for their weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Though McGee wasn't on the major league roster at the time, he was occupying a spot on the 40-man roster, and to open a spot for Wilson, he was DFAd and exposed to waivers. Before McGee could clear waivers, however, the Royals offered the Brewers cash to add the 6'7" right-hander to their organization.

The 28-year-old McGee has performed admirably in his limited appearances in the big leagues. Aside from one poor outing against the Washington Nationals last August, McGee really hasn't let any of his big-league appearances get away from him. McGee's lack of big-league success, therefore, stems more from a lack of opportunity than a lack of execution when he's been given a chance. The former Tampa Bay Rays draft pick has just 26.1 total major league innings to his name, and his numbers in Triple-A this year took a step back from where they were a season ago, but McGee still has an intriguing arsenal of pitches that should play at the major league level.

With several right-handed relievers currently on the IL, including former Brewer Nick Mears, Kansas City may need McGee's services at the big-league level in the near future, especially if the last-place Royals elect to sell at the deadline.

The Easton McGee trade shouldn't be the last Brewers-Royals swap this summer

Speaking of the deadline, the Brewers should keep their phone lines to Kansas City open over the next three weeks. The Royals, who enter the All-Star Break 21 games under .500 and 10 games back in the AL Wild Card race, should be clear sellers at the deadline, but they possess an interesting group of trade candidates.

The Royals have already come out and said that they aren't interested in trading starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo unless an acquiring team matches their high asking price -- that doesn't sound like something the Brewers will do, especially for an aging veteran. Right-handed outfielders Starling Marte and Lane Thomas could help the Brewers, but with Luis Lara now up with the big-league club, it's unlikely Milwaukee adds another outfielder at the deadline.

Where the Royals might help the Brewers at the deadline is the bullpen. Kansas City has a pair of relievers in John Schreiber and Daniel Lynch IV that may interest Matt Arnold and company as the August 3 deadline approaches. Schreiber is a similar arm to Grant Anderson, in that he throws mostly four-seamers, sweepers, and sinkers, from a very low arm slot. However, Schreiber also throws a cutter and a better changeup than Anderson and has a longer track record of success in the big leagues. The 32-year-old right-hander wouldn't be threatening Aaron Ashby or Abner Uribe's high-leverage workload, but he would be a solid addition to Milwaukee's middle relief corps.

Lynch, on the other hand, is a really interesting arm, and one that would be quite a bit more expensive than Schreiber given the fact that he has two years of team control remaining after the 2026 season, whereas Schreiber would be a true rental. Lynch was the 34th overall pick in the 2018 draft and began his major league career in 2021 as a pretty ineffective starter. However, the now-29-year-old southpaw has reinvented himself as a reliever in recent years, and the results have been impressive. This year, Lynch holds a 2.35 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP in 39 appearances. He possesses chase and groundball rates in the 82nd percentile or better. Lynch could cover high-leverage innings for the Brewers this year and has the potential to convert back into a starter in the future.

Milwaukee is no stranger to doing business with the Royals; the two teams made a three-player swap involving Ángel Zerpa, Isaac Collins, and Nick Mears this past offseason. While that deal hasn't worked out for either side, it shouldn't stop the two central division ballclubs from negotiating again before the midseason trade deadline.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow