Brewers trade Nestor Cortes to NL contender for outfield depth piece

Milwaukee Brewers fans waited all day for their front office to swing a trade, expecting someone who could add some consistency to their lineup or provide a bit more upside than their current group of bench bats. However, the first-place Brewers nearly waited until the 5:00 p.m. deadline, to make their first trade: selling Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Jorge Quintana to the San Diego Padres in exchange for 28-year-old outfielder Brandon Lockridge.

The Brewers were known to be shopping their surplus of starting pitching, with Cortes completing his rehab assignment last week and nearing a return to the team's active roster. Rather than make a move to open up a roster spot for Cortes, the Brewers elected to trade him to an NL contender, the San Diego Padres, who were very active on deadline day.

Cortes, the Brewers' main offseason acquisition whom they got in the Devin Williams trade with the New York Yankees, ended up making just two starts during his brief tenure in Milwaukee. Those starts could not have been more different; in one start Cortes allowed home runs on each of the first three pitches that he threw, and in the other start he tossed six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Now, after less than a season with the Crew, he heads to San Diego where he joins a contending roster that significantly improved today.

Brewers acquire outfielder Brandon Lockridge from San Diego Padres for Nestor Cortes and prospect Jorge Quintana in last-minute deadline deal

It's a slightly underwhelming return given the nature of the pitching market at this year's trade deadline. It was certainly a sellers’ market, with even rental relief pitchers netting at least one Top 30 prospect from the acquiring team. Lockridge has appeared in 59 games over the last two MLB seasons and posted a slash line of .210/.248/.280.

However, while Lockridge is 28 years old and has yet to find success at the major league level, there are some things to like in his profile. Most notably, he's an elite baserunner and an elite defender, fitting the Brewers' mold perfectly. Lockridge ranks in the 99th percentile in sprint speed, according to Baseball Savant, and he's collected an impressive three Outs Above Average (OAA) in his limited time in the outfield this season.

If his bat can come around, Lockridge could prove to be an interesting addition, but it's difficult to see how he fits into the Brewers’ current roster, or their roster of the near future. The Brewers have plenty of young outfielders in Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Isaac Collins, and Blake Perkins, all of whom are under team control for the foreseeable future. That's not including Garrett Mitchell, who will return next season, and Christian Yelich, whose contract runs through the 2028 season.

Yes, the Brewers have solved their starting pitching logjam, but they did so in a somewhat confusing way, and trading Cortes to an NL contender could come back to hurt them.