Brewers Part Ways With Luis Urias In Trade With Boston Red Sox

The Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox have reportedly struck a deal that is sending Luis Urias to the east coast. Jake Storiale, "The People's Source", was the first to report the news. Shortly after Robert Murray and Jeff Passan provided the same information.

Luis Urias was previously acquired by the Brewers from the San Diego Padres during the 2019-2020 offseason. He had a breakout 2021 campaign highlighted by 23 home runs and 75 RBI's, but has been unable to replicate that success.

This year a hamstring injury sustained on Opening Day in Chicago kept Urias sidelined for a few months. Upon returning to the big leagues he struggled and was optioned to Triple-A. He has been finding more success as of late, primarily through getting on base for he has a .345 on-base percentage in 29 minor league games.

For Milwaukee they will likely rely upon the names of Brian Anderson, Owen Miller, and Andruw Monasterio to man third base. Tyler Black, their fifth ranked prospect, spent most of this season at the hot corner and recently dabbled with playing first base. He is a possible call up candidate as well.

Who is the pitching prospect from the Boston Red Sox that the Milwaukee Brewers are getting in return?

In return for Luis Urias the Brewers are receiving right-handed pitching prospect Bradley Blalock. He was drafted by Boston in the 32nd round in the 2019 draft and 2023 is his comeback season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

In 11 A-Level starts this year he has a 2.19 ERA in 53.1 innings pitched with 58 strikeouts. He has four pitches in his arsenal including a mid 90's fastball, splitter at 84-86 mph with late drop, a slider at 82-84 mph and a curveball at 78 mph.

Overall this trade could pay dividends for Milwaukee, even if Bradley Blalock never makes it to the major leagues. Luis Uras had just two years of club control remaining and was making $4.7MM this season. His departure frees up some payroll and space at third base this offseason for Brian Anderson who is also an impending free agent. Urias was also trending toward being non-tendered this winter.

As mentioned above Tyler Black is a call up candidate this year. Milwaukee has also been drafting some quality infielders over the past few years including Eric Brown Jr, Robert Moore, and Brock Wilken. Of these three Wilken is the only 'true" third baseman, but the Brewers love making players versatile.

While it may be sad to see a fan favorite like Luis Urias go, his struggles made it hard to envision a spot for him on the roster in the future. Rather than wait, the Brewers found a deal that they liked and pulled the trigger, adding an interesting arm to the organization.