Should The Brewers Trade for Another Bat?

[Ryan Pollak]

While the Brewers have injury problems in the rotation, could they consider an offensive upgrade in their starting lineup over the next month, too?

Image courtesy of © Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

For the last few weeks, this site has talked about the potential impact the Brewers can make on the trade deadline this summer. Whether we have looked at specific trade partners or what players make the most sense for the Brewers, it seems the fanbase has come to one obvious conclusion: The Brewers should add starting pitching.

With nine pitchers on the injured list and not many signs of them coming back to full health, it seems logical to add a starting pitcher to a rotation that has relied on a combination of Colin Rea, relief pitching, and promising prospects to support Freddy Peralta. But nobody has said a word about the potential of adding a different bat, and honestly, that’s fair.

So, should the Brewers consider adding a bat to an already hot-hitting lineup? Let’s take a deep dive into why the club should trade for an upgrade in the starting nine and the players they should be looking at.

Why Add a Bat?

So, this team has a former MVP; arguably the best catcher in the league; a 25-year-old rookie third baseman; and a former first-round pick at second. Each of these players have a batting average above .270 and an OPS+ above 100. In fact, the club is fourth in team OPS, sixth in team batting average, eighth in team wRC+, and third in team batting average on balls in play. So, why should the club worry about adding hitting?

With every good hitter in this organization, there are just as many questionable bats on the 26-man roster. Not every player on this team is willing and able to play every game, like Willy Adames or William Contreras. Players need days off, and it might be good to have better depth available when that need becomes urgent down the stretch.

The club uses a rotational DH, but it can be argued that role would go to either Gary Sánchez or Jake Bauers. If that concerns you, that’s understandable. Each of them is running an OPS+ south of average, and their aggregate OBP is right around .300.

Those are two of the four players with at least 40 games played this year who have struggled that way. The other two are Oliver Dunn and Jackson Chourio. Chourio is coming back around (.294/.351/.471 in June), and Dunn’s role has been diminished.

Speaking of the bench, Andruw Monasterio is still on this roster. He has five hits in 42 plate appearances. While he rarely is seen in the starting lineup, he still gets occasional chances, and has struggled to deliver when they've come. The Crew can only be so patient before they consider moving on.

The only other player who nominally remains on the bench (though that hasn’t really been his role) is Blake Perkins. You can find, somewhere on this site, more detail on the fact that Perkins has become more than an extra role player. When Garrett Mitchell comes back, the Crew will have to find a way to juggle these outfielders. That might mean more games with Sal Frelick at third base, or removing one of Frelick, Perkins, Mitchell, or Chourio from the lineup on any given day.

However, bench depth isn’t the only concern the club has. It’s the runners in scoring position. It may not seem like it, but the Brewers have the eighth-best batting average in these types of situations. They lead the way in total bases with runners in scoring position. That said, they also have a 22.6% strikeout percentage in these situations, which is 10^th out of the 12 teams that are currently in playoff spots.

According to teamrankings.com, the Brewers have allowed 7.15 men left on base per game (27^th out of 30^th). Even worse, they have the highest runners left in scoring position per game (3.89). While it could be chalked up to aggressive swings, it could be because they rank 24^th in clutch rating according to Fangraphs (-0.56).

By now, the sabermetric orthodoxy is pretty well-established. Getting runners on base is good, and putting more runners on base in the first place will lead to more left on base by the end of the game. Clutch performance varies widely and unpredictably, even within seasons, and it's more of a focal point for fans than a sustainable skill for players or teams. Even so, it's in those moments--the conversion or squandering of those opportunities--that games are won and lost.

The Brewers have been able to squeak by with what they have, but the strikeout percentages of Bauers (33.7%), Perkins (27%), Sánchez (26%), and Chourio (26%) seem alarming at this point in the season. When you compound all this with their RISP stats and clutch, the club might consider adding a batter.

What Will It Cost?
In Jake McKibbin’s story on trading for a controllable starting pitcher, he made it clear that trading for talent would require giving talent away. While that may be true, the price of these players can vary based on the value of their contract, how many years of club control remain, and what position they play.

For example, look at the trade the Brewers made with the Mets last trade deadline. What the Brewers got was a then-34-year-old outfielder/DH who was hitting .243/.343/.381 with six home runs and 29 RBIs at the time of the trade. Canha was slated to make $13.25 million for the 2023 season and a club option for the following season. In the deal, the Mets agreed to pay down much of that money, leaving the Brewers responsible only for the 2024 option.

What did they give up? A former 2018 fifth-round pick, in righty Justin Jarvis. As of today, Jarvis has yet to make it to the big leagues.

So, what’s it going to be like this year? Before you get excited about the club adding a Justin Verlander for an Adam Seminaris, this year is going to be a little different. Just looking at the state of all MLB rosters, pitching is going to be a serious need at the deadline. We already know the Brewers are dealing with a ton of injuries in the rotation, with Brandon Woodruff, Wade Miley and potentially Robert Gasser for the entire season. But the Crew aren’t the only team with these issues.

The Atlanta Braves lost their ace, Spencer Strider. The Orioles lost John Means and Kyle Bradish to Tommy John surgery. Despite Shane Bieber having the same surgery, the Guardians lead the AL Central. That’s only scratching the surface for the number of injuries around the league. There will be bidding wars, and pitchers will be sold at almost ridiculous prices.

As for the position players, there isn’t a ton of talk on ones who could be on the move. Nine teams are separated by 4 games in the NL Wild Card standings. Teams like the Cardinals, the Reds, the Giants, or the Mets might put the brakes on any plans to sell players if they continue to hang around the race. The American League is a little more spread out, so we can get an idea of what players could be on the move.

The range of types of prospects that can go in a trade will be wide. If a team tries to trade for a big fish like Pete Alonso, expect a top-100 prospect to be involved, along with a lower-tier prospect or two. However, if someone like Joey Gallo gets traded, it might only cost a lottery ticket, like the Canha trade did. Here are the players who could be on the Brewers radar.

Hear Me Out…Brewers Add a Regular DH in J.D. Martinez
I know there was another batter on the New York Mets the Brewers fan base would love on their team. But if the Brewers are protective of their top prospects like Tyler Black or Jacob Misiorowski, then J.D Martinez would be the next best pick.

Everyone will probability be quick to point out his 26% strikeout rate on the season. However, he was one of the Boras clients who signed late in the offseason. In fact, Martinez signed with the Mets on Mar. 23, one week out from Opening Day.

He didn’t play a game until Apr. 26, but has a .290/.359/.511 slash line in 209 plate appearances. Even with a late start, he is hitting at a high level. If the Brewers want someone who is clutch in the DH spot, look no further than Martinez. He boasts a .298 career batting average and .927 OPS with runners in scoring position. According to Baseball Reference, he’s hitting .325 in high-leverage situations--exactly what the Brewers could use in tight, late-game situations.

Potential Trade: Brewers Acquire J.D. Martinez for RHP Bradley Blalock
Because Martinez is an aging veteran, there is a decent chance the Brewers won’t have to give up any of their top prospects. However, they will have to give up an MLB-ready talent. As other pitchers start getting healthy on the roster, the Brewers would probably see less and less of the likes of Bradley Blalock. While Blalock had Tommy John surgery back in 2022, he has bounced back in control and speed.

We have already seen what Blalock can do in the big leagues, as he pitched a clean inning against the Padres in his big-league debut. But like all teams, the New York Mets might need some pitching. It’s all going to depend on how the team performs in the next few weeks.

Could a Yandy Díaz Trade Spell the End for Jake Bauers?
I feel like for the last few years, we’ve heard the potential for the Brewers to make a trade for a first baseman. When that is the case, we look at a player like Yandy Díaz.

Let’s be honest, this was not a name I expected to talk about as an available target, after a 2023 campaign wherein Díaz won the American League batting title. Then there were rumors swirling the Rays would consider selling their more expensive contracts to drop payroll. This explains the selling of Tyler Glasnow.

Not long ago, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported teams were targeting Tampa's expensive contracts once again. With the club 13 games behind the Yankees for the division and four games back in the Wild Card race, clubs could be thinking about buying these guys for more of a bargain.

Díaz, who remains under club control through 2026, has been having a down year, hitting .271/.331/.384 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 77 games. Honestly, that’s a pretty good down year.

While he may be another right-handed batsman, he could make a great platoon with Bauers and a solid complement to Rhys Hoskins. While Hoskins is normally hitting better against lefties, his recent slump has dropped his batting average to .171 versus southpaws this season.

Díaz is currently hitting .303/.337/.408 when facing a lefty. His reverse splits aren’t too bad, either: .261/.330/.376. I haven’t even mentioned his 14.8% career strikeout rate, his 11.8% whiff rate, or his 92.5 MPH average exit velocity.

If you're not sold on this yet, how about his .304 batting average with two outs and runners in scoring position? His .403 OBP with RISP this season jumps out, as well. Diaz isn’t going to win any races, but he’ll certainly get on base when you need him to.

An acquisition like this could put an end to Bauers’s tenure with the Brewers. He’s already relegated to a bench role. But what else would this cost the Brewers?

Potential Trade: Brewers Acquire 1B Yandy Díaz for OF Blake Perkins, 1B/C Wes Clarke, and RHP Patricio Aquino

As stated earlier, Díaz is under club control through the 2026 season. This gives a little bit of time and the ability to sell off one of their top first basemen in their system, in Wes Clarke. I know there is a lot of Brewer faithful (including myself) who see a lot in Clarke. We even saw what he can do in Spring Training, where he launched four home runs and had a 1.024 OPS in 30 plate appearances. But if the Rays give up their starting first baseman, they might need someone to hold it down other than Isaac Paredes, since top prospect Xavier Issac is still in High-A.

With Mitchell close to a return, there will be quite a logjam in the outfield. Perkins has been more than serviceable for the club, but he was splitting the outfield with Chourio and Frelick. We thought Frelick could’ve been seeing time at third base, but Joey Ortiz is hitting at a high enough level to garner All-Star considerations. Once Mitchell returns, someone will be squeezed, so it might be time to sell Perkins while he is hot.

If they ask for a third player, then they can throw in a pitching prospect like Patricio Aquino, who had a decent 2023 season with the Carolina Mudcats. With so much club control left, the Rays don’t have to force a trade. But if they plan on cutting salaries, then Díaz’s $8 million this season and $10 million the next might be too much for them.

Justin Turner Could Be the Clutch Bat the Brewers Need
Alright, here we go again with Justin Turner joining the Brewers. This is another time where this move just makes too much sense for the Crew. The Brewers need another good bat in the lineup? Do they need an upgrade at the first base or DH spot? Does the team need a clutch hitter who excels in high-leverage situations? All this fits the bill for Turner.

He is 39, but the numbers are still there. With a .340 OBP and a 105 OPS+, he is continuing to find ways on base. He has a .293/.362/.366 line in high-leverage situations this season, with his best stats coming as the game gets closer. He has a .273 batting average with two outs and a runner in scoring position.

He’s not going to be the same Turner who wore a Dodger Jersey stats-wise, but he would be a great role player for this young and potentially playoff-driven team.

Potential Trade: Brewers Acquire Justin Turner for RHP Bishop Letson
If you want a trade closest to the Mark Canha trade, then this is the one. The Blue Jays are currently 15.5 back in the division and 6.5 in the wild card. They are more than likely going to sellers. With a $13 million contract tied to Turner, teams might not want to take on the remainder of that contract.

With the Jays being ranked 24^th in the preseason MLB Pipeline’s Farm System Rankings, the club could sell players for any prospects. While their best trading chips are Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Chris Bassitt, and Bo Bichette, Turner could still be an option. With pitchers at a premium right now (at least at the major-league level), the Blue Jays could take in a young pitching prospect in Bishop Letson. The Brewers' 11^th-round pick in 2023 is only 19, and is currently with the Mudcats in the rotation. He still is a lottery ticket for any team, but the Brewers saw great potential for a back of the rotation type guy.

Other Options:
Possibly the greatest option the organization could hope for is the big All-Stars, in Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman. But the NL Wild Card is very tight, and the Astros are currently riding high and creeping closer to a playoff spot.

Josh Bell wouldn’t be a bad option, though his clutch stats are a little suspect. His clutch numbers this season hover close to what Bauers already has. The only difference is Bell gets more opportunities, and that he strikes out at a lower clip. That, and Bell has a .246 batting average vs Bauers's .217.

Perhaps, if the Tigers are considering selling, maybe a quick reunion with Canha is possible as an option at first. If they hang up, maybe a deal can be worked for Gio Urshela.

A final and potential option could be one Brent Rooker, in the A’s organization. While he does have a 140 OPS+, he also has a 36% strikeout rate and leads the American League in punchouts. If you can get over that level of wind generation, he has three more seasons of club control and a ton of suitors who would want him. The Brewers can put in an offer, but it will be an expensive one.

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Do you think the Brewers need another bat? Should they focus more on their pitching needs? What players would you like to see in a Brewers Jersey? Let us know in the comments.

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[jay87shot]

I would say adding a bat would help but still secondary to a top of the rotation starting pitcher. I like all the names mentioned, but part of the worry is some of those teams might not sell. Yandy Diaz would be great but if Rhys comes but might be off next year. Tyler Black could also fill that bat void. 

[Branyanisthegoat]

Barring an injury shake up, the only lineup spot that is an easy upgrade is a RH IF. 

I know he's not popular, but IKF seems perfect to me for Monasterio's spot. Super low K rates, and can play everywhere. With how much we run Gary & WC out there, IKF is a decent emergency catcher as well. 

Kikuchi & IKF shouldn't break the bank even with SP prices likely to be sky high

[Brian]

I say pitching. I know we have a few pitchers coming back but who is to say they will be 100% or as effective they were before the injury.