Brewers Roster Updates: Mark Canha Traded, Caleb Durbin Optioned, Jake Bauers in Limbo

The dominos are starting to drop in the final days of Brewers camp. After a busy weekend of transactions, the roster the club will take to New York is nearly finalized. It started on Friday night when the Brewers scratched Mark Canha from their lineup and traded him to Kansas City for cash or a player to be named.

After reuniting with Milwaukee on a minor-league deal last month, Canha looked like a solid bet to break camp as insurance at first base and in the corner outfield spots. His signature plate discipline remains a strength—he walked four times and was hit by a pitch in 28 Cactus League plate appearances—but the veteran recorded just two hits, limping to a .087/.250/.261 line (40 wRC+). Evidently, the Brewers did not see enough to guarantee him a roster spot, so they flipped him to a Royals team that could.

“Thought it was a great opportunity for him,” Pat Murphy said that night. “We want to do right by the player, and we couldn't assure him he was going to be on the club yet.”

(It's a signature bit of tradecraft and diplomacy by the team. Yes, they traded Canha to a team that should give him plenty of big-league playing time. They could as easily have released him, though. By sending him to Kansas City, they slyly ensured that the good opportunity he found elsewhere wouldn't be on a rival within the division or in a potential NL Wild Card race, at least for now. When the front office has a chance to head off a potential upgrade for an opponent or glean a morsel of value in situations like these, they don't miss it—part of why they so consistently find success at the margins.)

More moves followed on Saturday afternoon. The Brewers optioned infielders Caleb Durbin and Tyler Black to Triple-A Nashville and released outfielder Manuel Margot.

Durbin’s demotion was somewhat surprising. He was projected for a timeshare with Oliver Dunn at third base, and he seemed ticketed for a spot after repeated votes of confidence from Murphy and the demotion of Monasterio, but it’s the correct decision. A natural second baseman, the 25-year-old struggled mightily to pick up third in camp, complicating his path to playing time. Durbin needs more time to master his reads and mechanics at the hot corner in a low-pressure environment. He’ll likely make his big-league debut sooner than later, though.

“I'm higher now on him than I was before camp,” Murphy asserted, indicating that the decision was more about making room for others in the position-player mix. “I love the kid. I love the way he plays. He's going to help us win games. He's a winning player.”

That quote notwithstanding, it’s difficult to believe Durbin’s spring showing in the field had nothing to do with the move. Even if he receives time at multiple positions in Triple A, his work at third will be most worth monitoring.

Margot, another non-roster invitee, was fighting for a fifth outfielder gig after Blake Perkins fractured his right shin at the onset of camp. While he could always return to Milwaukee on a new minor-league deal, he first gets a chance to gauge other opportunities on the open market. That the Brewers were happy to let him do that exploring himself (whereas they traded Canha) speaks both to the likelihood that he has a big-league roster spot waiting elsewhere and to the team's estimate of his capacity to contribute should he find one.

The moves leave 13 healthy position players in big-league spring training, for the same number of roster spots. Barring another addition, the projected bench consists of backup catcher Eric Haase, utility players Vinny Capra and Isaac Collins, and first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers.

Bauers was still in limbo on Saturday afternoon, Murphy said, due to the upward mobility clause in his minor-league contract. Exercising that clause would allow Bauers to survey interest from the rest of the league. If any team promised him a roster spot, the Brewers would have 72 hours to add him to their roster or release him to pursue those opportunities.

“We’re pretty close (to a decision),” Murphy said.

If the Brewers keep Bauers, they’ll have to make room for him on their 40-man roster. The most straightforward way would be to place Aaron Ashby on the 60-day injured list. The left-hander has stalled in his recovery from an oblique injury and will need time to build back up as a starter upon returning to the mound.

On the pitching side, Jose Quintana made his second spring training appearance on Saturday and estimated that he would need two more before he is ready for his regular-season debut. He expects to stay behind in Arizona to start a minor-league game next Thursday. If he requires a final tune-up after that, the earliest he could pitch would be in the final game of the first homestand. That means the Brewers would have to use a spot starter or bullpen game for their fifth game.

“It's one of those deals where we don't want to rush this guy in any way, shape, or form,” Murphy said. “He's a starter. We don't want to use him as a reliever, so he might not break (camp) with the club.”

Murphy also said the Brewers are still weighing whether to roster Abner Uribe to serve his four-game suspension or wait until late April. That leaves a couple of pitching spots still unresolved, but the roster picture continues to come together as spring training nears its close.