Brewers Trade Target: Brandon Drury

Since July of 2022, Brandon Drury has felt like a terrific option to improve the Milwaukee Brewers' offense, given their needs and his flexibility. The Brewers didn't acquire him at that year's trade deadline, nor did they sign him as a free agent last offseason (much to this writer's chagrin). Instead, he was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2022 and signed with the Los Angeles Angels heading into the 2023 campaign.

It was two whiffs by Milwaukee, especially as everyone watched the various struggles the lineup would go through. While it's hypothetical and not truly projectable, if you take Drury's averages from 2022-2023, he would have been among the Brewers' best hitters last season.

Rankings among 2023 Brewers (minimum 240 plate appearances):

• .495 SLG (1st)
• 27 home runs (1st)
• 85 RBI (1st)
• 30 doubles (3rd)
• 74 runs (3rd)
• 119 OPS+ (3rd)
• .808 OPS (3rd)
• .262 batting average (3rd)
• .314 OBP (4th)

Drury has proven to be a consistent, highly productive bat when he gets regular playing time and has crushed lefties over the past three years, with a slash line of .283/.322/.563 against them. 

The 31-year-old is a bit flawed in the field, but his defensive skills have improved over the past few seasons, and he was in the 89th percentile in Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2023. He also has plenty of experience at both corner infield spots and played 700 innings at second base last season. Those are the three spots the Brewers don't have clear answers for at the moment. Plus, the DH role is always available. Considering GM Matt Arnold's plan this offseason remains murky (are they pushing for this season, or planning for the future?), trading for Drury is a low-risk, medium-cost option that works either way.

Drury is entering the second season of his two-year, $17-million contract with the Angels. He is due to make $8.5 million in 2024 before becoming a free agent, which is a drop in the bucket for a guy who would have led the club in home runs, slugging percentage, and RBI last season. Even if you view him as a first basemen defensively, unlike other potential acquisitions, Drury has been healthier than Brandon Belt and Rhys Hoskins the past few seasons and more productive than Carlos Santana, who hasn't matched or bested Drury's 119 OPS+ since 2019.

 

The @Angels take the lead again on this Brandon Drury blast! pic.twitter.com/rwxzoVHI1C

— MLB (@MLB) August 30, 2023

The biggest questions would be: Are the Angels willing to trade Drury, and what would it cost? No one ever really knows what the Angels are doing. Their owner spends money, but only sporadically and within his own carefully drawn boundaries, and it still hasn't worked out for him. Despite having Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani since 2018, the Los Angeles Dodgers' little brother never reached the postseason in that time. Granted, injuries to Trout and others played a role, but when you carry one of the top five or six payrolls in MLB over that span, there's no excuse. Now, with Ohtani gone, do the Angels try for some sort of reset? Even if they still try to compete, how strongly do they feel about keeping Drury? He's a purely short-term guy, and they feel an awful lot like a long-term organization at the moment.

One area where the Angels could use help is in the bullpen. Los Angeles ranked among the bottom five teams in relief pitching last season, ranking 29th in Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), 28th in fWAR, and 25th in ERA. Meanwhile, the Brewers were among the best relief clubs, especially their late-inning corps. Milwaukee also has a ton of depth when it comes to bullpen options, so they could afford to move a player or two and still be covered.

On the surface, right-handed Elvis Peguero would be the most intriguing piece Milwaukee would be willing to give up. He allowed zero earned runs in 48 of his 59 appearances last season, which included 49 games in the seventh inning or later. The problem could be that despite his success and multiple years of cheap control, the Angels might not want this particular player, because it could amojnt to admitting a mistake. After all, the Angels traded Peguero to the Brewers last offseason (along with pitchers Janson Junk and Adam Semanaris) for Hunter Renfroe.

If the Angels can't get over the potential awkwardness (or simply aren't interested in Peguero), Milwaukee can offer any number of other arms. Los Angeles might not clutch Drury too tightly, with the other options around their infield, including last year's top prospect and 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel. That could mean being happy with quantity over quality, where the Brewers can send over multiple low- or mid-level farmhands to acquire Drury, or a combo of a veteran bullpen arm with some youth.

I will continue to bang the drum for Drury, even if the Brewers might have their reasons for passing on his talent. One would hope Arnold has a few solid moves up his sleeve, as we work through January with the NL Central crown again in play. Who would you be willing to trade for Drury, or would you not have interest in him at all?