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As the trade deadline nears, Milwaukee is looking for a little more offensive punch, even as they have now surpassed the Cubs for the NL Central lead. But how should the Crew go about bolstering their offense?
One option has been to go to the Twins to acquire Willi Castro. There is another path for the Crew, though—one that could also help them create space for more multi-inning relief-pitching capability and bolster their offense. It could even complement the deal for Castro.
Taking Stock Of Texas
The Texas Rangers are 1.5 games out of the third AL Wild Card spot, currently held by the Boston Red Sox. They're tied with the Rays and just one game ahead of Cleveland in a muddled chase for those Wild Card berths.
Their big need: The bullpen. To boil a big thing down small: they recently designated their saves leader (Luke Jackson) for assignment. This is a team that could use some late-inning help. Old friend Hoby Milner has been solid for the Rangers, as is Robert Garcia, but their depth chart has effectively had a Joel Payamps equivalent at the top of it all year. Real, high-leverage relief depth would go a long way for them.
The Rangers haven’t had a problem scoring runs. They have four players who would rank third on the Crew in home runs, and a fifth player in double figures. But the Crew doesn’t need to target any of them. Rather, the prime asset the Crew needs to ask for is Josh Smith, a utility player under team control through the 2028 season. He’s a highly versatile player (having played all four infield positions and all three outfield spots), with a left-handed bat that has posted a 123 OPS+—just the answer for the Crew’s offensive production issues on the left side of the infield.
The Brewers’ Bountiful Bullpen
Of course, Milwaukee can help the Rangers out, too. In this case, it’s the simple fact that their bullpen depth is such that a pitcher they might turn to in the sixth or seventh inning would be a viable late-inning option for teams that aren’t so loaded.
Creating space for more multi-inning options is important for the Crew, given the innings limits multiple key pitchers face. Plus, Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick, who pitched well in Milwaukee, are currently in Nashville and are arguably the answer to the Crew’s desire for an upgrade.
In this case, the Crew could send Texas Grant Anderson and Nick Mears—just the boost the Texas bullpen could use for their push for the playoffs. Anderson and Mears have given the Crew 1.5 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. If they replace Jackson and Jacob Webb, the Rangers get a lot better in a hurry. Leads can be converted into wins much more reliably.
The Total Package
That said, the Rangers will want more than two relievers from the back end of the Brewers bullpen for Josh Smith. The Crew would need to add one or two other pieces. One might be a young pitching prospect, like Henderson, Patrick, or Coleman Crow. Alternatively, it could be a higher-end position prospect like Braylon Payne, Cooper Pratt, Josh Adamczewski or Blake Burke. For the sake of discussion, let's say it's Adamczewski. Let's also say that they throw in Dominican Summer League outfielder Kenny Fenelon. In return, they could ask the Rangers for a prospect or two in addition to Smith. Devin Fitz-Gerald and Seong-Jung Kim could be possibilities to come over to the Crew, along with Smith.
On its own, the deal would give Milwaukee an offensive upgrade at third against right-handed pitchers, and allow them to shift Caleb Durbin to second and Brice Turang to shortstop if Joey Ortiz continues to struggle. It would also net them a prospect for the Crew’s future. If combined with the proposed Castro trade, the entire left side of Milwaukee’s infield gets a boost, with players who could bolster the bench upon the return of a healthy Sal Frelick.
Big moves often get the talk, but the Crew has shown they can do just as well with deals that don’t look like much at first glance. In this case, the Crew could come out ahead, not just in the short term, but down the road, as well.
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