Is it Time for Brewers to Trade The Kraken?

The Brewers have been seen as a buyer in the trade market by most in MLB, but they may actually be able to do a bit of smart selling and come out ahead. All it takes is figuring out where other teams are desperate for help in a place where the Brewers have depth. For some contenders, that help is desperately needed behind the plate; that's where Milwaukee comes in. They have an asset two top AL contenders really need, in the form of Gary Sánchez.

Where might the Crew be able to get a haul for Sánchez? Let’s break it down.

New York Yankees
The Bronx Bombers have a lot of good players, but behind the plate, the production has bombed in a bad way for them. Their primary catcher, Austin Wells, is posting a .524 OPS. Backups J.C. Escarra and Ali Sánchez haven’t done much better. In fact, as of Friday’s games, Sánchez has more home runs (eight) and RBIs (25) than the entire Yankees catching corps combined (six and 24).

Seems like the Yankees need some help. A semi-frequent trade partner of Brian Cashman of late, the Brewers could be in position to lend that assistance. It's a complicated idea, because Sánchez came up with the Yankees and was put through the media wringer there, but the Yankees always have great organizational pitching depth; the Brewers could be pleased even to scoop away a second-tier arm from Cashman.

Seattle Mariners
You’d think with Cal Raleigh, the Mariners wouldn’t need help at catcher. Well, this year, Raleigh’s OPS+ has dropped by 103 points (to 65) after a season in which he hit 60 home runs. Mitch Garver is 35, and his OPS+ is 76. By comparison, Joey Ortiz has a 79 OPS+ after his hot streak. Sounds like it would behoove the Mariners to address the position before the trade deadline. The Brewers could send them Sánchez and, again, would look to raid a good pitching pipeline in a low-grade way.

Replacing The Kraken
One issue, of course, comes to mind: Once you’ve dealt the backup catcher, particularly for prospects, you need to replace him. William Contreras’s durability has been impressive, but he did seem to run out of gas in past seasons. Fortunately, the Brewers have an option at Triple-A Nashville for the spot.

It's not top prospect Jeferson Quero. Quero’s had some injury trouble the last three seasons, but he’s also had a good bat and his defense has been touted for a long time. Unfortunately, he hasn't caught in over a month, so clearly, there's some lingering issue there, physically. He can't come up and be a catcher in the majors; he's not even catching in the minors.

Darrien Miller, however, has had an offensive breakout this season and hasn’t missed a beat in the small sample size at Nashville after posting big numbers in Biloxi. Miller’s long shown excellent OBP skills and is competent behind the plate, giving him a decent floor as a lineup extender. His lefty bat could also complement Contreras and Quero down the road. If the Brewers are willing to roll the dice on the long-time backstop in Miller, trading Sánchez could be a way to keep boosting the farm system without taking a significant bite out of the big-league team. Think of all the extra ABS challenges that would remain available, too.

Do you think the Brewers should trade the Kraken? Let us know in the comments below!

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