Just before the Rangers-Brewers deal, Lucroy had vetoed his supposed trade with the Cleveland Indians which made him one of the hottest commodities, pre-deadline.
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The Brewers got back two top prospects from the Rangers in outfielder Lewis Brinson and pitcher Luis Ortiz, along with a player to be named later.
The Brewers also sent reliever Will Smith to San Francisco in exchange for catcher Andrew Susac and pitching prospect Phil Bickford.
With another non-waiver trade deadline looming, and the cost of acquiring another starting pitcher apparently too steep, general manager Jon Daniels and his group “audibled a little bit”.
In Milwaukee, the preposterous transformation of their farm system continues, and they are now solidly among the five best systems in the league no matter who you ask. Past year we saw the Mets say “on second though, nevermind” to Carlos Gomez after reviewing his medicals. They weren’t trying to get big league help back where we didn’t line up with them. The Rangers are opening a championship window, and with their mix of young talent and proven veterans, it makes sense to be aggressive to make the team as good as possible right now. 299 with a 50 RBI and with 13 home runs in 95 games this season. “Really excited and can’t wait to get after it!” he posted on Twitter. Jeffress has consistently been a solid option out of the bullpen ever since coming up with the Brewers in 2010, posting a career 2.93 ERA in seven seasons.
“I don’t know if we necessarily pick out finite milestones”, Stearns said when asked if the latest deals moved the Brewers closer to the next phase of rebuilding.
Brinson is a 6-foot-3 center fielder who was the 29th overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft. In 77 games for Double-A Frisco, he’s hitting just.237/.280/.431 with 14 doubles, six triples, 11 homers and 11 steals.
Puig was an All-Star in 2014 after a meteoric rise with the Dodgers, but he has struggled this season with hamstring injuries and inconsistent play. He is 4-6 with a 3.48 ERA in 16 games combined this season for Class-A High Desert of the California League and Double-A Frisco.
Brinson, 22, entered the 2016 season ranked by both Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com as the second-best prospect in the Rangers organization. He had been with the Brewers since they got him in a trade with Kansas City in December 2013. He went 9-8 with a 3.28 ERA and 1 save in 181 relief appearances as a Brewer, including 1-3 with a 3.68 ERA in 27 outings this season.
Wilson batted. 250 (32-128) with 3 home runs and 22 RBI in 42 games with the Rangers this season. The 20-year-old Ortiz, the website’s 63rd-ranked minor leaguer, has good stuff and the potential to become a No. 2 starter.
Milwaukee ended up finding suitable deals to move both players even after their first attempts fell through, and it’s interesting how the situations sort of mirror each other. But that’s about it. And calling up Orlando Arcia last night further proves to me that we’re on to ‘Phase 2.’ Start slowly incorporating these young players and see if they can hack it at the Major League level.
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The Rangers sit at 62-44 and hold a six-game lead over the Houston Astros in the American League West. The team has the second most wins in baseball, only behind the Chicago Cubs with 63.
