Brewers trade Thornburg to Boston for Shaw, two prospects
National Harbor, Md. – Among their many goals this off-season, the Milwaukee Brewers wanted to balance what had been a predominantly right-handed lineup while also continuing to stockpile young talent to further their rebuilding process.
General manager David Stearns made significant progress on those fronts Tuesday at baseball's winter meetings by sending reliever Tyler Thornburg to the Boston Red Sox for third baseman Travis Shaw and two highly regarded prospects, shortstop Mauricio Dubon and right-hander Josh Pennington. The Brewers also will get a player to be named later or cash in the deal.
Though it continued to thin the back of his bullpen, Stearns called it "a deal we couldn't pass up" and it was easy to see why. In Shaw and recently acquired first baseman Eric Thames, the Brewers have added two left-handed hitters with power to their lineup.
Stearns and Co. also like to collect middle-of-the-field players and Dubon, 22, fits that bill. Considered a natural shortstop, he will have to find a way to fit in the Brewers' rebuilding plan that already features top prospect Orlando Arcia at shortstop.
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Pennington, 21, basically is a younger version of Thornburg – an undersized (6-foot, 175 pounds) righty who throws hard (94-98 mph) and is beginning his career as a starter with the possibility of evolving into a high-leverage reliever.
Stearns said many teams had checked in on Thornburg but conversations "accelerated" the last couple of days with Boston. The sides worked late into the night and agreed in the early-morning hours to the deal.
The plan is for Shaw, 26, to be the primary third baseman, a role he filled for the Red Sox last season while also seeing time at first base. As expected, Jonathan Villar – who moved from shortstop to third when Arcia came up from the minors at the outset of August – will shift to second base and see most of his action there, increasing the likelihood that Scooter Gennett will be traded.
The 6-4, 230-pound Shaw started 99 games at third base for the Red Sox last season and 28 at first base. In 145 games, he batted .242 with a .306 on-base percentage, 16 home runs, 71 RBI, 43 walks and 133 strikeouts in 530 plate appearances.
"Shaw is certainly going to see a lot of time at third base," Stearns said. "We like positional versatility. We like setting our lineup every day so that (manager) Craig (Counsell) has the best chance to put the best nine players out there against the opposing pitcher. We certainly anticipate that Travis is going to be among that group regularly."
Asked where it left Gennett with Villar moving to second base, Stearns said, "Scooter comes into camp in a role where he's going to have to fight for playing time. He's going to have to fight for his ABs.
"There are no defined, set-in-stone roles on this team right now," Stearns added. "We're going to have a lot of competition. As we continue to build out this roster, the competition increases for everyone."
Shaw struggled against left-handed pitchers (.599 OPS) last season and if that continues it provides the opportunity for the right-handed-hitting Hernan Perez to see action as well at third base.
"We believe (Shaw) can make adjustments against lefties," Stearns said. "The track record has been that he has struggled at the major-league level against left-handed pitchers. That's something he is going to work to address. On the flip side of it, he is a very successful hitter against right-handed pitchers (.762 OPS) and we have other players on our roster who can supplement that."
Shaw said he believes he can hit left-handed pitchers if given the chance and said he looked forward to proving that with the Brewers.
"I had success my first year up in the big leagues; I hit lefties pretty well (.975 OPS in 85 plate appearances in 2015)," he said. "Last year, I didn’t get many opportunities against them earlier in the year. I got pinch-hit for a lot early in the year, and then when we traded (with Milwaukee) for Aaron Hill, I never played against lefties the rest of the year after that.
"Last year was a little bit different for me. Pretty much, halfway through the year (I went) from playing every day to being a platoon player, and it was an adjustment for me. I feel like I can have some success against lefties. Hopefully, getting an opportunity to play every day, that will work itself out again."
As for the trade itself, Shaw said, "I'm not really familiar with anybody in the Brewers organization. It’s a completely different league. I’ve never even been to Milwaukee, so this will all be new to me. I’ve been with the Red Sox my whole career. Later today, I’ll be personally trying to figure out where I fit on this team going into 2017."
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Pennington was a 29th-round draft pick by Boston in 2014 and pitched last year for Lowell of the short-season New York-Penn League. He was 5-3 with a 2.86 ERA in 13 starts with 39 hits and 27 walks allowed in 56 2/3 innings, and 49 strikeouts.
Pennington underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery as a high school senior, which is why he slipped to the 29th round of that draft. But he is throwing in the mid to high 90s now and was considered to have one of the better arms in Boston's system.
"He pitched healthy all of last year," Stearns said. "We're excited to be able to bring that type of high-upside arm into the system. It takes a little while sometimes for guys to regain arm strength after Tommy John, and we believe he has."
A native Honduran who was a 26th-round draft pick in 2013, Dubon played 124 games combined last season for Class A Salem and Class AA Portland, batting .323 with a .379 OBP and .840 OPS. He compiled 31 doubles, nine triples, six home runs and 69 RBI.
Dubon is considered a natural shortstop but the Brewers expect to have Arcia there for years, so he could become a multi-position player, which the Brewers like to have on their roster. Dubon did see some action in center field in the Arizona Fall League.
"We have a developmental philosophy where we try to get all of our players, even our top prospects, exposure to multiple positions," Stearns said. "Mauricio will be no different but I anticipate that next year his primary position will be shortstop."
Thornburg, 26, became the Brewers’ closer after they traded Jeremy Jeffress and catcher Jonathan Lucroy to Texas on Aug. 1 for three prospects. Thornburg appeared in 67 games overall, posting an 8-5 record with a 2.15 earned run average and 90 strikeouts in 67 innings. He held opponents to a .162 batting average.
Thornburg admitted to being somewhat stunned by news of the trade.
"I woke up to a lot of texts and missed calls. I kind of figured something had happened," he said. "It’s probably going to take a few days for it all to set in. I’m fairly surprised, not going to lie. But I’m definitely excited for the opportunity. I’m going to miss Milwaukee like crazy but I’m excited to be playing for the Red Sox now."
Thornburg was asked what it felt like to go to a team where it's World Series or bust every year, and that was before news broke later in the day that Boston had acquired ace Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox.
"Over the next couple of days, all that stuff will start setting in," he said. "It’s pretty much a whirlwind right now as far as catching up on calls and texts and everything like that. Hopefully, in the next couple of days, I’ll start getting extremely excited about the opportunity of winning a World Series."