Brewers GM David Stearns hasn't changed approach to trade talks despite team's slump

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

After the Milwaukee Brewers gave away their entire 5½-game lead in the National League Central in just over a week’s time, some wondered if general manager David Stearns would quickly pull the trigger on a trade to awaken his club.

Stearns confirmed Monday that he has no finger close to the panic button with one week remaining before the non-waiver trade deadline.

“I don’t think it changes our approach,” Stearns said of the 1-6 swing through Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that allowed the Chicago Cubs to pull even with the Brewers atop the division before falling a half-game back Monday with a 3-1 home loss to the White Sox.

“The best way to approach it is to understand we had an evaluation of our team coming into this time of year. That’s probably the most evened and disciplined evaluation we’re going to have.

“We try not to get wrapped up in the emotion of the day-to-day wins or losses. We know this is going to be a competitive division down to the end. We know there are going to be multiple teams involved. We think we’re good enough to be one of those teams. That’s the standpoint from which we’re going to work over the next week.”

There is the perception that Cubs management snapped the team to attention by acquiring left-hander Jose Quintana from the White Sox during the all-star break. The Cubs were two games below .500 at the time but went on an 8-1 surge after that trade to quickly reel in the faltering Brewers.

With the talent level on hand, the Cubs were likely going to get going, with or without Quintana, but Brewers fans who expected Stearns to respond immediately to that move were disappointed.

“You can’t think that way,” said Stearns, whose club still has three games against NL-East-leading Washington on the trip before returning home for a huge series against the Cubs. “Making change for change’s sake is not a great approach. We need a reason for making change. We have really good players on our team. They’ve demonstrated that for the balance of this season.

“We’ve hit a rough patch where we haven’t scored as many runs. And we’ve given up hits at tough times. But that doesn’t change our underlying evaluation of our players. We believe in our players, we believe in this group. So, we’re not going to change anything and make an acquisition unless we feel strongly that it’s an upgrade.”

Much of the rumor mill has the Brewers on the hunt for starting pitching and relief pitching, a common pursuit for contending teams this time of year. But it was the offense that went flat during the Brewers’ stops in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, scoring three or fewer runs in six of the seven games.

Stearns said that doesn’t necessarily mean he needs to acquire another bat.

“We’ve hit a rough patch here where we haven’t had some hits fall in. I do think we’ve hit some hard balls at people,” he said. “Clearly, over the last week, we haven’t scored as many runs as we’re accustomed to.

“I think that’s part of the cycle of a baseball season. There are times where you’re clicking on all cylinders. There are times where a couple phases of your team are working particularly well. And there are times where you seem to be scuffling in a number of different areas.

“When you hit those patches where there are multiple phases of your team that aren’t performing at the level we’re accustomed to, the key is minimizing those stages and fighting through it and grinding through it, and getting to the other side. I have confidence we’re going to be able to do that.”

In talks with other clubs, Stearns has tried to balance the ability to acquire players under control beyond 2017 against the possible immediate impact from upcoming free agents.

“We always prefer to acquire players who can be here for multiple years,” he said. “I don’t think we’re unique in that. It’s a sentiment echoed by all 30 general managers. From a reality perspective, those players often come with a high acquisition cost.

“As we evaluate the market for players who can be here for multiple years, we’re beginning to get a better grasp of what that might cost us. So, we’re also going to explore players that potentially could help us this year. That can be similarly pricey.”

So, if the right deal came along for a player under control beyond this season, such as Oakland starting pitcher Sonny Gray, would Stearns part with a package of prospects from his deep minor-league system?

“It really all depends on the type of player or players we’re getting back in any deal,” he said. “We go into every discussion understanding we have a number of players in our organization that other teams are interested in.

“It’s not always a straight line from organization to organization. Teams have their own evaluation of our players. That helps us determine which deals are better fits for us than others.”

A year ago, Stearns was on the other end of the equation as he continued to trade away veterans for prospects during the club’s rebuild. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy and closer Jeremy Jeffress were sent to Texas for three prospects and reliever Will Smith to San Francisco for two more.

Stearns remembers how many clubs were after his players then, so he figures the market is brisk for those in whom he has interest as well.

“We understand when there are good players available this time of year, there’s going to be competition for their services,” Stearns said. “We were in that situation last year. We had really good players that other teams wanted, and we worked down to the wire to get the best package we thought we could. It makes sense that other teams are going to do something similar.

“Because of our record and our place in the standings, there’s a different perspective from our end. I try not to put buyers or sellers labels on what we’re doing. I think it can be a little more nuanced than that.

“I think we’re going to follow a strategy that has a long-term aspect to it. But, certainly, our perspective and our role in the trade market is different than it was last year. We’re engaged on a number of fronts, but handicapping these things is always a challenge because they’re so unpredictable.”