Brewers' David Stearns could get ball rolling for future deals at GM meetings this week

Over the next few days, Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns should get a better feel for possible trading partners this off-season.

Major League Baseball’s annual general manager meetings begin Monday at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Orlando, Fla., signaling the unofficial kickoff to the trading season. When GMs meet face to face, it can accelerate discussions that eventually bear fruit.

“It really changes from year to year,” Stearns said. “Two years ago, it was a really active GM meetings with a lot of discussion. There were a couple of trades done there and there was a lot of chatter going on that helped deals get done later in the off-season.

“Last year, it was a little quieter. So, you never really know. But it’s a good time to catch up with other clubs, understand other organizations' needs and get a better grasp of what’s realistic to accomplish over the off-season.”

The Brewers' big trade last winter was acquiring third baseman Travis Shaw and three minor-league prospects from Boston for reliever Tyler Thornburg. That deal didn’t take place until the winter meetings in early December, but you never know when discussions will lead to something. GMs also will be meeting in Orlando with representatives of free agents.

“I don’t have a good sense yet as to whether it’s going to be fast-moving or slow-moving,” Stearns said of possible trade activity. “This is the time of year when clubs do contact each other. And, now that free agency has started, agents start reaching out as well."

The Brewers have two primary agendas this winter: acquiring starting pitching and figuring out the best alternative at second base. The rotation absorbed a big blow when Jimmy Nelson had shoulder surgery that will keep him out of action in the early going next season, and Stearns will explore all opportunities to add starters.

"It's probably a priority for everyone in baseball,” Stearns said. “We’re always open to looking at the starting pitching market, and seeing if there are fits out there that can make us better now as well as the future.

“We will be spending time there, and we’ll be looking at elements on the position player side as well. Our outlook is to never close off avenues to making ourselves better. Starting pitching is one of those areas but it’s not the only area.”

There has been speculation that the Brewers are positioned to dive in the deep end of the pool of free-agent starting pitchers, spending big for a veteran from a group that includes Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn. Whether they get that exotic with their spending at this stage of their rebuild, even after an encouraging 86-win season, remains to be seen.

The Brewers have pledged up to $63 million to renovate their spring training facility, a proposal that must be approved by the Phoenix city council in a meeting Wednesday. But Stearns indicated there still should be money available from principal owner Mark Attanasio and his group to spend on free agents if the right deals materialize.

“I think Mark will continue to be supportive of any investment we deem necessary,” Stearns said. “We still have room to improve at the major-league level. Some of that is going to come from improved play from our current roster, and some of that is going to likely come from external acquisitions."

Second base became a question mark when Jonathan Villar fell apart last season. The Brewers added veteran second baseman Neil Walker via trade for the stretch run, but he is a free agent now, leaving the club to make another external move, give Villar another chance or try a different internal option.

“I do think we have pieces to handle it internally,” Stearns said. "I would be happy coming back with our same position player group, if that’s the way this off-season plays out. At the same time, we’re looking to get better.

“We know Johnny is a talented player. We’ve seen it first-hand (in 2016). Then, he had a disappointing year last season. I wouldn’t rule him out, but we have three or four months to see exactly what our roster is going to look at, going into spring training. We’ll take that time to determine if there are external solutions that might work there for us.”

The biggest catch on the free-agent market could prove to be Japanese two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, who wants to be a pitcher and hitter in the major leagues. Ohtani is expected to land in a bigger market than Milwaukee, but the Brewers have connections to his agent, Nez Balelo of Creative Artists Agency. Balelo represents Ryan Braun and also did free-agent deals with the club for Nori Aoki and Matt Garza.

At the least, that familiarity could open the door for a friendly chat between Stearns and Balelo if they cross paths at the GM meetings.