Brewers receiving interest in Domingo Santana on trade market but would ask for big return

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – With several major league clubs looking to add offensive pop to their lineups, Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns confirmed Monday he is getting considerable interest in rightfielder Domingo Santana.

But Stearns made it clear that it won't be easy to pry Santana away from the Brewers.

"We have outfield depth and the industry has recognized that. It’s natural when you have outfield depth, or depth at any position, to get calls on players at those positions," Stearns said on the first day of baseball's winter meetings at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.

"That’s what happened. It doesn’t surprise me that Domingo has garnered attention. Good players garner attention this time of year, especially this time of year as teams search for offense. But it’s also natural that if we’re going to even consider trading someone who’s such an important part of our team, we’re going to expect a sizable return."

At this point, there are more reasons to keep Santana than trade him. He is only 25 and not yet eligible for salary arbitration, meaning he won't make much more in 2018 than his previous $542,200 salary. Santana also is coming off a breakthrough year in which he batted .278 with 30 home runs, 85 runs batted in, .371 on-base percentage and .875 OPS, with the only real negative his 178 strikeouts.

The San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's are among the teams reported to have shown more than passing interest in Santana. The Brewers have considerable outfield depth, mainly with center-field types such as Keon Broxton, Lewis Brinson and Brett Phillips. But Stearns said it's not a bad thing to have excess at any position.

"Just because we have depth at a particular position doesn’t mean we have to trim that depth," he said. "In fact, that area of depth becomes a strength as you go through a season and you have injuries and performance fluctuations.

"We work very hard to acquire young talent and develop it, so there is an inclination to see that young talent progress and succeed in your organization. We also understand this game is about winning games at the major-league level and winning games at Miller Park.

"To the extent we think that’s best served by trading some of these younger players for others perhaps more ready to contribute at major-league level, we’re at the point where I’m at least willing to consider that." 

To have any chance of acquiring Santana, or any outfielder, you better be prepared to trade starting pitching to the Brewers. That is their primary need, particularly with right-hander Jimmy Nelson still recovering from shoulder surgery that is expected to sideline him for a good portion of the first half of the 2018 season. 

“The loss of Jimmy Nelson hurts," manager Craig Counsell said. "It’s a gut punch. It hurts.”

“I don’t think we’re at a point where we can project a return date. He’s 10 weeks post-surgery. I talked to him last week and he’s doing great. He’s very encouraged by how he’s recovering. But to put any time frame on it right now is not appropriate.

“As we get to spring training, as we come into spring training, I think we’ll be able to take a closer look at it. We’re not planning on having him, certainly to start the year. It’s a spot we have to account for as we start the season.”

There has been speculation that the Brewers will go after a big-ticket free-agent pitcher such as Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish or Lance Lynn. But Stearns would prefer a younger, less-expensive option that he could keep for a few years, which would only happen through a trade.

Of course, the entire industry covets younger, less-expensive pitching, so making that happen is easier said than done.

“There’s the ‘want to,’ ” Counsell said of picking up a quality starting pitcher. “To me, it’s a puzzle of the innings, putting together the innings and how we’re going to cover all the innings. The better the pitcher, the more innings you feel the guy can pitch, which has a carryover effect to the rest of the team, and the bullpen, specifically.

“We’re definitely in need of innings. How we get those innings – starters, relievers – is what we’re trying to sift through. Great starting pitching makes your job easier. The decisions don’t happen as soon in the game. They tend to happen later in the game with quality starting pitching."

A wild card in the equation is left-hander Josh Hader, a top starting prospect in the minors who came up last season and became a valued contributor out of the bullpen. The Brewers have not decided whether to keep Hader in a multi-inning relief role or place him in the starting rotation, and won’t do so until they see what external moves can be made.

“We haven’t added any pitchers to the mix as of yet,” Counsell said. “Part of that decision is reflective on who we add. He had a lot of success in the role we used him last year. Are there ways to expand on that? We’re considering everything with Josh right now. On Dec. 11, you feel like you’ve got some time still.”

Beyond the search for starting pitching, one area the Brewers continue to monitor is second base. That position was thrown into question last season when Jonathan Villar regressed tremendously, prompting the Brewers to trade for veteran Neil Walker, now on the free-agent market.

The Brewers have internal options in Villar and Hernan Perez as well as Eric Sogard, who was re-signed after coming up last year and playing well for more than a month before being slowed by an ankle injury. But they are open to an external addition if one makes sense.

“I think we’re in a really good place at second base,” Counsell said. “I think we have very good options. At the same time, there are players available at second base.

“Jonathan had a tough year. Guys have tough years. He has a really big year (2016) under his belt, too. That leaves us at ‘we’ll see.’ He’s got something to prove, certainly. You can’t say you know exactly what to expect.”