Top 10 offseason moves by Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns
LAS VEGAS – David Stearns has yet to make his first notable acquisition of this offseason, and things seemed quiet for the Milwaukee Brewers general manager as baseball’s winter meetings began Monday at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
Stearns was quite active in his first three off-seasons running the club as the Brewers worked through a significant rebuilding process. After the team came within a victory of advancing to the World Series in 2018, it stood to reason that player moves would slow down this winter.
As we wait for some action, it’s a good time to take a look at the 10 best offseason moves by Stearns, in terms of impact made by the acquired player or players:
1. Trading for OF Christian Yelich
How often do you trade for a player who immediately becomes most valuable player of his league? That’s what happened when Stearns pried Yelich away from the rebuilding Miami Marlins in exchange for four prospects, three ranked in the Brewers’ Top 10. One of the keys to the deal was that the Brewers would have five years of control of Yelich, including club options on his contract.
If the next four years are anything like the first, this will go down as the greatest single acquisition in franchise history, if it’s not already. Yelich had a second half for the ages (1.219 OPS), hitting for the cycle twice and leading a September surge that saw the Brewers overtake the Chicago Cubs and win the NL Central crown in an extra Game No. 163. Yelich became the team’s first batting champion with a .326 average and also led the NL with a .598 slugging percentage and 1.000 OPS.
Yelich hit more home runs in the second half – 25 – than in any previous entire season (21) in his career and took a run at the Triple Crown before finishing with 36 homers and 110 RBI. He already is one of the most popular players in club history, and having just turned 27, is still in the prime of his career.
2. Signing free agent OF Lorenzo Cain
On the same day he traded for Yelich, Jan. 25, 2018, Stearns came to an agreement on a five-year, $80 million deal with Cain, a key contributor to two World Series teams in Kansas City. Cain was originally drafted by Milwaukee and wanted to return to the club, and the interest was mutual. He immediately became a leader on the club, not because of what he said (Cain is mostly quiet) but because of how he played.
Hitting mostly in the leadoff spot, Cain changed his approach at the plate, taking more pitches and drawing more walks to finish with a .395 OBP, highest of his career. He was a threat on the bases, stealing a career-high 30 bags, batted .308 and played superior defense in center, worthy of the Gold Glove he was not awarded.
At 32, Cain is slowing down a bit and we’ll see how this contract works out toward the end but he was just about everything the Brewers could have hoped for in his first year.
3. Trading for 3B Travis Shaw
The folks in Boston are well aware of how one-sided this trade has been for the Brewers. Stearns sent reliever Tyler Thornburg, who has been mostly injured since, to the Red Sox at the 2016 winter meetings for Shaw, who had been aced out in Boston at third base by Pablo Sandoval. It didn’t take long for Sandoval to become a bust in Boston, while Shaw has slugged 63 home runs with 187 RBI in his first two seasons with the Brewers. With three more years of control, Shaw showed willingness and versatility in moving to second base for the final two months of the 2018 after third baseman Mike Moustakas was acquired.
Also acquired in the deal for Shaw was highly regarded middle infielder Mauricio Dubon, who would have seen action for the Brewers in ‘18 if he didn’t tear an ACL one month into the season at Class AAA Colorado Springs. Shortstop Yeison Coca, the player to be named later in that deal, is only 19 and could be a player to watch down the road.
4. Claiming 1B Jesús Aguilar off waivers
When Stearns claimed Aguilar off waivers from Cleveland shortly before spring training opened in 2017, it didn’t draw much attention. The slugging first baseman was a prolific home run hitter at the Class AAA level for the Indians but never got much of a chance in the majors. Aguilar quickly opened eyes in the Brewers’ camp by batting .452 with seven homers and 19 RBI in 25 exhibition games, earning a spot on the roster.
Aguilar had a nice season off the bench in ’17, hitting 16 homers with 52 RBI in 279 at-bats but really broke through last season when given the chance to play first base regularly after a thumb injury to Eric Thames. Aguilar had a huge first half, winning an all-star berth by batting .298 with 24 homers and 70 RBI in 87 games. He cooled off considerably after the break but still finished with 35 homers and 108 RBI, ranking among the league leaders in both categories.
Aguilar, who compiled a .890 OPS and led the NL with 10 sacrifice flies, now ranks atop the depth chart at first base.
5. Signing free agent RHP Jhoulys Chacín
While the outside world clamored for Stearns to jump in last winter on the top free-agent pitchers on the market, Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish, he settled for signing Chacín to a two-year, $15.5 million deal shortly before Christmas. Few folks paid much attention but the Brewers loved the way the crafty veteran spun his slider and dominated right-handed hitters, which he continued to do with great success.
Before you knew it, Chacín became the ace of the staff, the only pitcher in the rotation to take every turn. He carried that success through September and into the postseason, where he continued to be the Brewers’ most effective pitcher. Chacín, 30, got the ball in that Game No. 163 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field and finished with a 15-8 record and 3.50 ERA in 35 starts. Pitching in the playoffs for the first time, he went 2-1 with a 1.46 ERA in three outings.
Thanks to that nasty slider, right-handed hitters batted a mere .178 against Chacín with a .528 OPS. He was brilliant on the road, going 10-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 22 starts.
6. Signing free agent 1B Eric Thames
When Stearns gave Thames a three-year, $16 million deal with a club option for a fourth year after the 2016 season, folks weren’t sure what to think. Thames had put together three remarkable years in the Korean Baseball Organization with fantasy-league statistics (124 home runs, 379 RBI) but this is the big leagues and there was no way to know how his game would translate back to the States. Thames immediately calmed those fears by slugging 11 home runs in April of ‘17, a franchise record, including blasts in five consecutive games, and went on to compile 31 homers, 63 RBI, 81 runs scored, .518 slugging percentage and a .359 OBP in 138 games.
Thames took particular delight in tormenting the Reds that season, hitting 10 homers. But everything changed when he tore a thumb ligament in Kansas City in late April last season, sending him to the sidelines for six weeks. Aguilar seized control at first base and Thames mostly sat on the bench after returning, with poor results. He batted only .219 in 278 plate appearances with 16 homers, 37 RBI and .306 OBP. Thames was left off the postseason roster and his role for 2019 remains clouded.
7. Trading for RHP Chase Anderson, others
Say what you want about trading shortstop Jean Segura, who has gone on to do great work for Arizona and Seattle before recently being traded to Philadelphia, but the Brewers were getting ready to commit to No. 1 prospect Orlando Arcia when they sent Segura to the Diamondbacks in January 2016 for right-hander Chase Anderson, veteran infielder Aaron Hill and infield prospect Isan Diaz, considered the key to the deal. Anderson had a breakthrough season in 2017, going 12-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 25 starts and getting rewarded with a multi-year contract. He regressed last season, struggling to keep the ball in the park (major-league high 30 homers) and posting a 3.93 ERA in 30 outings before being removed from the rotation, including postseason play. Anderson has vowed to bounce back next season.
Hill provided a veteran presence in the Brewers’ infield in ’16 before being flipped to Boston in a deal that netted right-hander Aaron Wilkerson, who has seen some action in the majors and remains on the 40-man roster. Diaz was one of the prospects sent to Miami in the Yelich trade, proving of great value in that regard.
8. Claiming RHP Junior Guerra off waivers
In his first move after becoming the Brewers GM after the 2015 season, Stearns claimed Guerra, a journeyman who finally broke through to the majors that year with a few relief outings for the Chicago White Sox. The Brewers had analytic evaluations of Guerra they liked and he rewarded that scouting by going 9-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 20 starts in ’16, putting himself in position to be the opening day starter the following season. Unfortunately, he blew out a hamstring in that outing and never really got back on track, struggling to a 1-4 record and 5.12 ERA in 21 appearances (14 starts).
Guerra got another chance last season with an early call-up from Class AAA Colorado Springs and took regular turns in the rotation. He finally ran out of gas in August (0-2, 7.03 in five starts) and was removed from the rotation but was used out of the bullpen in the postseason and made two solid outings (1.93 ERA) in the NLCS against the Dodgers.
9. Trading for RHP Freddy Peralta
In his first winter meetings deal in 2015, Stearns sent first baseman Adam Lind, who was a year away from free agency, to Seattle for three teenage pitchers. One of those pitchers was Freddy Peralta, who quickly rose through the farm system and made his debut for the Brewers in 2018. And a sensational debut it was, especially considering he was only 21 at the time. Peralta took a no-hitter into the sixth in Colorado and struck out 13 hitters in 5 2/3 innings, a franchise record in a debut.
Peralta made 14 valuable starts for the Brewers and appeared in 16 games overall, going 6-4 with a 4.25 ERA. In 78 1/3 innings, he allowed only 49 hits while recording 96 strikeouts. In the NLCS, he pitched three hitless innings in Game 4 against the Dodgers.
10. Trading for C Manny Piña
Stearns sent veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez to Detroit in November 2015 in a deal that netted catcher Manny Piña as the player to be named later. Piña made enough of an impression when called up late in ’16 that he was kept as one of the big-league catchers out of camp the next spring. He played well that season, batting .279 with nine homers and 43 RBI in 107 games, also displaying a strong throwing arm that discouraged the running game of opponents.
Piña regressed at the plate last season, hitting .252 with nine homers and 28 RBI in 98 games, struggling in particular in clutch situations (.153 with runners in scoring position). But he continued to perform well defensively, throwing out 41% of runners on steal attempts and being named a finalist for the Gold Glove among NL catchers. All things considered, he has done solid work for the Brewers.
5 Offseason Moves That Haven’t Been Successful
1. Trading LF Khris Davis: With no place in his outfield to play weak-fielding Khris Davis, Stearns sent him to Oakland for two prospects, catcher Jacob Nottingham and right-hander Bubba Derby in February 2016. Nottingham saw some action in the majors last season and has risen to be one of the Brewers’ Top 10 prospects, and Derby might still pitch in Milwaukee. But Davis emerged as one of the premier sluggers in the game for the Athletics, hitting 42 homers with 102 RBI in 2016, 43 homers with 110 RBI in 2017 and MLB-best 48 homers with 123 homers in 2018. To this point, Oakland by far has gotten the best of the deal.
2. Waiving 2B Scooter Gennett: In all fairness to Stearns, Gennett was going to be a bench player when he was waived at the end of spring training in 2017 to see if anyone would claim his $2.5 million salary, which Cincinnati did with great success. Gennett batted .295 with 27 HRS and 97 RBI, and joined an elite group by hitting four homers in a game. He continued to excel last season, batting .310 with 23 homers and 92 RBI, earning an NL all-star nod. In the meantime, Jonathan Villar played himself off the team, getting traded to Baltimore for another second baseman who failed and was jettisoned, Jonathan Schoop.
3. Trading C Martín Maldonado: It seemed like a smart move when Stearns went younger at catcher in December 2016, sending veteran backup Martín Maldonado to the Angels for Jett Bandy. But, after a strong start in 2017, Bandy forgot how to hit and went up and down from the minors before finally getting cut free after last season. In 84 games with the Brewers, Bandy batted .202 with a .609 OPS. Maldonado didn’t exactly tear it up at the plate in LA but hit 14 homers with 38 RBI in ’17 and won a Gold Glove. He was traded to Houston in late July of last season and saw plenty of action with the powerful Astros. Maldonado is currently a free agent.
4. Signing free agent reliever Neftalí Feliz: Veteran Neftalí Feliz seemed to have plenty of gas left in his tank when Stearns gave him $5.35 million to be the Brewers’ closer in 2016. Still throwing in the high 90s (mph) and occasionally reaching 100 mph, Feliz soon began having trouble keeping the ball in the park. In 29 outings, he went 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA and surrendered eight home runs in only 27 innings before getting released. The good news was that Feliz’s exodus paved the way for Corey Knebel to become a dominant, strikeout-inducing closer.
5. Signing free agent reliever Boone Logan: Stearns knew he was taking a risk when signing lefty Boone Logan, whose 2016 season in Cleveland was cut short by a serious muscle tear behind his pitching shoulder. And, sure enough, Logan did not make it through spring training without going on the DL. He never really got it in gear after that, having trouble throwing strikes. He was released after posting a 5.91 ERA in 16 outings with a horrendous 2.344 WHIP. At least it wasn’t a very costly mistake, with Boone getting only $2.5 million, including a buyout of a 2019 option.