The David Stearns era has officially started in Milwaukee, as the Brewers are continuing to re-stock their minor league system.
On Wednesday morning, the Milwaukee Brewers traded closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers for 20-year old second baseman Javier Betancourt and a player to be named later. Detroit will absorb all $9.5 million of Rodriguez’s contract, which saves Milwaukee a lot of money.
According to MLB Pipeline, Betancourt is the Tigers’ #11 prospect. Baseball Prospectus has Betancourt ranked as the #8 player in the organization.
K-Rod pitched in Milwaukee on multiple stints for four plus years. During his time, he went 13-16 with a 2.91 ERA, saving 95 games. He was an All-Star the past two seasons.
The closer situation remains unclear in Milwaukee, but the likely candidate to take over will be Will Smith, whose left-handed “slider of death” and high strikeout rate will appeal to Stearns and manager Craig Counsell.
Statistics from Baseball-Reference.com
Image via CBS Boston.