It’s no secret that the Milwaukee Brewers are rebuilding. What is unknown is just how long the rebuild is going to take, but a trade on Tuesday may be a signal that the Brewers are in it for the long haul.
Relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg was traded to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday in exchange for 1B/3B Travis Shaw and two prospects in P Josh Pennington and IF Mauricio Dubon.
Thornburg, who dominated his way to a 2.15 ERA over 67 innings and held opposing batters to a batting average of .162, was easily the best arm in the Brewers bullpen. Striking out 90 while only walking 25 isn’t too shabby either.
Travis Shaw, who is 26 years old, batted for an average of .242 adding 16 home runs and 71 RBIs at the major league level for Boston last year.
Of the two prospects, Mauricio Dubon stands out. Playing 62 games at the AA level Dubon had a huge .909 OPS to go along with his .339 batting average and 40 RBIs. The only problem is that Dubon is a shortstop, a position currently in surplus for the Brewers.
At the major league level, Orlando Arcia projects to be a stud shortstop while in the minors, Isan Diaz had a break out year in at the A level.
The biggest takeaway from this trade is that the Brewers and general manager David Stearns are fully committed to the rebuild. They will not be looking to contend for some time, but they will continue to look to improve their already stellar farm system.
Don’t expect this to be the last trade of the offseason for the Brewers.