The Brewers make another trade!
The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Tuesday that they acquired first baseman Rowdy Tellez from the Toronto Blue Jays for pitchers Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis.
Tellez was having a poor season for the Blue Jays. On the season, he has a .209 batting average. In 139 plate appearances, he only has 29 hits. Just looking at these numbers, one might scratch their head and wonder why him.
When I first heard the news of the trade, I was thrilled. It is no secret that I love watching the Blue Jays play. In the past few years, they have had one of the more explosive offenses in the game and Rowdy was a key contributor.
In 2019, Tellez hit 21 home runs, 19 doubles, and had 54 RBI. In 2020, his power went down, but his average was raised by .56 points. He was making more contact and contributed to a team that made the playoffs.
This season, the Jays were hoping he would put it all together, but that was not the case. His season has not gotten off to a good start, and with Vlad Jr. taking over first base for the Jays, there wasn’t a position for Tellez. Because of this and his struggles at the plate, he was optioned to Triple-A.
He is a great buy-low option for the Brewers. In Triple-A this season, he is hitting .298/.400/.638 in 55 plate appearances. With some consistent playing time in Milwaukee, there is a chance he could replicate his 2019 and 2020 numbers.
Everyone wins!
This is a trade that is great for both teams. The Jays have an MVP candidate leading their powerful offense and are fighting for an American League wild-card spot. Their pitching has been their biggest weakness all season and the addition of Richards will definitely help them.
Richards came to the Brewers in a trade from the Rays. He is already familiar with the AL East and pitched well this season. He is 3-0 with a 3.69 ERA and 1 save in 21 relief appearances between the Rays and Brewers. In 15 games with Milwaukee, he was 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA.
The Brewers have lacked consistency at first base all season. Keston Hiura has not handled the shift to first base and his offensive numbers are lacking, to put it nicely. Daniel Vogelbach saw a decent amount of time at first, but he also struggled to produce. Clearly, the front office saw a need to upgrade the position.
Rowdy Tellez is potentially an upgrade at first base. He has shown potential, is young and is still under team control till 2025. If anything, he can bridge the gap until the Brewers eventually find their first baseman of the future.
So… a few questions.
Although I do love this trade for the Brewers, it raises a couple of questions. What do the Brewers with Keston? Is he still the answer at first base? Also, what does this trade mean for the future of Daniel Vogelbach?
This move shows us that the front office is clearly not sold on Keston. I do believe he is in their long-term plans, but I would not be shocked to see him moved at the deadline. he is also a young player who could be intriguing to other teams.
One thing we know about this team is that they are not afraid to make moves. They have made several moves already this season. The Brewers need consistency at first base. If Keston is not the answer, then they need to move on. They are in a playoff push and have a legitimate shot this season. They do not have the luxury of just sitting back and hoping he turns his season around.
Also, what do we make of the bullpen? The Brewers have already lost Feyereisen, Rasmussen, and now Richards. Jake Cousins and Miguel Sanchez have pitched well for the team but it has been a small sample size. Sanchez has a 1.23 ERA and 7 strikeouts in 7.1 innings and Cousins has not allowed a run to score in 6.1 innings. Is this sustainable?
Cousins will eventually give up a run, but the front office seems to have confidence in this bullpen. I am confident that they will continue to look to upgrade their bullpen as the trade deadline gets closer.
This season is already halfway over and the trade deadline is a few weeks away. Buckle up Brewer fans! This is going to be a fun ride! Go Brewers.