Are struggling Brewers starting to think trades?

By foxsports
Published

MILWAUKEE — With the Brewers reeling, seven games back in the NL Central and wild-card race, and the season no longer in its early stages, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke met with general manager Doug Melvin and assistant general manager Gord Ash on Wednesday to discuss possible options to turn the season around.

One of those options is to execute some kind of trade, giving the team some added help at positions where it has suffered serious injuries this season. But in his office on Wednesday morning, Roenicke said any move this early in the season likely wouldn't be significant.

"If it is, it's going to be minor," Roenicke said. "But Doug is always looking ... for ways to improve what we have. It's not to say that we're giving up on people, but with the injuries, there's a couple of positions where we could improve ourselves."

The position of greatest interest is likely shortstop, where Alex Gonzalez's season-ending injury has damaged the Brewers' production in the bottom half of the lineup. Backup Cesar Izturis has since stepped in, but Izturis' contributions are mainly on defense. He's batting just .185 in 29 games.

Shortstop is a thin position all over the league, as only six major league shortstops are batting over .300 this season — one of which is former Brewers prospect Alcides Escobar.

The Brewers could also look for pitching help or someone to play full time at first base, but as Roenicke mentioned, any move right now is likely to be minor. Trades are often difficult to pull off early in the season, as most teams still consider themselves to be in their respective playoff races. With an extra wild-card spot in each league starting this year, those trades could be even more difficult to complete.

"Teams at the beginning of the season are all hoping to have that great year where they’re going to have chance to be in the playoffs," Roenicke said. "You get further along in the season where some teams now figure they don't have a chance, so they're willing to move people. ... Any time you add hopes that one other team can get in, that definitely should make a difference."



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