Brewers trade for Hunter Renfroe in exchange for Jackie Bradley Jr., David Hamilton and Alex Binelas

[Fear The Chorizo]

Offensively they basically just picked up a 2021 clone of Avi Garcia for two more seasons at less than $10M annually, in exchange for the worst offensive position player from 2021 (JBJ) that was slated for $9.5M in 2022 and a pair of untested prospects that might wind up as MLBers in a few years or might wind up doing nothing. Binelas appears to be the prospect with the highest ceiling based on his 2021, but keep in mind he was a 21 yr old collegiate bat that basically played a month's-worth of games at low-A....if he didn't mash that would be a huge problem for a 3rd round pick. Hamilton is a middle infielder that probably isn't going to surpass prospects like Turang, Black, Zamora, or Garcia - and the Brewers already have Adames, Wong, and Urias as MLB options for the foreseeable future at 2B/SS (admittedly Urias could also play alot of 3B next season)

 

The Brewers sucked against LHP, and Renfroe hits LHP well. Why do people not like this move?

Edited December 2, 2021 by Fear The Chorizo

[Jopal78]

Brewers likely still paying Bradley 3.5 million this year which was the amount of his salary from 2021 that he earned and was deferred

[Eye Black]

Some familiar faces among Hunter Renfroe’s top ten Baseball Reference similarity scores through age-29:

 

Khris Davis (937.1)

Jeromy Burnitz (930.1)

Gorman Thomas (928.9)

Travis Shaw (927.0)

[SRB]

The #16 and #17 prospect in a weak farm system and an untradeable contract for a guy who is better than Avisail Garcia, Trey Mancini, Jeff McNeil, take your pick of trade target darlings on here.

 

Perhaps subjectively. The fact remains despite having a power bar Renfroe is going to his 4th different organization in as many years and still has two years of control left. There is a reason San Diego, Tampa and Boston were willing to move on from him, and the Brewers are going to find out why.

 

He was traded for Jake Cronenworth and Tommy Pham and then had a bad Covid season in arguably the deepest organization in baseball and so was let go.......

[harrydalton]

Totally unexpected. Advantage Brewers next two years. They have other young infield prospects. Binelas and Hamilton are good prospects who will likely end up as 1B and 2B. I like the move for not giving up pitching.

[PeaveyFury]

He’s been a 2.5 WAR player in all three of the most recent full seasons. If he does that in 2022, which is reasonable to expect, he’ll be a solid contributor, acquired for a player who was not.

[Jopal78]

 

He was traded for Jake Cronenworth and Tommy Pham and then had a bad Covid season in arguably the deepest organization in baseball and so was let go.......

 

Yep. Three different teams in the last three years believed they were better off without him. That says something there.

 

Chaim Bloom said Binelas has power that is “special”.

 

I get it, they’re a small market club and they owed Bradley a pile of dough and payroll constraints were the primary driver here. But I don’t think this deal makes them significantly better in the short run if at all, nor does it make them better in the long run.

[CheeseheadInQC]

Of the two prospects, I prefer Hamilton, but I kind of regret having to send out Binelas more simply because he offers a skillset that the system doesn't have in abundance, unlike Hamilton. That being said, I like the trade, especially if it frees up money to make another move.

[KeithStone53151]

I have concerns about how much renfroe will produce, but overall I like the trade a lot. Filled an obvious hole and weakness on the team for 2 decent prospects while unloading a bad contract and bad player.

[Patrick425]

What this trade proves is that David Stearns is not infallible. Signing Bradley was a clear miss. But instead of compounding the issue and hoping for a Bradley rebound, he's now someone else's problem. When Stearns makes mistakes, he's not above moving on from them quickly. I think that is one aspect of his management style that I like the most.

 

This is spot on. Love this trade. JBJ gone...good riddance.

.

[DR28]

 

Wong

Adames

Yelich

Renfroe

Tellez

Urias

Narvaez

Cain

 

I dont hate that lineup.

The big thing we should add is:

 

- Full seasons from Adamas, Wong, Tellez, Cain.

- Rebound from Yelich.

 

Agreed! I’ll take 75% of MVP Yelich, he and Brewers need to figure out what is wrong with him.

 

Give me .280-.290, 30 HR, 90-100 RBI Yelich and we’ll be fine.

[Fear The Chorizo]

 

He was traded for Jake Cronenworth and Tommy Pham and then had a bad Covid season in arguably the deepest organization in baseball and so was let go.......

 

Yep. Three different teams in the last three years believed they were better off without him. That says something there.

 

Chaim Bloom said Binelas has power that is “special”.

 

I get it, they’re a small market club and they owed Bradley a pile of dough and payroll constraints were the primary driver here. But I don’t think this deal makes them significantly better in the short run if at all, nor does it make them better in the long run.

 

What else is Bloom supposed to say after sending a MLB player away in a deal that hit 31 HR for the Red Sox last season and brought back JBJ at the MLB level?

 

Binelas also struck out in 1/4 of his plate appearances against instructional league and low A competition - surely he can hit a ball far, but his bat hasn't really been tested at the professional level yet.

[Joseph Zarr]

There are reasons to not like this trade. There are reasons to like the trade. Brewers did what they thought was best for the Organization. JBJ was a disaster. I like both prospects. Curious to see how it plays out. Hope it means more moves in the pipeline.

[NievesNoNO]

No offense, but what is wrong with some posters on this forum. People are complaining about a MIRACLE TRADE?? Renfroe is projected to out-hit Avisail Garcia next year and we just landed him for an untradeable player.

 

I'm with you on this one. Can't make everyone happy. I don't expect everyone to share the same opinion but for the current roster needs this was a pretty solid move. I appreciate that Stearns can move on from guys from year to year.

 

We'll see if Renfroe can keep the contact % gains he made. If he can, it's a pretty clear win for the Brewers, imo. I'm not much of a prospect researcher but for the level they are at and their rank in our system, to me it's a non issue. They refill those levels with guys every year and most of them never make it to the majors.

 

You never really know a team's motivation, but to me if feels like a precursor to an aggressive move to try to bring in Kris Bryant for Boston. It kind of leaves them feeling a bit short in the OF now. They have Verdugo and likely Duran though he's largely unproven. I think JBJ will rebound but I don't think they reacquired him to start necessarily but to have him as a 4th OF and insurance for Duran.

 

Honestly, when I saw the headline I had to do a double take. I didn't think JBJ was going anywhere and certainly not for a good player coming back. Just a testament to this front office. Obviously not perfect or they wouldn't have had to make the trade in the first place but they got an upgrade and a good, controlled bat in a way I doubt most saw coming.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

I like this trade. Makes the team better next year. Sure, they give up some prospects but they are trading from depth. We have Turang and Zamora with some younger players behind them. Getting rid of JBJ drove the prospect cost as he had negative value.

 

Renfroe defense should not be overlooked. He has a great throwing arm and good range. He has played CF before though probably less likely now. He crushes lefties but does sometime struggle against RH. It would not surprise me if the Brewers picked up a LH OF to give Renfroe a day off against a tough RH. I like Brian Goodwin. He had over an 800 OPS against RH and would be a nice bench bat.

[Axman59]

Red Sox fans at Sons of Sam Horn are very happy with this trade. They are more than happy to pay JBJ for the prospects coming in.

 

How good this trade is for the Brewers will depend largely on Binelas. He has elite power and that's not something you can teach.

 

I think we can all be confident that Renfroe will play well at a position of need for the Brewers and JBJ will likely continue to be a sucking chest wound on offense.

[Eye Black]

Just noticed this quote from Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom:

 

Bloom says Sox are 'optimistic' that Bradley can bounce back from 2021 struggles in Milwaukee. 'Coming back here, we can get him back to a lot of what he used to do.'

[AdvantageSchneider]

Just noticed this quote from Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom:

 

Bloom says Sox are 'optimistic' that Bradley can bounce back from 2021 struggles in Milwaukee. 'Coming back here, we can get him back to a lot of what he used to do.'

 

What else is he going to say? "We just acquired a player that had a historically bad season at the plate and we expect him to continue to produce at that level or possibly be even a little worse if that is possible."

 

JBJ does have value with his elite defense but that isn't going to sell to the press in Boston.

[ebmackenzie]

Wong

Adames

Yelich

Renfroe

Tellez

Urias

Narvaez

Cain

 

I dont hate that lineup.

 

 

Switch Narvy and Renfroe vs RHP and keep this lineup but insert Severino instead of Omar vs LHP.

[ebmackenzie]

Last year, Renfroe has a .777 OPS vs right-handers, and an .885 OPS vs lefties. The big difference was that he walks way more against lefties - 25BB in 208 PA vs lefties. While 19BB in 364 PA against righties. Huge difference there - and it really drives down Renfroe's OBP a lot.

 

In the end, his .777 OPS against righties isn't bad - but not great. But if he can do that - we'll probably trot him out there most days.

 

The key is can he replicate last year's numbers. His career numbers aren't as pretty.

 

It may even take two hitting coaches to get him to turn around.

Let's see what happens.

[ebmackenzie]

Yep. Three different teams in the last three years believed they were better off without him. That says something there.

 

If Adames et al cannot turn his frown upside down then who can?

[ebmackenzie]

Binelas may have special power but there is no guarantee that he will be an average MLB hitter. DHamilton was one of MANY middle infielders we have at that level and we have three today that can fill his void. These two losses could be forgotten as soon as the next draft. Had we traded Joey Wiemer, I would have started to make my wincing face.

 

If Binelas becomes Ruthian then I only hope that we look back on this as a successful Alexander/Smoltz trade that took the parent squad closer to the ring.

 

I think Renfroe is more of a #6 in the lineup vs RHP and I am ok with that. As previously mentioned, he fills a void and allows $$$ to flow elsewhere.

[damuelle]

Sometimes the benefit of drafting well is that you have decent chips to trade. This trade makes the MLB club better, which is the over-arching goal. And it doesn’t increase payroll, so we’ve room to make more moves.

 

Hamilton (2019 8th round - $400k bonus) and Binelas (2021 3rd round - $700k bonus) performing equal to or better than their original draft status made this trade possible, along with Boston being familiar with JBJ of course.

 

In the minors, I think that this will free up more infield time for OF Korry Howell (assuming he’s not taken in Rule 5 Draft) and C Zavier Warren, relieving some of the apparent outfield and catching glut in the mid-levels.

[brewcrewdue80]

Let this sit for a moment before commenting. Gotta feel good about the change of bat while shedding some money. As somebody or few commented this team needs to strike with the pitching staff it has before we lose this maybe once in a lifetime opportunity. JBJ according to BRef had a -36 runs impact on Offense. Renfro had a +9. 45 runs over a season I think is worth 5 wins-Losses in the Pythogorean figures. Maybe even closer to 10? Wins. Binelas hurts losing but gotta assume more and better than Binelas comes back Milws way when these SPs are traded.

[wntrtxn21]

No offense, but what is wrong with some posters on this forum. People are complaining about a MIRACLE TRADE?? Renfroe is projected to out-hit Avisail Garcia next year and we just landed him for an untradeable player.

 

Renfroe is a weak side platoon bat that we had to trade two decent prospects for because Stearns made an atrocious signing the year before. Yay!

 

IMO you couldn't be more wrong. Renfroe is a guy who will be their everyday RF and could hit 30+ bombs, drive in 90+ runs and have an OPS in the 800's. Plus the Brewers lose JBJ's contract and only two low /mid-level prospects. If Renfroe does that I think this trade could turn out to be one of Stearn's best.