Article: Three Relievers the Brewers Can Get and What They'll Cost

[Cole McCormack]

What does Milwaukee need to get to the World Series? Some relief might help, and the trade deadline is a prime time to pick up a few more reliable bullpen arms, fueling a deeper run into the postseason. 

Let's look at three players that could easily provide a boost to bullpen, and then using the fun Baseball Trade Values trade simulator, let's get some ballpark idea what they might cost.

Joe Jiménez - Detroit Tigers
Jiménez has proved himself to be an effective relief pitcher. His 3.22 ERA is nothing to scoff at, but his 2.15 FIP is extremely impressive. So far in 2022, he has pitched 36.1 innings. His control of the ball is also extraordinary, having struck out 49 batters and only walking 8 this season. If acquired, Jiménez would be under team control until 2024.

It likely wouldn’t take much for the Brewers to acquire Jiménez, perhaps a fringe prospect in AA. The simulator accepted Jiménez for Milaukee 24-year-old RHP prospect Taylor Floyd.

Floyd is not doing too hot in Double-A Biloxi, currently pitching with an 8.57 ERA in 21 innings pitched. However, like most prospects, he shows a lot of potential. Floyd is a sidearm pitcher, but his odd windup makes it appear as if he has a submarine delivery. His fastball has a lot of break to it and it could be interesting to see how he develops as a pitcher.

John Schreiber - Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox could be sellers this season and it is possible they would be willing to give up right-handed reliever John Schreiber. He would likely not come cheap as Schreiber is not a free agent until the 2027 season. You can see as much in how the trade simulator values him. That being said, he is still a worthy investment.

His 2022 season has been very impressive with a 1.56 ERA and a FIP of 2.37, one can only imagine how great Schreiber could be with the assistance of Milwaukee’s pitching staff. 

This trade simulated accepted an admitted reach of a deal, but replace these particular players with comparable names and it would be fun to see how it would play out. The Red Sox sent Schreiber and the Brewers sent infield prospect Tyler Black and pitching prospect Russell Smith, plus additional cash considerations to complete the deal.

Black is currently playing in High-A Wisconsin and is slashing .281/.406/.424 with an .830 OPS. He has hit 4 home runs and 35 RBIs. His most impressive factor is his plate discipline. So far in 2022, he has walked 44 times and struck out 45 times. He is Brewer Fanatic's #7 prospect as of July 1st. 

Smith is also playing in High-A Wisconsin and in 13 starting appearances, has put up an ERA of 4.63. It is clear that he has a lot of development to go before making it to the major league level. He is also ranked at #16 in the Brewers farm system, but did not make our top 20. 

Jorge López - Baltimore Orioles
López is actually a former Brewer, having been drafted by the team all the way back in the second round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft. He was eventually traded to the Royals with Brett Phillips in 2018 for Mike Moustakas. 

In 2022, López is an all-star reliever. He has put together 18 saves, a 1.59 ERA, and a FIP of 2.94. The Brewers need better bullpen arms and it seems that López could help in that department significantly, working as depth in case either Hader or Williams suffers an injury before the postseason. He would also be under team control until 2025. 

López is an effective closer and so it's odd that the trade simulator thinks that acquiring him would not take much. An ideal trade would look like this. Brewers receive Jorge López and the Orioles receive infield prospect Felix Valerio (#9 on Brewer Fanatic's Top 20) and cash considerations. 

Valerio is an offensive powerhouse. There’s no beating around the bush there. At the age of 17, he had a 6.9 strikeout rate and a .319 batting average in the Dominican Summer League. Currently in Double-A Biloxi, he is slashing .246/.327/.416 with a .743 OPS.

The simulator is by no means perfect, but gets to the truth of acquiring prospects at the deadline: it doesn't take premier prospects to nab impactful arms. Let us know which arms listed above you like, or other ones that you're targeting. We'll be back later this week to do the same for some hitters. 

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[Brock Beauchamp]

I find it likely Stearns will pursue a good, but not great, reliever. And that's probably all the team really needs, someone to fill in the Boxberger role a little better than it's currently filled.

[Outlander]

I do think the Brewers end up with a Tigers reliever again, Jimenez or Fulmer. Hopefully it ends up better than the Norris acquisition. It did cost the Brewers Reese Olson last year so doubt Taylor Floyd gets it done however.

[Brock Beauchamp]

19 minutes ago, Outlander said:

I do think the Brewers end up with a Tigers reliever again, Jimenez or Fulmer. Hopefully it ends up better than the Norris acquisition. It did cost the Brewers Reese Olson last year so doubt Taylor Floyd gets it done however.

Good point, the Tigers have a stable of really nice relievers considering how utterly incompetent the team is as a whole.

[damuelle]

I wonder if we’ll acquire any reliever, given that we’ve four injured hurlers in the last stage of their recovery (Peralta, Cousins, Topa, Perdomo all pitching in MILB rehab stints) and the initial positive production from Jake McGee (though a very small sample size).

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Just now, damuelle said:

I wonder if we’ll acquire any reliever, given that we’ve four injured hurlers in the last stage of their recovery (Peralta, Cousins, Topa, Perdomo all pitching in MILB rehab stints) and the initial positive production from Jake McGee (though a very small sample size).

Adrian Houser should hopefully be back soon as well.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Rolling the dice on the injured relievers coming back & not picking up bullpen help is something I wouldn't be against. Stearns even specifically mentioned the guys rehabbing during a recent interview so maybe it's possible. It goes contrary to what we almost always do though, so I expect a deal.