Regardless of how you feel about Matt Arnold’s third significant offseason trade yesterday, it’s never a bad time to cue up some “Shipping Up To Boston.” Mount Rushmore Banger. Never fails to get me fired up!
Now, the trade. First let’s do a tale of the tape and then let’s explain why we need to trust Matt Arnold and the front office.
Leaving Milwaukee: Every single 3rd baseman on the depth chart. Durbin, Monasterio, Seigler, and a draft pick heading to Boston.
Coming to Milwaukee: Two lefty pitchers, Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan, and infielder David Hamilton. Back of the baseball cards:
Kyle Harrison: Former #1 prospect in the Giants system (and formerly an overall Top 20 prospect in all of baseball). He was a key going back to the Sox in the Rafael Devers trade last summer. Made his debut in 2023. 42 appearances, 37 starts, 9-9 record and a 4.39 ERA. Played in the 2022 Futures Game and is still only 24 years old.
Shane Drohan: 5-1 record and 2.27 ERA at AAA last season, mostly in relief. Played in the 2023 Futures Game. Has not made his MLB debut yet, 27 years old.
David Hamilton: Originally drafted by the Brewers in 2019, dealt to Boston in the Hunter Renfroe deal. Has played part time for the Red Sox the last three seasons, hitting .222 with 14 home runs and 57 stolen bases in that time. ELITE speed.
Now, I think we’re all bummed to see Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio go. Durbin came to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams deal, transformed himself into a solid third baseman, and hit .256 with 11 home runs and 18 steals in his rookie season. He finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year balloting, and seemed like a great locker room guy. He sort of embodied the Brewer “culture.” Short king, hustler, grinder, gritty, do whatever it takes to win. A Pat Murphy favorite.
Monasterio had an underrated run in Milwaukee. Great utility player, probably never going to be a full time starter, but filled in a shortstop, third base, second base, etc. Hit .250 over 533 career at bats, just a solid, trustworthy bench player.
So why trade these guys now? Matt Arnold talked about it on a conference call yesterday, and it basically all came down to depth. Even though there’s no natural third baseman on the current roster, one of the key players coming back in the Freddy Peralta deal, Jett Williams, is major league ready. He’s a shortstop by design, so you could slot him in there and move Ortiz back to third. Or you could probably just give Jett a bunch of reps and third base in spring training. Hamilton will probably factor in as well in a utility role.
Plus, Andrew Fischer and Brock Wilken, both natural corner infielders, are getting close at the minor league level. Not to mention the next (alleged) phenom, Jesus Made, and Luis Pena rocketing up the minor league food chain.
Now, for those Brewer fans out there saying, “we won 97 games last year, made the NLCS, and so far we’ve traded AWAY two top-5 ROY finalists and a top-5 Cy Young finalist, WTF.” I hear you. It is frustrating. But here’s why I’m optimistic:
Blind faith. Ever heard of it? Maybe it’s my parochial school upbringing, but I’ve never had a problem with blind faith. Additionally: Matt Arnold is the back to back Executive of the Year. Pat Murphy is the back to back Manager of the Year. They’re two of the best in the business, and I trust they have a handle on what they’re doing.
Also: We do this EVERY year, and fans bemoan the moves every offseason. “How will we ever be as good without Corbin Burnes?” “There’s no way we recover without Willy Adames!” “We traded Josh Hader?? We’re cooked.” And what happens year after year after year? They win 90+ games, win the division, and make the playoffs. So until proven otherwise, I will give this franchise and the front office the benefit of the doubt. In Arnold We Trust.
PS: My wife and I will be in Arizona in exactly 26 days, 12 hours, 14 minutes and 24 seconds. Not that I’m counting.
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