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| Photo Credit: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
So, it seems, there I go again with that, the idea that the
San Francisco Giants just give up their proven second baseman Joe Panik for the
Yankees Jacoby Ellsbury and Clint Frazier wasn’t exactly the most popular of
posts I’ve done here on the blog. Whoops. It was so unpopular in fact that the
Giants went out and threw dirt on the grave of the post immediately by
acquiring Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Whoops again. I still
stand behind the idea as I searched the Giants roster looking for scenarios
that could send Ellsbury packing I have always been one to have a Plan B when
it comes to getting greedy, even if it is less likely now that McCutchen is in
San Francisco. That quest has taken me
to the National League Central Division and to a team that is on the cusp of
competing, hello Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Brewers made things interesting for the
Chicago Cubs all the way down to the final month of the 2017 regular season and
while that made many fans and people within the organization happy most have to
be ready to take the next step. While Milwaukee has been quiet on the free
agent and trade market to date, and to be fair… who hasn’t been, that doesn’t
mean that the team cannot swing a trade with a certain team from the Bronx to
make both sides not only happy, but better as well.
As I stated in my Joe Panik article and as it has been
stated all over Twitter and the Yankees blogosphere for a month now, the
Yankees either need a second baseman or a third baseman according to many
before the season starts. Personally, I would be okay with having Tyler Wade
and Ronald Torreyes hold down second base for Gleyber Torres for 20 games while
Miguel Andujar mans third base, but it seems like I am in the minority. With
that in mind I have been scouring the potential trade market when I ran across
a name that not a lot of people are talking about, Travis Shaw.
Travis Shaw is likely the least “greedy” move the Yankees
can make as the Brewers third baseman is not a household name and doesn’t strike
fear in every Boston Red Sox household (by the way, Shaw is a former Red Sox
farmhand that was traded to Milwaukee in the Tyler Thornburg trade) across the
land but that doesn’t mean Shaw wouldn’t be an incredible pickup for the
Yankees on the cheap. In 2017 Shaw posted a 4.0 WAR while slashing
.273/.349/.513/.862 with an OPS+ of 121. Shaw hit 31 home runs in 2017, the
Bronx Bombers would officially be back adding that kind of pop to an already
dangerous lineup, while also driving in 101 RBI with a much-needed for the
Yankees left-handed swing.
Shaw would be under team control through the 2021 season
with New York if acquired and just for the league minimum here in 2018 as Shaw
is pre-arbitration eligible. So, what are the Brewers needs heading into the
2018 season? While I don’t pretend to be an expert on the Brewers it isn’t hard
to tell that the team could use obviously a third base replacement (Miguel
Andujar), second base (Tyler Wade) and starting pitching (not Jordan Montgomery,
not Chance Adams and not Justus Sheffield).
The problem with this trade is that the Yankees would
seemingly have to blow away the Brewers as Milwaukee has no reason to NEED to
trade Shaw. The Brewers are ready to compete, and Shaw is a huge part of that
meaning the Yankees may have to include Domingo Acevedo or even Chance Adams
along with Andujar and Wade/comparable player in order to acquire Shaw. As much
as I love Adams, that has been well-documented for years now here on the blog, I
think I pull that trigger on that deal without hesitation. I know many are high
on Andujar, and frankly I am too, but this isn’t trading away potential for a
season or two of a player’s prime. This is youth for youth and the unknown for
more of a “sure thing.” The problem for New York, in terms of prospects anyway,
is that you have to pay for that. Paying for that makes the Yankees not only
better in 2017, but it makes them better in the future as well with a long-term
option at third base.
Convincing Milwaukee to make a move for Shaw is going to be
a tough one but if the Yankees can fill two or three needs for the Brewers
including their replacement for Shaw then Milwaukee may be interested. If not,
it doesn’t hurt to do your due diligence anyway and ask. The worst that they
can tell you is no, right?
Get greedy, get Shaw. That makes a monster lineup all the scarier
for the foreseeable future.
