What will the Brewers do with Ryan Braun in 2017?
Ryan Braun is really the last major trade piece the Brewers have for teams around the league. The 33 year old outfielder has shown year in and year out he will put up great numbers as long as he is on the field. The best and most talented player on the team had a great year in 2016. He hit .305 with 30 home runs, 91 RBI, and a .903 OPS. Braun has been one of the best and most reliable players for the Brew Crew since he debuted with Milwaukee back in 2007. Throughout the baseball world, the big question regarding the Brewers for the last six months or so is whether or not the team plans to hang onto #8. There certainly is some upside to the organization if the team plans to trade him and this is definitely an option with the team reconstructing their roster both at the major and minor league level. Earlier in the year, there were rumors on two separate occasions of a potential Ryan Braun departure from Milwaukee. The first came in July where the team was in talks with the San Francisco Giants about a potential swap of players that would include Braun. As a result, the two sides never came to an agreement. The second occasion came just before the waiver trade deadline on August 31st. This time the departure was much more likely. The Los Angeles Dodgers, division rivals with the Giants, reportedly had a deal in place that would send Ryan Braun to the Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Yasiel Puig, pitcher Brandon McCarthy, and minor league prospects. The deal ultimately fell through when the deadline came because the two teams could not settle on what kind of prospects Milwaukee would get in return. Fast forward to the present day and both of these events have a lot more to do with what will ultimately happen to Ryan Braun than people think.
We saw earlier this year that players who are once traded by a team can exercise their no-trade clause if they have one. Jonathan Lucroy exercised his when Milwaukee traded him to the Cleveland Indians because he was worried of not playing beyond the 2016 season with the team at catcher as well as some financial concerns with his contract. As we know now, he was later traded to the Texas Rangers and the Cleveland Indians went on to the World Series (funny how things work out sometimes). No-trade clauses are good from a player's perspective because it gives them some power as to who they are traded to. Ryan Braun currently has a no-trade clause where it states he can veto a trade that Milwaukee makes with any team except six teams, two of them being the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Interesting. However, that's not all. Both teams are in desperate need for an outfielder and in particular a left fielder. Braun fits the profile there. The Dodgers were one of the worst hitting teams against left-handers so an acquisition of a big time bat from the right side would be very beneficial for them going into the 2017 season. Ryan Braun hits from the right side and hits left-handed pitching fairly well. With all of this in mind, this leads me to believe that there are three different scenarios that could happen in regards to where Ryan Braun plays in 2017. He could either stay in Milwaukee, he gets traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, or he gets traded to the San Francisco Giants.
Ultimately, I think Ryan Braun will be traded to the San Francisco Giants. I do, indeed, think he will be traded so that would rule out any possibility of him staying. He was close to not even finishing out the 2016 season with Milwaukee and I just think there is too much value for the Brewers to pass up here. I also don't think he will wind up with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although the Dodgers desperately need a right-handed outfielder that can drive in runs and hit left-handed pitching they need a second baseman even more. Brian Dozier, currently the second baseman for the Minnesota Twins, fits the bill for them. Dozier is a great second-baseman that can produce a lot of runs, hit left-handed pitching and provide solid defense at the position they need help in the most. No dice there for Braun. Then there's the Giants. The Giants and Brewers have a history with making trades together. Right before the non-waiver trade deadline on August 1st, the Brewers sent reliever Will Smith to the Giants in exchange for catcher Andrew Susac and top pitching prospect Phil Bickford. This certainly bodes well with the two teams making any future trades with each other. The Giants are also looking to contend with a roster loaded with veteran players that produce time and time again both at the plate and in the field. It just makes perfect sense for me.
The Brewers will trade away Ryan Braun to the Giants but who do they get in return? The three players the Brewers will acquire that you will read about months from now are Christian Arroyo (ranked 79th on MLB.com's top 100 list of prospects), Tyler Beede (ranked 98th on MLB.com's top 100 list of prospects), and Andrew Suarez (#8 prospect in San Francisco's organization). First, I think for this trade to occur the Brewers will have to eat up at least part of Braun's contract. With the injury history as well as the PED incident looming over his head, the Giants (like a lot of teams right now) will be hesitant to pay the money for Braun. Even though it is not ideal for Milwaukee, they have the cap space to help pay for Braun's contract which is something the Giants won't want to do with the contracts they currently are paying now. No problem there. The final moving part is the prospect package. Christian Arroyo is a 21 year old infielder that is currently projected to make his Major League debut in 2018 (like a lot of Brewers prospects in their own farm system right now). Arroyo is the top rated prospect in San Francisco's farm and San Francisco will have to depart with him in order to get a player of Braun's caliber. Arroyo fits well with Milwaukee's farm system. He is a tremendous contact hitter that could produce at the major league level. In the minor leagues, he is a shortstop at the moment (David Stearns loves up-the-middle players) but scouts believe he will be a third baseman in the majors due to his lack of range and powerful arm in the field. Great fit for a Milwaukee farm system that has a lot to choose from in terms of middle infield but not a lot at the third base position. The second is pitching prospect Tyler Beede. Beede made it just inside MLB.com's top 100 prospect list and is currently rated at #98. To get a Ryan Braun caliber player, the Giants will also have to depart with their best pitching prospect which I believe they do here. In 2016, Beede was 8-7 with a 2.81 ERA in which he started all 24 of his appearances. In 147 and 1/3 innings for the double A affiliate of the Giants, the Richmond Flying Squirrels (absolutely love that mascot), Beede struck out 135 batters while only walking 53 and had a 1.28 WHIP. He projects to be a top-of-the-rotation starter as long as he is able to develop his skill set which is an opportunity I think Milwaukee will have. Andrew Suarez is the third and final prospect to come to Milwaukee in the deal. The 24 year old left-handed pitching prospect has advanced rapidly through the minors and shows no signs of slowing down yet. Suarez has a four pitch mix that includes a low 90's fastball, an above-average slider as his second best offering, a curveball and a changeup. In 114 innings for the Richmond Flying Squirrels in double A, Suarez posted a 3.95 ERA in which he struck out 90 batters, walked 24, and had a 1.34 WHIP. Scouts love the steps he has taken in the minors in regards to his delivery and command. Suarez is developing a four pitch mix where he is able to throw any pitch at any time for a strike and is able to repeat his delivery. He projects to be a starter at the Major League level and has the ability to help Milwaukee's pitching staff later down the road.
I've been blessed to watch Ryan Braun, the #5 overall pick in the 2005 MLB amateur draft from the University of Miami-Florida, play a terrific eight plus seasons for the Brewers. I was able to see him hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to give Milwaukee a 3-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the last game of the 2008 season in which C.C. Sabathia would eventually shut the door and send the Brewers to their first playoff appearance since 1982. I watched him win the 2011 NL MVP award in the year Milwaukee was two games away from going to the World Series. I have been able to see him get suspended for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Regardless of the event, I have been thankful for the production Ryan Braun has given the Brewers on the field each and every year he has played. It will be tough to watch the last member from the 2011 season depart with the team. However, the value he will bring back for the organization is well worth it and will give me hope. Hope that the next 2011 Milwaukee Brewers team is not too far away.
