Brewers swing deal for slugger Carlos Santana

MILWAUKEE — The Brewers didn’t wait till Tuesday’s Trade Deadline so as to add the bat they’ve been searching for, and so they discovered it throughout the division.

Milwaukee acquired 37-year-old switch-hitter Carlos Santana from the Pirates on Thursday forward of a weekend matchup in Atlanta in opposition to the MLB-leading Braves, in change for 18-year-old shortstop prospect Jhonny Severino, one in all Milwaukee’s two seven-figure International signees in 2022.

“We are thrilled to add Carlos,” stated Brewers senior vp and normal supervisor Matt Arnold. “He is a switch-hitting power bat and quality defender. His veteran presence and winning attitude will also be a valuable addition to the clubhouse as we continue our push to the postseason.”

Santana has posted a sub-.750 OPS yearly since hitting 34 homers with a .911 OPS for Cleveland in 2019, however he’s a former All-Star and Silver Slugger who will enhance the Brewers’ already elite protection, and he provides some pop to a lineup that might use it. With the Pirates this season, Santana was slashing .235/.321/.412 with 12 house runs and 53 RBIs in 94 video games, together with a booming, walk-off house run in opposition to Matt Bush and the Brewers on June 30 at PNC Park that was adopted by a jaunty dance at house plate.

The Brewers may use Santana’s protection and his bat at first base, with Rowdy Tellez combating by accidents and a stoop this season, and now on the injured listing till the second half of August whereas recovering from a freak damage to his left ring finger. Utility man Owen Miller has performed a lot of the innings at first for Milwaukee with Tellez sidelined, however Miller has one house run and a .535 OPS because the begin of June.

As a crew, the Brewers rank twenty fifth of 30 MLB groups in wRC+ (88), an all-around measure of offensive manufacturing, and twenty sixth with 4.11 runs per sport. They have scored greater than 4 runs solely as soon as in 12 video games because the All-Star break, successful as an alternative with a strong pitching employees and one in all baseball’s greatest defenses — so good that GM Matt Arnold stated this week he was reticent so as to add a run producer to the detriment of run prevention.

Severino, 18, is a 6-foot-1, 185 pound shortstop from Santo Domingo within the Dominican Republic who signed with Milwaukee for $1.23 million in January 2022. After taking part in at Milwaukee’s Dominican complicated final 12 months, he got here stateside this season and has an .871 OPS by his first 52 plate appearances within the Arizona Complex League.

Severino didn’t rank amongst MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Brewers prospects, however he was the Twenty first-ranked prospect in his worldwide signing class and is very regarded throughout the Brewers’ system. Milwaukee’s current Draft class included a pair of extremely rated highschool infielders, third-round choose Eric Bitonti and sixth-round choose Cooper Pratt, whom the Brewers signed for about $1 million over slot apiece — one issue within the membership’s willingness to half with a younger shortstop like Severino.