Kyle Terada- USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Brewers have been quiet this offseason. Other than first base, this team doesn’t have many gaping holes. If they decide to address first base in-house, look for Juan Francisco, Sean Halton and Hunter Morris to see action. What if they decide to look outside the organization?
The New York Mets have three attractive trade pieces that would fill the void at first base for the Brewers. One common denominator that these three players have is that they are all left-handed hitters. Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda are sluggers the Mets have been dangling for teams to inquire on.
The downfall for the Brewers is the Mets are looking for young pitching in return. The Brew Crew feel Tyler Thornburg and top prospect Jimmy Nelson hold more value in the rotation as opposed to as trade chips to acquire a new first baseman.
Thornburg, often compared to Tim Lincecum with his similar build and delivery, proved he belongs in the rotation after posting a 2.03 ERA in 66.2 innings last season. Nelson, who stands at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, is a big, strong right-hander that features a heavy fastball in the low-to-mid 90s. He also displays a well above-average slider and a work-in-progress change-up.
He relies on his sinking fastball that induces a large amount of ground balls, which in turn sets up his nasty slider. These two studs appear to be untouchable and rightfully so, as it’d be an understatement to say the Brewers don’t see young arms like these come around too often.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin is doing everything in his power to upgrade first base without overpaying and sacrificing young pitching. Davis probably holds the most value as he is still just 26-years-old and hit 32 home runs just two seasons ago. Duda, 27, doesn’t quite have the easy power like Davis, but is still a presence with upside.
The versatile Murphy, 28, has been primarily featured as a second baseman but is more than capable of being an everyday first baseman. Murphy brings consistency as a career .290 hitter, and has seen his power numbers rise in recent years. It’ll be interesting to see who is at first base on Opening Day for the Brewers. Whatever they decide to do, you can bet Thornburg and Nelson won’t be going anywhere.
