The Milwaukee Brewers have made their first move during trade deadline week. News came out on Wednesday evening that they are going to acquire INF Eduardo Escobar of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Diamondbacks had been identified as sellers early on in this season when they lost 17 games in a row in June. They additionally lost a MLB record 24 straight road games. Escobar had been on many Brewers fans radars since then.
Sources: Brewers acquire Eduardo Escobar.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 28, 2021
Escobar has experience all over the infield but does best at the corners. As a switch-hitter he likely will split time with Luis Urias at third base and Rowdy Tellez at first base. It is worth noting that he can play second base as well.
The biggest boost Escobar will bring is his offense. Leading up to this trade a power bat, especially a corner infielder, was a big need for the Brewers and Escobar checks both of those boxes.
Escobar has excelled at hitting extra base hits year and earned his first all star honors in 2021. On the season he has 22 home runs, 14 doubles, and has driven in 65 runs. He will join the Brewers as the new team leader in home runs and RBIs.
As a rental player, the cost to acquire Escobar was not all that steep from a prospect standpoint. While fine players, neither Cooper Hummel or Alberto Ciprian were rated in the systems top 30 prospect rankings.
The Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal that will send infielder Eduardo Escobar to the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Cooper Hummel and third baseman Alberto Ciprian. No money changing hands, so the Diamondbacks will save about $2.8M in the deal.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) July 28, 2021
This trade certainly is a big win for the Milwaukee Brewers. They gained an impact bat at a relatively low cost for the remainder of the season. Escobar has positional versatility and certainly will play a big hand in the teams success the remainder of the season.
It is unlikely that the Brewer are done trading. Multiple rumors have indicated that they are interested in bullpen arms. The trade deadline is Friday at 3PM CT so a few days remain for them to add pieces to the team.
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