The Milwaukee Brewers have been in the news a great deal over the past week. Hunter Renfroe was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Janson Junk, Elvis Peguero, and Adam Seminaris. It is no secret that the Brewers are looking to retool their team. The bullpen really let them down last year, especially following the Josh Hader trade. In addition, light-hitting bats made offensive production somewhat of a rarity. It is one of the reasons why fans are initially unhappy with the Renfroe deal. He was one of the team’s most productive hitters. In any case, there are rumors swirling that Kolten Wong could be the next Brewers player traded, but on Detroit Tigers writer thinks Luis Urias should be the one his team targets.
Why Would the Tigers Want Luis Urias?
Last season, Luis Urias hit .239/.335/.404 with 16 home runs and 47 RBI. In 2021, he hit .249/.345/.445 with 23 home runs and 75 RBI. According to Scott Daniel of Motor City Bengal, “Detroit has a gaping hole in its infield. Adding Urias, who started more than 100 games at third base, second base and shortstop, would provide flexibility and a productive bat.”
It would make sense that the Tigers would prefer Urias to Wong in any trade scenario. Urias is younger and has more position diversity in the infield. The big question, though, is his defense. Urias is shaky, at best, as a shortstop and is barely average at third base and second base. Given ample playing time, there is no doubt that Urias can hit 20+ home runs a season (he was limited to 119 games in 2022). The problem is consistency on defense.
What Would the Brewers Get in Return?
In his column, Daniel states:
“Harris could offer Milwaukee its choice of Gregory Soto or Joe Jimenez as the centerpiece of a deal. To get it done, he would also have to sweeten the deal with at least one top prospect. Jace Jung or Wilmer Flores may fit in that role with a secondary prospect like Dillon Dingler or Parker Meadows also heading to the Brewers.”
According to baseballtradevalues.com, a site that the reputable Jeff Pasan uses for trade proposals with ESPN, Luis Urias has a trade value of 15.6. The players that Daniel mentions that the Brewers could get in return have the following trade values:
- Gregory Soto (left-handed relief pitcher)- 0.9
- Joe Jimenez (right-handed relief pitcher)- 2.5
- Jace Jung (second baseman; Tigers’ number two prospect)- 14.3
- Wilmer Flores (right-handed pitcher)- 9.3
- Dillon Dingler (catcher; Tigers’ number 10 prospect)- 12.7
- Parker Meadows (outfielder)- 1
Given these values, it would appear that the trade idea(s) Mr. Daniel has in mind may be a little bit of an overpay on the part of the Tigers. While it is true that the Brewers are in the market for relief pitching, they do have Brice Turang ready to play second base and a pretty good catching prospect in Jeferson Quero. That being said, if the Tigers were foolish enough to offer Jace Jung and Dillon Dingler along with either Soto or Jimenez for Luis Urias, the Brewers would be even more foolish to say no.
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