Milwaukee Brewers trade rumors are starting to heat up. The calendar has officially switched to June, which means that contending teams may start inquiring about available players prior to the August 2 trade deadline. One team that the Brewers could call is the Kansas City Royals. Reports have indicated that they are listening to trade offers for their closing pitcher.
Should Kansas City Royals closing pitcher Scott Barlow be a trade target for the Milwaukee Brewers?
Scott Barlow, a 30 year old right-handed pitcher, has been lights out for the Royals since taking over as their closer three years ago. He pitched exactly 74.1 innings in each of the last two seasons and posted ERA’s of 2.42 and 2.18. Over that time he also recorded 40 saves.
This year Barlow is continuing to perform well. Through his first 22 innings pitched he has a 3.68 ERA and six saves. His walk numbers are a bit elevated so far, but he’s currently striking batters out at a career best 33.7%. The Brewers have a rather inexperienced bullpen, so adding a trusted veteran would be beneficial.
One potential roadblock as to why the Royals would not want to trade Scott Barlow this year is because he remains under club control through the 2024 season. He is currently in his second year of arbitration and is making $5.3 million. Because he is not a rental this year the cost to acquire him will be higher.
The Royals do have a pure rental trade chip in reliever Aroldis Chapman. He is more likely to be traded than Scott Barlow, but the fact that Kansas City is listening to offers means that if the right deal comes along they may not hesitate to pull the trigger.
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