The Milwaukee Brewers have dealt away another outfielder, shipping Keon Broxton to the New York Mets. The Brewers are receiving three minor-league players in return.
RHP Bobby Wahl, RHP Adam Hill and INF Felix Valerio have been acquired from the New York Mets in exchange for OF Keon Broxton. pic.twitter.com/nl20vYfRUM
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) January 5, 2019
Brewers Trade Keon Broxton to Mets
Broxton Goes to New York
Broxton, 29 next May, has spent the last three seasons with the Brewers. In that time, he managed a 93 wRC+ and .736 OPS. Broxton has plenty of pop in his bat, as evidenced by his 20 home runs in 2017, but strikeout issues have prevented him from reaching his ceiling. He has a career strikeout rate of 36.6%.
Broxton was the Brewers’ regular center fielder in 2017, but the acquisition of Lorenzo Cain resulted in a demotion to the minor leagues. Broxton still played in 51 games last season with the big-league club, but it was largely as a late-inning defensive replacement. He was an elite defender in a small sample size last year. Broxton accumulated a whopping 11 Defensive Runs Saved in center field despite playing just 134 innings.
Broxton figures to have a shot at regular playing time in New York. Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto are lined up to play the corner outfield positions, with Juan Lagares atop the depth chart in center. The acquisition of Broxton could push Lagares into a reserve role.
Bobby Wahl, Others Head to Milwaukee
Bobby Wahl spent most of last season in Triple-A with the Oakland Athletics and the Mets. In 45 minor-league innings, Wahl posted an excellent 2.20 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and a whopping 14.6 K/9 rate. He’s an extremely hard thrower, with a fastball that sits in the mid-90’s and can touch 100 miles per hour on occasion. Wahl will get a chance to make an impact in the Brewers bullpen at some point in the season.
Stearns on acquiring Wahl: “Whether it’s immediately out of the gate on opening day or later in the season, we anticipate he is a person who will contribute for us at the major-league level this year. We feel like our bullpen remains the strength of our team.”
— Tom (@Haudricourt) January 5, 2019
The other players in the deal are a few years away from making a potential impact. Adam Hill made his professional debut in 2018, striking out 26 in 15.1 innings to along with a 2.35 ERA. Infielder Felix Valerio was also a first-year pro. He hit for an .843 OPS across two of the Mets’ rookie ball affiliates. Valerio is just 18 years old and has plenty of time to develop.
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