MLB Trade Rumors: should the Milwaukee Brewers target a trade for Mike Carp?
By Hayden Kane
On the playoff beard power rankings for the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, Mike Carp was consistently in the thick of things. Over time it turned into something like a blonde iteration of an Abe Lincoln beard, something that polled well for its novelty if nothing else.
As for Carp’s play on the field, he was a solid contributor throughout the season. In 243 plate appearances he batted .296/.362/.593 with nine home runs and 43 RBI. Carp was relegated to part-time work because of the presence of Mike Napoli at first base, something that will continue in 2014.
Because of that situation, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox might seek a trade partner for Carp. Cafardo then points out a natural fit for the first baseman:
"The Brewers need a low-cost first baseman and Carp appears to be a good fit. Whether the Red Sox would deal him remains to be seen as they enjoyed his off-the-bench contributions last season. Carp deserves a chance to play every day and won’t get that opportunity with the Red Sox unless there’s an injury to Mike Napoli."
Considering the fact that the Brewers have actually, seriously considered Michael Young and Rickie Weeks as first baseman, they should sprint to the negotiating table.
Carp is only 27 years old and he is under team control through 2017. The problem for Milwaukee might be a reluctance on Boston’s part to trade quality depth; they might instead decide to keep Carp’s bat and make efforts to create even more at-bats for him in 2014.