MLB Trade Deadline: 5 trades for Ryan Braun

The Milwaukee Brewers need to rebuild, and that should mean trading Ryan Braun. Here are five teams who should take a chance on the former MVP. 

As the trade deadline approaches, Ryan Braun is one player to keep an eye on. On paper, this guy has everything a team looking for a bat would want. He has a career .305 average and is hitting .317 this year. His OPS is .890 and he has 14 home runs and nine steals. What’s not to like?

There are underlying issues, of course. To start, he is only a few seasons removed from a steroid suspension. The concern is that his body will deteriorate faster following his drug use and at 32 years old, Braun is already at a stage in his career that we should expect his production to start declining. 

Braun’s age has not yet taken its toll at the plate, but it has affected his defense. He isn’t an awful defender, but he is bad enough that it makes sense for him to want to find a home as a DH somewhere in the American League.

The other problem with Braun is his contract. He is going to be making $72 million over the next four years — a steep price for an aging bat. In comparison, David Ortiz, the best DH in the league, has made only $61 million over the past four years.

These factors will limit both Braun’s value and the number of teams who will be interested in him. Still, the Brewers should do their best to try and move him. This team is not going to be winning much over the next couple of years, so it makes sense to get Braun’s contract off the books and bring in some young prospects in return. Milwaukee might have to eat some of Braun’s contract, but trading him will help this team in the long run.

Here are five teams who should trade for Ryan Braun

Next: 5. Chicago White Sox