MLB trade rumors: One player each team should target

Milwaukee Brewers: Dan Straily

The Brewers have to be careful not to get too far ahead of themselves at the deadline this year. They must fight the urge to make an aggressive move to stay ahead of the Cubs in the NL Central. I do believe they are going to stick around in the playoff race, but their real future lies down the road in 2018 and beyond. Milwaukee has a smart front office, and will not get suckered into doing too much by the Cubs slow start.

Straily is a nice fit for the Brewers in that he is familiar with the NL Central and could be acquired for prospects outside of the organization’s top-10 names. The Marlins would jump at the chance to flip Straily for any one of the prospects that falls withing Milwaukee’s top-five to 10.

There is a lot to like about what the Brewers have done so far this season without any major contributions from Junior Guerra, Ryan Braun, and Jonathan Villar. A young team that is allowed to stick around in a playoff race begins believing in themselves and plays with more confidence the longer they stay in a playoff spot. The Brewers have the makings of a solid rotation forming behind Chase Anderson and Jimmy Nelson. Straily slots in nicely behind them and could even become a candidate for an extension this winter.

Milwaukee is set up very well for the future, but that does not mean they should allow a chance to make the playoffs in 2017 pass them by simply because it has fallen into their laps. One small move at the deadline may be enough to keep them on top of the imploding Cubs.