Brewers got 3 young pitchers in return for David Phelps

The Brewers made a rebuilding move before the trade deadline.

The Milwaukee Brewers are not off to a great start in 2020 with a 15-18 record entering play Monday. But that still has the club just one game out of a playoff spot in what remains a wide open National League Central division.

The record did not make the team buyers and also didn’t make them major sellers. However, the Brewers did trade away relief pitcher David Phelps for three players to be named later. Those unnamed players were revealed to be three young pitchers from the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

Brewers make a long-term move

This was a smart move by the front office in Milwaukee. Phelps showed up this past offseason and did post a solid 2.77 ERA in 12 appearances so far this year. This has come in 13 innings of work and the Brewers were able to flip him for three young pitchers. That sounds like quite the deal.

The veteran will turn 34 years old in October and has a $4.5 million club option in 2021. He was not a mainstay in Milwaukee and the team turned 13 innings of work into three young arms.

Both teams got what they wanted in this deal. The Phillies add a capable reliever as they look to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The team is off to a 14-15 start and another average season without October baseball will have the organization wondering if they are going in the right direction with Bryce Harper as the star. An expanded postseason should help the cause in 2020.

The Brewers didn’t get a steal here, at least not yet. However, just one of the three young pitchers ending up in the Milwaukee rotation one day will make this look like a coup for the Brewers.

This trade also doesn’t knock the Brewers out of postseason contention this season. Bullpen ace Josh Hader is staying put for now and both Eric Yardley and Devin Williams have done great so far as well.

Moves like this help keep a team competitive over a long period of time. It will look even better if the Brewers still qualify for the postseason this year, regardless of how the Phillies finish.