The player to be named later in the Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress deal with the Texas Rangers has finally been named – outfielder Ryan Cordell.
When news of the original trade deadline deal surfaced, a shockwave filtered throughout baseball, largely centering around how the Rangers escaped August 1 without giving up their two most highly-touted prospects, Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo.
Explain to me how the rest of baseball allowed the Rangers to trade for Hamels and Lucroy without giving up Profar or Gallo
— Mike Meltser (@MikeMeltser) August 2, 2016
Milwaukee Brewers fans and analysts alike seemed to be on the fence about the massive deal and many claimed the Brewers received a poor return for their All-Star catcher and steady closer.
Downgrades #Brewers to a "D" b/c Lucroy vetoed a trade and b/c they didn't get Joey Gallo. https://t.co/klDz4FDeN5
— J.P. Breen (@JP_Breen) August 4, 2016
It seemed that the player to be named later was the pivotal point that would determine the overall value the Brewers received in the deal.
@championspub Unless that PTBNL is Joey Gallo it was an awful trade…
— JC (@brewpackred) August 23, 2016
Considering Gallo’s run production and undeniable power, it stands to reason that fans would be upset by the return the team got for their beloved catcher, who spent the better part of seven years, including a solid playoff run in 2011, with a team that held few true stars for longer than a few years.
It seemed that nothing less would suit a rebuilding team than a No. 1 prospect, especially one that was on pace to hit over 30 home runs in Triple-A.
@Brewers178Steve @jonmorosi @Ken_Rosenthal @MLB Brinson =Utility player at best.Gallo can be an all star.PTBNL will be nothing 30th rounder
— Libertariandude (@Freeminds66) August 5, 2016
But more than all else, it seems that power overshadows Gallo’s overall ability. His potential so far has not manifested at the major-league level. Over a limited number of starts with the Rangers, Gallo is batting only .187/.281/.398 over 42 games between 2015 and 2016. Despite showing immense power throughout all levels, including seven home runs in that time span, he’s also struck out 66 times and taken only 16 walks.
The power potential has extended throughout his career, as in Triple-A he’s launched 39 home runs in 155 games (over two seasons) – he’s consistently hit around 30 a year since 2013. But his struggles remain just as consistent, as he batted .224/.340/.501 in the same time span with 240 strikeouts.
Although not as highly-regarded as Gallo, Cordell has put up excellent all-around numbers this season in Double-A Frisco. In 107 games, he’s tallied 19 home runs, 70 runs batted in, and 12 stolen bases while batting .264/.319/.484 with 97 strikeouts and 32 walks. He suffered a high ankle sprain in early August but will look to continue his progress after rehabbing in Phoenix before the fall league commences.
Considering that Gallo has been hopping back and forth between the majors and minors without any real staying power, the Brewers may have made a wise choice accepting a deal that included Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz, despite not having Gallo on the table.
Brinson has been on absolute fire since joining the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, batting .382/.387/.618 with four home runs, 20 RBI, and four stolen bases in only 23 games, including four games where he registered three hits or more. He’s still no pro at taking walks (2), especially compared to his strikeouts (21), and the thin air of Colorado is surely helping to pad his stat line but so far, he’s given the Brewers more than enough motivation to feel satisfied taking a chance on him.
Ortiz has shown similar promise since arriving with the team, putting up a 1.93 earned run average with 16 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 1/3 innings (six starts). His strikeout numbers are down – 7.7 strikeouts per 9 innings in 2016 compared to 8.4 K/9 in 2015 — and his walk rate is up since last year but considering he is still adjusting to his first year in Double-A, his peripherals should soon follow the solid numbers he’s already established in run-prevention.
The return for Lucroy and Jeffress may not have been misleadingly littered with “No. 1 prospect” as many had hoped but so far, it seems like the Brewers still received quite a trio in return and it’s a return that is looking likely to start paying dividends within the next year.
Jonathan Powell is the Managing Editor of Outside Pitch MLB and the Milwaukee Brewers writer. Follow him on Twitter @jonathannashhh.
The post Milwaukee Brewers complete Jonathan Lucroy deal, receive Ryan Cordell appeared first on OutsidePitchMLB.