The hot stove league begins to heat up
Brewers trade Anderson; Thames’ option declined
The Milwaukee Brewers cleared some $15 million off their books for 2020 on Monday, creating flexibility for raises for arbitration-eligible players as well as some shopping on the free-agent market.
They also created some holes on their roster.
Rather than exercise club options for $8.5 million on pitcher Chase Anderson and $7.5 million on first baseman Eric Thames, the Brewers traded Anderson to Toronto for minorleague first baseman/ outfielder Chad Spanberger and opted to pay a $1 million buyout to Thames.
The Brewers did exercise an option on catcher Manny Piña for $1.85 million for 2020.
"I think it's natural, this time of year, to create a little bit of payroll space, so certainly that's part of any decision we make regarding a contract or a contract option," Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said.
"There are finite resources for every single team out there. We certainly have finite resources ourselves and we have to make sure we're spending them in the best possible way."
Stearns said Anderson was traded after it was decided the club would not pick up his option, leaving him arbitration-eligible.
"Given there was a team that clearly had interest in him, we were able to get back a prospect that we like," Stearns said.
Anderson, who posted an 8-4 record and 4.21 earned run average over 139 innings in 2019, spent the past four seasons in Milwaukee. His best season came in 2017 when he finished 12-4 with a 2.45 ERA in 25 starts.
Overall, Anderson was 38-27 with a 3.83 ERA in 118 games (112 starts) for the Brewers.
"I thought my numbers were pretty solid overall," Anderson said. "There were a lot of games I could have gone deeper into the games. My time in Milwaukee will always be special to me. I feel like I provided a lot of value to that team and did my part. It was a great experience with that fan base."
Spanberger, who turned 24 last week, has hit 59 home runs in 305 minor-league games, including 13 in 431 atbats with Class AA New Hampshire in 2019. He posted only a .707 OPS last season, with a .237 average and .308 onbase percentage.
Spanberger had been a first baseman
before this year but saw most of his action in right field, improving his versatility. He is a left-handed hitter whose No. 1 tool is considered his power, and he was ranked the No. 30 prospect in Toronto's system by Baseball America entering the '19 season.
"He has big power. He has demonstrated that throughout his minorleague career," Stearns said. "Even last year, when maybe the home run numbers weren't what they were the previous year, he still hit the ball hard. He hit the ball in the air. Those are two things we like to see, and two things that generally lead to power.
"We think he fills in nicely at the upper levels of our minor-league system, and we're excited to have him."
Anderson, who turns 32 on Nov. 30, had another club option for 2021 at $9.5 million. He was first acquired by Milwaukee in January 2016, part of a deal that sent shortstop Jean Segura to Arizona and also brought infielders Aaron Hill and Isan Diaz to the Brewers. Diaz became one of the pieces sent to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Christian Yelich two years later.
Asked why Anderson never repeated his best season in '17, Stearns said, "It's not unusual for players to have career years. What we focused on were the contributions Chase made here. He was one of the first major trades we made as a front office after I got here. He was here when we weren't very good and also a key contributor in years when we were pretty good.
"He's been a great Brewer and we wish him well."
As for whether acquiring starting pitching is a priority before the 2020 season, Stearns said, "That's always a consideration. You're always trying to assure you have sufficient innings covered. Chase was a part of that for us the last couple of years. We're going to make sure in the coming months we have sufficient coverage in that area."
The decision on Thames was somewhat surprising considering his productivity in 2019. In 149 games, he batted .247 with a .346 OBP and .505 slugging percentage, with 25 home runs and 61 RBI.
"I think there are a couple of things with that," Stearns said of the decision. "The first is maybe an evaluation of the market as a whole, what external options could be available. We're certainly not closing the door on bringing Eric back. We'll continue to keep in touch with Eric and his agent and see if there's a fit at some point later in the off-season.
"But, at his point, with the dollar value associated with the club option, and with the market we see developing out there at that position, we thought it was in the best interests to decline the option.
"The first base market, as is usually the case, is fairly robust. Eric did a wonderful job for us and as I said, we're certainly not closing the door on bringing him back."