Shaun Marcum Soon to be a Brewer

The Jays are about to inherit a package of players in return for Shaun Marcum. The source apparently stated that:

"“it involved minor-league pitching prospects”"

Well I would hope so! That really doesn’t tell us anything else and I’m still holding out hope that it also includes Prince Fielder and that the deal is bigger than is being stated! Having said that, when the news broke, everyone’s mind had immediately gone to Mat Gamel who plays 3B and could be used at 1B. If it is true that pitching prospects are headed to Toronto, everyone seems to agree that it would be to complete a deal for Zack Greinke or another top-end pitcher.

Still, the timing of the deal makes me wonder. It was announced just after the deal for Gonzo was announced as being official despite contract issues. Some are also saying it could involve Brett Lawrie who is a Canadian 2B, but they also said the same about Phillippe Aumont and Michael Saunders during the Doc Sweepstakes, only to be way off base. So, I’ll wait until the official names come out before I evaluate any deal.

Just to list the pitching candidates, however, the best Brewers pitching prospects include Eric Arnett, Jake Odorizzi, Cody Scarpetta, Evan Anundsen, and Jeremy Jeffress. Whichever of these are included will provide the Jays with a ton of pitching talent to deal.

Nothing is ever final until the physicals are completed, so we’ll have to see if Marcum and the prospects pass theirs before the deal is official. It’s an aggressive move by Alex Anthopolous, but he’s definitely dealing Marcum when he’s at the height of his trade value. I listed him as a possible trade chip earlier today and he was the first one used. I’m not sure where the Jays go from here, but it looks like the Jays are ramping up for one hell of a winter meeting week. I’ll have more on the deal tomorrow, when the dust settles and the names come out. However, I have to say that I’m extremely disappointed that Prince is not involved in the deal. Could the Brewers and Jays make it a triple trade week? Not likely.

As for the Brewers side of things, they finally get someone to slot in ahead of Randy Wolf and behind Yovani Gallardo. It’s still a very thin rotation for the Crew, but they’re getting one great pitcher and even better clubhouse guy, so kudos to them on the deal. I’ll get more into the details tomorrow, but I’ll leave it to say that the Jays owe a lot of gratitude to Shaun who stepped up for the Jays in a very tough time for the franchise. Had he not pitched as he did in 2010, it’s quite possible that the season could have been very ugly overall. His leadership and positive demeanor will be missed to be sure.

Good luck to you in Milwaukee Shaun, we’ll be watching you and Doc in the NL very closely…if and when the deal becomes official, that is.

I believe Jared will have the honors of breaking the deal down once all of the pieces are known of. He’s a lot more knowledgeable about the Brewers side of things than I am, so enjoy!

– MG

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