Blue Jays could trade with the Brewers for outfield help

After acquiring Yangervis Solarte on Saturday, the Blue Jays have sorted out the infield depth they were looking for. However, the outfield remains the same and there is no doubt it has to be improved for the 2018 season if they want to compete in the AL East. The Milwaukee Brewers might be a good trade partner.

The Blue Jays have been linked to several outfielders in this slow off-season. Free agents Lorenzo Cain, Carlos González and Jay Bruce seem strong candidates to sign with Toronto as the Blue Jays  look for a corner outfielder or even two. Although as of now it seems more likely the Blue Jays will take the free agent route to bring new players, the Brewers have interesting outfielders who could very well be traded considering the depth they have. Ken Rosenthal reported they are open to trading outfielders.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers are interested in Lorenzo Cain, which is a bit surprising with top prospects Lewis Brinson and Brett Phillips having made their MLB debut in 2017 and being MLB ready. Their outfield depth also includes, Keon Broxton, Domingo Santana, Hernan Pérez and Ryan Braun. Certainly the Brewers will surely look trade one of their outfielders this off-season.

Which ones make the most sense for the Blue Jays? Santana and Broxton definitely make the most sense. Santana had a tremendous 2017 campaign. The 25 year old put up a slash line of .278/.371/.505 along 15 stolen bases and 30 homers. He would give a tremendous boost to the offense. On top of that, his salary will be just above the league minimum and he is under team control for four more years. What’s negative about Domingo Santana? Well, he would come at a very high cost. Not as high as a Christian Yelich trade, but not very far off due to his age, contract, team control, and his stellar production.

On the other hand, Keon Broxton would also bring great athleticism, capability of playing center field at a fine level, and some solid power. The cost for him would be much lower than Santana’s and he is under team control until 2022. He’s 27, and capable of stealing more than 20 bases, which fits the Blue Jays plan of getting younger and faster. Having a player who can have 20/20 seasons is always positive no matter what.

Domingo Santana is the better of the two, but Broxton’s speed and athleticism would be welcomed to a lineup that is in desperate need for those. Also, Santana would come at a high cost as mentioned, compared to Broxton, and maybe the Blue Jays do not want to part ways with their top prospects considering they can cover the outfield corners via free agency with players like Jay Bruce or Carlos González.

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Acquiring Santana would come at a high cost in terms of the return in the trade, but it wouldn’t impact the payroll and the Jays would still be able to sign Lorenzo Cain which seems like the main target. An outfield consisting of Lorenzo Cain, Kevin Pillar and Domingo Santana would be a tremendous outfield, and without question an improved one over the 2017 outfield.