Brewers Approach the Trade Deadline with Some Holes to Fill

(This blog post was written by Scott Maury; this is Scott's first post for Warrior Sports)

The Milwaukee Brewers are a week into the second half of the 2011 MLB season, and there are many questions still to be answered as to where they are headed as they approach the trade deadline. There are still many holes to fill if the Brewers plan on being a playoff caliber team.

The Brewers already filled a hole in their roster with the acquisition of closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod). Acquired from the New York Mets, K-Rod is one of the greatest closers in the game. It’s still unclear whether or not he will share closing duties with already established closer John Axford, but it’s safe to say the Brewers have two of the best National League closers on their roster right now, strengthening a crippled and injury bugged bullpen.

What’s still uncertain is what the Brewers plan on doing with the left side of their infield. The once dependable third basemen, Casey McGehee has fallen out of the spotlight and into one of the worst slumps of any player in the Majors. Casey is hitting a miserable .223 average with only 5 home runs and 38 RBI’s. His defense has also worsened, as he already has 13 errors entering the second half, which is high for Casey given he only had 17 total errors last season.

Joining the slumping McGehee is the Brewer’s shortstop in Yuniesky Betancourt. His defense is also crippling the Brewer’s defense, but what’s more pathetic is his offensive numbers. At first glance it doesn’t seem that alarming, with a .243 average, seven homeruns and 34 RBI’s. What’s alarming is his on base percentage and plate discipline. His on-base percentage is almost a National League worst at an atrocious .260 average. In 90 games, Betancourt has only walked nine times, three of those being intentional.

If the Brewers plan on making the playoffs, and being successful, they need to do something about the left side of their infield. The Brewers don’t exactly have depth within the organization, so they will need to make some trades to help their infield. There are some solid defenders out there such as the Houston Astros’ Clint Barmes and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jamey Carroll. Both are primarily shortstops with little offensive production, with Jamey Carroll being the more consistent hitter out of the two with a good on-base percentage. It seems as if anything would be better than what the Brewers have right now. An upgrade at shortstop would make more sense than an upgrade at third base. If past seasons say anything, Casey would be more likely to break out of his slump and be more helpful in the long run.

It will definitely be interesting to see what moves – if any – the Brewers make as they approach the July 31st trade deadline.