A bigger Mets-Brewers trade could be on the horizon after Sunday's small swap

The New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers made a trade on Sunday when Tyler Jay was swapped for TJ Shook. The deal involves a couple of double takes. For one, the Mets getting anything at all for Jay who’d been DFA’d already is pretty impressive. For it to be a minor league arm albeit not one performing all that well sweetens this more.

Another raise of the eyebrow comes from the Brewers not having any immediate desperate need for Jay either. Their big league roster has three lefties already, two of which own ERAs below 1.70.

These two NL contenders might actually be a match for a bigger deal. If the Mets hold true to the rumors and are willing to trade a starting pitcher, the Brewers are a match as a ball club they could swap a starter for some bullpen help. What type of a trade could make sense?

The Mets need bullpen help and the Brewers need a starting pitcher

These types of trades are only simple in fantasy baseball. There’s a little too much of a cost for both ball clubs. The Mets giving up a starting pitcher for bullpen help seems faulty. Their depth in the minor leagues isn’t incredible. Joey Lucchesi was already DFA’d and Max Kranick has shifted more toward pitching in relief. What happens when the Mets remove one MLB option and suffer an injury?

Brushing this flaw aside, we do see some candidates on the Brewers who could fit the Mets. The Brewers probably aren’t trading Bryan Hudson who at 27 is one of their best relievers. The more seasoned Hoby Milner has pitched better against righties than lefties and his 4.91 ERA leaves a lot to be desired although a sub 2.00 ERA from last season makes him a curious case nonetheless. There’s also Jared Koenig who has come out of nowhere to pitch to a 1.62 ERA for the Brewers through 39 innings. He might be the most reasonable one to nab.

Milwaukee has only three pitchers who’ve topped 10 starts this year. All have done well. This is a team ravaged by injuries. They have one of the best batting averages in baseball and are among the leaders in bullpen ERA. Where they’ve struggled most is with the starting pitching mainly because they just don’t have the healthy bodies.

Is there a trade to be made? Another smaller deal could be the route to go. Would they want Lucchesi? Does a player like David Peterson who might be out of next year’s plans bring some desirability because of a couple of more years of control?

I wouldn’t put anything past David Stearns in the coming week. This is the same guy who traded his star closer, Josh Hader, in the middle of a pennant race. Consider the Jay for Shook swap a reconnection and conversation starter for possibly something bigger.