NY Mets have a phone call to make with the Brewers about pitching

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The 95-67 Milwaukee Brewers won the NL Central then ran into the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, the Braves were a team of destiny and would win it all. Meanwhile, the New York Mets went home early and watched from afar as the MLB playoffs unfolded.

The Brewers were an interesting team in 2021. Inept on offense in many ways, they did still manage to finish in the top 12 in runs scored despite having the 27th best batting average. I’m not quite sure how they accomplished this. Having already lost Eduardo Escobar and Avisail Garcia this winter, they have some holes to fill on offense.

Less of a question than how they managed to score runs with so little offense is why they were so good. The Brewers starting pitching (and bullpen, too) carried them. They surrendered the third-fewest number of runs, making them one of baseball’s best teams from the mound. Five pitchers made 20 starts or more and finished with ERAs ranging from 2.43 to 3.22. This surplus of quality starting pitching and some holes on the offense could make them a phone call away from helping the Mets out big time.

The Mets and Brewers can help each other out with a trade

Even better than just having five quality starting pitchers, the Brewers have five quality starting pitchers under 30.

As logical as it may seem on the surface for these two clubs to do each other a favor, there comes some risk with any deal between the two. The most likely Mets to get traded are guys coming off of bad or injured seasons or even both. The trio of J.D. Davis, Jeff McNeil, and Dominic Smith are all on the block. Each a possible fit for the Brewers in a swap, the Mets can’t expect to get back one of the big three from Milwaukee.

Last year’s Cy Young Award winner, Corbin Burnes, is certainly off the table. Brandon Woodruff, a guy now five years into his major league career and steadily getting better, is probably also put for the time being. There’s also Freddy Peralta. The youngest of the bunch, Milwaukee has no urgency to trade him away outside of some fantastic offer.

But those are only three options to explore. The other two successful starting pitchers from the 2021 Brewers may be a little more available and realistic.

Division Series - Milwaukee Brewers v Atlanta Braves - Game Four / Todd Kirkland/GettyImages

The other Brewers pitchers for the Mets to consider

This leaves the Mets with two options. Adrian Houser, 28, is coming off of a 10-6 season with a 3.22 ERA. About to embark on his age 29 season, he doesn’t have a long track record of success. Last season was only his second full campaign in the major leagues. As successful as he was, I’m not so sure he qualifies as a guy to heavily target.

There’s also Eric Lauer, the lone lefty in this five-some. A little younger at age 27 next year, he’s kind of like Joey Lucchesi in a lot of ways. Also traded away from the San Diego Padres, he’s a younger southpaw with some promise ahead of him for better days. The question then becomes something along the lines of: are either of these guys worth trading Davis, McNeil, or Smith?

The answer may actually be yes. It’s never easy to move on from a guy you once viewed as a starter—something we all felt at one point about those three. Realistically, other than McNeil, I can’t envision the Mets getting much in return for them. Would a team really give up a top-quality relief pitcher for Davis or Smith? Relievers are hard enough to find. Any contender with the hopes of going far would only onto those arms tightly.

It’s a little different with a starting pitcher. You can get innings from them. They’re a little easier to predict and work with. When this fails, you move them to the bullpen. When a reliever struggles, you bite your tongue and cut bait when you can.

New York Mets v San Francisco Giants / Lachlan Cunningham/GettyImages

Why J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith could be fits for the Brewers

Davis and Smith would each fit in well with what the Brewers currently have on the roster, especially with the DH possibly on its way to the National League. Davis could easily take on that role with Smith filling in the gap at first base. The team hasn’t gotten much consistent offense at first base for several years now. While Smith could just as easily end up as another disappointment, he could also turn into a pretty good player at the position.

And even if a one-for-one trade isn’t in the cards, there are other pieces we could see get involved. Many of the Brewers’ relief pitchers would look nice wearing Mets’ orange and blue. We’d also have to expect any even somewhat expendable Mets prospects or younger arms (such as David Peterson) to create at least a little intrigue for Milwaukee. After all, if they’re trading a pitcher away maybe they’ll want someone back in return.

There’s no “perfect trade” for us to come up with without knowing exactly where the front offices’ heads are at. The Brewers didn’t do much before the lockout to suggest they’re going to do anything dramatic. The Mets, on the other hand, have done plenty to indicate they’re willing to trade the players mentioned and do it to acquire a starting pitcher.

Would a Davis for Lauer deal work for both clubs? Davis is a poor fit for the Mets and very unlikely to start in New York. Lauer, on the younger side, is at best the fourth starter in Milwaukee. They could find a way to replace him.

I’m curious to see if the Mets can get any major deal done with the rest of the league continually blocking them from poaching staff—including the Brewers and David Stearns.

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