Jesus Aguilar has been deeply disappointing this year for the Brewers, unable to duplicate his breakout in 2018, so in that respect, I suppose it’s not a huge surprise that the Brewers were willing to part with him?
The Rays have been hunting for a right-handed bat leading up to the 4 p.m. deadline, and Jesus Aguilar, an All-Star last season, is the answer. Limited sample alert: After struggling much of the season, Aguilar is hitting .298/.346/.574 in 52 July plate appearances.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2019
Interestingly, this probably takes the Rays out on Nick Castellanos, while possibly opening up additional flexibility for the Brewers to add elsewhere. Though they are getting a pitcher in the deal:
Right-hander Jacob Faria is headed back to the Milwaukee Brewers in the Jesus Aguilar deal, a source tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2019
Just a couple years ago, the 26-year-old Faria looked like yet another solid young Rays starter, but he then had some injury issues – sorry, thinking on the fly – that kinda took him off the radar. At this point, he’s a bit of a flyer. Not a bad get/swap for the Brewers, who don’t necessarily need Aguilar anymore.