That’s right. Keep trading away assets for rentals. Do more, Brewers. DO IT.
Infielder Eduardo Escobar is finally out the door for the Diamondbacks, but instead of heading to the White Sox, it’s the Brewers:
The Diamondbacks are acquiring Cooper Hummel and Alberto Ciprian for Eduardo Escobar, per a source.
— Zach Buchanan (@ZHBuchanan) July 28, 2021
Escobar, 32, is making $7 million this year, is hitting .246/.300/.478 (105 wRC+), and is playing solid defense at third base and second base this year. Figured that stuff is important to mention for, you know, comparison purposes.
The return on Escobar is Hummel, a 26-year-old catcher and outfielder who has always raked in the minors but doesn’t register as a legit prospect on any lists that I’ve seen, and Ciprian, an 18-year-old infielder currently playing in the DSL.
That seems awfully light overall, though I guess Escobar’s bat isn’t quite impact level? And there’s the reality – brace for it – that positional rentals just don’t return as much as pitchers at the deadline. It’s been the new deal for about five years now.
On the bright side, the Brewers did lose a couple prospects, and their improvement is of no real impact to the Cubs. So that’s fine. Also, the deal takes Escobar off the market without sending him to a team that was going to be in on Kris Bryant. So that’s also fine.
Also, because it’s silly season, I have to point it out. From all the reports out there I can find, it seems that Mike Hawk really did have this one first:
Eduardo Escobar is headed to the #Brewers in exchange for Cooper Hummel and Alberto Ciprian
— Mike Hawk (@mlbhawk) July 28, 2021