The Milwaukee Brewers had high expectations going into the 2010 season, but their starting pitching let them down again.
At 43-52 heading into last night’s action against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Brewers look to be sellers instead of buyers at the trade deadline.
One of the more attractive trade chips the Brewers have to get an influx of pitching into their organization is right fielder Corey Hart. Let’s take a look at the pros, cons, and the teams that might be interested in the two-time All-Star out of Kentucky.
It sounds so easy. Just lower your hands and good things will happen. That is what Hart did in the offseason and now he is having a career year.
After having a miserable 2009, Hart adjusted his batting stance in the offseason by lowering his hands, and the rest is history. Hart went into last night’s action second in the NL in HRs (22), fourth in slugging (.562), second in RBI (70), and 10th in OPS (.910).
He is currently on pace for a .290/.343/.562 with 39 HRs season. Those are big boy numbers.
Hart is doing a lot of damage against lefties this year. He is hitting .352 with an OPS of 1.115 against lefties. He could be attractive to a team like the Tampa Bay Rays, who might face John Danks, Mark Buehrle, C.C. Sabathia, or Andy Pettitte in the playoffs.
Hart also has a pretty affordable contract moving forward. He will make $4.8 million this year and won’t be a free agent until after the 2011 season, so the team trading for him will get him for a year and a half.
Cons
Perhaps the biggest con against Hart is his asking price. Apparently, Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin is asking for the moon.
Would I trade Madison Bumgarner for Hart? Not a chance.
If that is the asking price for Hart, then he might be staying in Milwaukee for a while.
Another negative against Hart is that he has never been the greatest of fielders. Over the last three years, he ranks towards the bottom of right fielders in terms of UZR, which could be a factor if he goes to a bigger ballpark.
A team also has to wonder about Hart’s home and road splits. Hart’s OPS is over 100 points higher at home than on the road. What happens when he leaves the friendly confines of Miller Park?
Interested Teams?
Now that we have looked at the pros and cons, let’s look at the teams that could be interested in acquiring the 28-year-old.
San Francisco Giants: This is the logical destination for Hart. The Giants need a bopper in the middle of their lineup. The issue though is that the Brewers are asking for Bumgarner and I don’t think that is going to happen.
San Diego Padres: Like their division rival, the Padres need more offense. Hart would be nice protection for Adrian Gonzalez.
Atlanta Braves: The Braves are looking for outfield help and Hart could move over to left. How deadly would a Jason Heyward-Troy Glaus-Brian McCann-Corey Hart middle-of-the order be?
Tampa Bay Rays: Hart could be what Pat Burrell should have been for the Rays—a power-hitting right-handed batter in the middle of the lineup. Hart could DH too.
Chicago White Sox: The White Sox are hell-bent on getting a left-handed power hitter like Hart’s teammate, Prince Fielder, or Adam Dunn. But if Ken Williams fails to get those lefties, Hart might be a fall-back option.
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