Brewers Traded Norichika Aoki, Acquire Left Handed Pitcher

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Aoki (left), Smith (right). In case you didn't know.

This morning the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to trade outfielder Norichika Aoki to the Kansas City Royals for left handed pitcher Will Smith. With this trade, the Brewers officially announced that Ryan Braun will be making the move from left to right field this spring. I'll get into Will Smith in a bit, but first let's look at what the departure of Nori Aoki does to our outfield depth.

And, by depth, I mean log jam. The Brewers had three solid starting outfielders to start the 2013 season in Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez, and Norichika Aoki. Sitting behind them were Khris Davis, Logan Schafer, and Caleb Gindl. Those three are very sound outfielders that could honestly be starters on other baseball teams. Heck, even in the minors the Brewers have Kentrail Davis who we will likely lose in the Rule 5 draft. Moving Aoki allows the Brewers to free up space for the younger class to get Big League playing time.

Becoming a free agent after the 2014 season, this trade should come at now surprise. People will claim we should have gotten more for Nori, but I'll agree to disagree with that. All signs pointed to a downgrade in productivity this season by Aoki. For one, he lost a full point of oWAR between the 2012 and 2013 seasons. In 2012, Aoki attempted 38 stolen bases and converted 30 of them. In 2013, he attempted 32 stolen bases but only converted 20 of them. He was also picked off a total of 7 times in 2013. That's a huge difference and a sign of declining speed.

Defensively, the Royals are getting a premium player. Through two seasons with the Brewers, Aoki carries a .989 Fielding %. In 2013, Aoki had 13 defensive runs saved above average (Rdrs) which is pretty decent for a right fielder. In comparison, Jason Heyward of the Braves had 15 Rdrs, who is considered one of the top defensive right fielders in the game.

So, who is the lead-off hitter now you ask? You have a couple different options.

vs. LHP lineup

1. Jean Segura
2. Carlos Gomez
3. Ryan Braun
4. Aramis Ramirez
5. Jonathan Lucroy
6. Khris Davis
7. Fat Juan/Corey Hart (?)
8. Rickie Weeks
9. Pitcher

vs. RHP lineup

1. Scooter Gennett
2. Jean Segura
3. Ryan Braun
4. Aramis Ramirez
5. Carlos Gomez
6. Jonathan Lucroy
7. Khris Davis
8. Fat Juan/Corey Hart (?)
9. Pitcher

In some cases you could have Carlos Gomez lead off too. But, it won't be hard to figure out or lineup. RRR will likely play around with his lineups in spring to figure that out. I'm looking forward to see how the club sorts out their bench for Opening Day. The team basically has three spots locked up already in Martin Maldonado, Scooter Gennett, and whoever platoons with Juan Francisco. You need to add a back up short stop and then decide between Logan Schafer or Caleb Gindl as your 4th outfielder. In my opinion, you go with speed and defense and stick Logan in there.

Now, onto the pitcher the Brewers acquired.

Will Smith is a 24 year old left handed pitcher who will likely end up in the bullpen for the 2014 season. He has potential to work his way into the rotation, but he has some work to do to get there. He is arbitration eligible in 2016 and a free agent in 2020. Will had an impressive turnaround in 2013 as a reliever from a somewhat disastrous 2012 as a starter. Will increased his K/9 from 5.9 to 11.6 while reducing his BB/9 from 3.3 to 1.9. Will has an insanely good slider. Researched by the great Alec Dopp, Will Smith's slider held batters to .093/.130/.186 line in 2013 and generated 55.6% chase rate, which was the 2nd highest among pitchers with 33 IP or more.

A look at opponents' swing rate against Will Smith's slider last season. More than 1/2 were on non-strikes. #Brewers pic.twitter.com/20D63HK4S2
— Alec Dopp (@alecdopp) December 5, 2013

Overlooking the trade, I'd give it a B-. You trade a valuable outfielder who is blatantly getting older and slower. He became expendable with the emergence of Khris Davis and is a free agent after the 2014 season. In return you get a young left handed arm, which is something the Brewers' organization was missing. I'd give it a higher grade because I do believe we could have squeezed out an additional player for Nori. The Brewers have enough dead weight on the 40 man roster where we would be okay to outright someone.

I will miss Nori Aoki. The production he gave the Brewers of both sides of the game were greatly appreciated and recognized. The organization loses a humble, passionate player that brought a lot of excitement to The Keg. From his walk up music to his unforgettable inside the park home run, Nori, you were a fun player to watch. Best of luck to you in Kansas City. Enjoy their barbeque.

Until next time, Beer, Brats, and Championships.

- Andrew Vrchota (@AndrewVrchota)

Follow us on Twitter (@WISportsBlog) for up to date news on the Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks, and Golden Eagles. We feature live, in-game commentary, breaking news, previews and post game discussions. Follow the entire Wisconsin Sports Blog writing team on Twitter: @AndrewVrchota, @jheldred, @JoeP_Norton, @olewr7, @Stevie2Westside, and @10iskristin.

5 Things We Learned in Brewers Spring Training

Ryan Braun will forever have a target on his back: Okay, so maybe we already knew this. It was apparent last year that nearly every baseball fan outside of Milwaukee hated Ryan Braun and assumed he was a cheater. However, what we learned this spring is that the MLB truly believes that as well. Major League Baseball went as far as labeling Braun “Public Enemy #1” this spring, with rumors circulating regarding their apparent willingness to grant immunity to PED offenders in exchange for information that would help them to nab Braun. Things pretty much heated up again following the Biogenesis report, which indicated that Braun owed money to the organization for services rendered. Braun put out a statement, claiming he used Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch as a consultant in fighting his drug suspension last offseason. Regardless of his reasons, Braun’s name popping up in this fiasco didn’t bode well for his chances of forgiveness when it comes to the MLB and its fanbase. Regardless of the outcome, fans in Milwaukee will continue to back their superstar left fielder, myself included.  

Jean Segura is going to be a star: Yes, most people already knew this as well, but now EVERYONE knows this. After showing promise in the closing weeks on the 2012 season, Segura wasted no time in getting back on the field and continuing to develop his skills. He spent the winter playing in the Dominican Winter League. Segura shined in 35 games, batting .324 to win the league’s batting title while also swiping 11 bases. He didn’t skip a beat when spring training rolled around, as his bat continue to scorch baseballs, this time at a .367 clip while stealing 5 bases in Cactus League play. The one thing Segura may be lacking is power, but if he continues to get on base at a high rate and play solid defense, he can prove to be a very capable starter for the Brewers at shortstop and a fixture in the lineup for years to come. 

Khris Davis could be a star: After destroying baseballs for much of the year in AAA Nashville last season, many fans wondered where Khris Davis might fit into Milwaukee’s plans for the future. He played well in spring training, leading the team with 6 home runs in Cactus League play and hitting a 7th when the crew played team Canada. He fields his position well in left field, but the knock on him is his arm. He needs to show that he can make consistent, well-placed throws from that position if he expects to get consistent time in the lineup. Oh, and there’s that guy named Ryan Braun that happens to play the same position. Ron Roenicke has said they will try him in right field in an attempt to get him some playing time, but for the time being, Davis’ hot bat has at least earned him a spot on the Brewers bench to see if he can provide some pop as a pinch hitter.  

Mark Rogers is still a disappointment: Now I’m not knocking Mark Rogers. I love the guy and remain impressed with his resilience in fighting off injury after injury to reach this point since being drafted in the first round in 2004. But after posting promising stats in a short stint with the big league club last year, this spring Rogers has let fans down by failing to consistently hit the strike zone or generate the velocity he is known for. I still won’t go as far as calling him a total bust, as time will tell if he can bounce back from what has been labeled a “dead arm” and get back to throwing in the upper 90’s again. However, the Brewers front office was hoping he could earn a spot in the rotation, as he is currently out of minor league options. After his stint on the DL, the Brewers will have to make a decision whether to keep him in the bullpen or cut him loose. 

Bob Uecker’s still got it: Ueck turned 78 in January, and by no means is he slowing down. He was able to do a handful of games during spring training and continues to make listeners laugh while calling a great game. Fans have wondered, including myself, how much time Uecker has left in the booth, especially after a few health issues he has faced in recent years. But rest assured, he is still going strong and hasn’t lost a step from last season. And for those worried, refer to Vin Scully, the Dodgers play-by-play man who is back in the booth in Los Angeles for another season, at 85 years of age! Fans will be particularly interested in the new segment Bob and Joe will be doing in the booth this season called “Ask Ueck.” Fans can email in questions that Joe will read on air for Bob to answer during the games. The segment was introduced during the crew’s first game back at Miller Park and Bob didn’t fail to disappoint with his witty, informative answers. Submit your questions to askbob@jrn.com and see if your question is chosen to be read on air for Ueck to answer!

Until next time, Beers, Brats, and Championships.

- Joseph Norton (@JoeP_Norton)

Follow us on Twitter for up to date news on Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks and more. Live in game commentary, breaking news, previews, and post game discussion. @WISportsBlog @AndrewVrchota, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go @ryan_937, @Mik3_Schu, @jheldred, @B_Toom_3, @olewr7, and @Stevie2Westside. Finally, find us on Instagram! (wisportsblog)