Brewers as Sellers over the last 15 Years

As talk heats up with the Brewers as possible sellers come trading deadline, here's a look back at the moves the Brewers have made as "sellers" over the last 15 years. 

To qualify for this list, the trade had to be completed in June, July, August or early September when the Brewers were out of the race.

September 2, 2004 - Milwaukee trades Dave Burba to the Giants for Josh Habel
Burba went 1-0 with and ERA over 5 in six games for the Giants who would finish second.  This was Burba's last season in the majors. 

Habel, a starting pitcher, spent 2005 between Brevard County and Huntsville with a composite 8-11, 4.13 ERA line with 107 K's in 128 IP.  He was subsequently released and pitched in the independent leagues in 2006 and 2007

August 31, 2004 - Milwaukee trades Ben Grieve to the Cubs for Andy Pratt
Grieve hits .250 as a pinch hitter for the Cubs who finish third.  Ben then returned to the Cubs in 2004. 

Pratt, who at one time was a highly regarding pitching prospect for the Braves, spends 2005 and 2006 between AA and AAA with the Brewers and posted an ERA in the upper 5's.

August 27, 2003 - Milwaukee trades Mike DeJean to the Cardinals for Mike Crudale and John Novinsky.
DeJean pitched in 18 games for the Cardinals who finished third.  DeJean then signed with the Orioles in 2004. 

Crudale pitched in 9 games for the Brewers in '03 with an ERA under 3, but had 6 walks in his 9 innings.  He was released during spring training in 2004. 

Novinsky, a relief pitcher, spent one season in the Brewers minor leagues mostly as the closer for Huntsville.  He had 17 saves and a 2.93 ERA with 60K/15BB in 61 IP.

August 19, 2003 - Milwaukee trades Eric Young to the Giants for Greg Bruso
E.Y. hit .197 for the Giants who went  on to lose to the Angels in the World Series.  Unfortunately for Young, he was left off the post season roster.  Young would sign with the Rangers after the season. 

Bruso spent the remainder of 2003 at AA for the Brewers.  He split 2004 between the Arizona Brewers and High Desert where he didn't fair to well.  Bruso was subsequently released and pitched in the independent leagues in 2005.

July 10, 2003 - Milwaukee trades Curtis Leskanic to the Royals for Alejandro Machado and Wes Obermueller
Leskanic was pitching well at the time of the trade (2.70 ERA) and pitched even better for the Royals (1.73 ERA).  He would re-sign with the Royals after the season, but would be released in June 2004.

Machado was a speedy infielder who was hitting .287 with 19 SB for the Royals AA team at the time of the trade.  Alejandro went on to hit only .226 in AA (but added 11 SB) for the Brewers and was out of the organization after the season.  Machado managed a cup of coffey for the Red Sox in 2005.

Obermueller would pitch in 48 games (28 starts) in 2004 and 2005 for the Brewers but had an ERA of 5.47.  Wes was traded to the Braves after the 2005 season when the Brewers re-acquired Dan Kolb.  Obermueller did put up one of the better hitting seasons by a Brewer pitcher when he hit .385 in 2004.

August 31, 2002 - Milwaukee trades Mark Loretta to the Astros for Wayne Franklin and Keith Ginter
Loretta hit .424 in 77 PA for the Astros who finished second.  He signed with the Padres after the season.

Franklin pitches well in 4 starts for the Brewers in 2002, and spent all of 2003 in the starting rotation managing to give up 36 home runs in 194 IP.  He was traded (along with Leo Estrella) for Carlos Villanueva and a minor leaguer. 

Ginter had two solid seasons for the Brewers prior to being shipped to the A's for Nelson Cruz (yes, that Nelson Cruz) and Justin Lehr. 

August 29, 2002 - Milwaukee trades Jamey Wright to the Cardinals for Chris Morris and Mike Matthews.
Wright when 2-0 with a 4.80 ERA for the Cardinals who finished first.  Jamey didn't appear in the postseason and moved on to the Royals the following season. 

Morris was a speedy outfielder who had stolen 111 bases the previous year in A.  He spent 2003 and 2004 with the Brewers in High Desert and moved on to the Angels organization the following season. 

Matthews had been a decent relief pitcher with the Cardinals, he had a 3.89 ERA with STL in 43 games that season.  Mike pitched in 4 games with the Brewers in 2002 and was picked up on waivers by the Padres during spring training in 2003.

July 31, 2002 - Milwaukee trades Alex Ochoa and Sal Fasano to the Angels for Jorge Fabregas, John Raburn and Pedro Liriano.
Ochoa played well as a reserve OF for the World Series winning Angels.  He got into 12 games (albiet 5 AB) during their post season run. 

Fasano had been at AAA for the Brewers and appeared in 2 games for the Angels in September. 

Fabregas hit .164 in 30 games for the Brewers and signed with Tampa after the season. 

Raburn, a utility player, spent 2003 and 2004 in the Brewers system with High Desert and Huntsville.  John then spent time in the Rays and Marlins organizations before resigning with the Brewers in 2009.  He is currently playing with AAA Nashville.

Lirano was coming off a very good season for the Angels in High A (176K in 167 IP, 3.60 ERA in the California League).  He pitched reasonably well in AA for the Brewers in 2003 (3.79 ERA, 116K/62BB in 143 IP).  Pedro appeared in 11 games for the Brewers in 2004 and was claimed on waivers by the Phillies after the season.  Liriano is currenlty pitching in the Mexican League.

July 23, 2002 - Milwaukee trades Tyler Houston and Brian Mallette to the Dodgers for Ben Diggins and Shane Nance
Houston hit .200 with 0 HR as a utility player for the Dodgers who finished third.  He signed with the Phillies after the season. 

Mallette was the closer at AAA for the Brewers that season and was included as a player to be named later.  He would pitch one game at AAA for the Dogers in 2003 before being released.

Diggins was the Dogers 1st round pick in 2000 and was pitching well at A at the time of the trade.  After making 7 starts with Huntsville, the Brewers called him up in September where he made 5 starts (going 0-4 with an ERA over 8).  Ben began 2003 back in AA and was pitching well when injuries struck and he only made 16 appearance over the next two seasons prior to retiring.

Nance was a lefty relief pitcher who would appear in 30 games with the Brewers in 2002 and 2003.  He was traded, along with Richie Sexson to the Diamondbacks in December of 2003.

July 30, 2001 - Milwaukee trades Dave Weathers to the Cubs for Rueben Quevedo and Pete Zoccolillo
Weathers put up a 3.18 ERA in 28 games for the Cubs who finished third.  Dave would sign with the Mets after the season.

For all you need to know about Ruben Quevedo, go here .

Zoccolillo, an outfielder,  had several decent years in the minors.  He got a cup of coffee with the Brewers in 2003, but hit .108 in 39 PA.  He was drafted by the Rangers in the minor league Rule 5 draft after the season.

July 28, 2000 - Milwaukee trades Jason Bere, Bob Wickman, and Steve Woodard to the Indians for Paul Rigdon, Kane Davis, Richie Sexson, and a player to be named later (Marco Scutaro)
Bere would go 6-3 (with a 6.63 ERA)  for the Indians who finished second.  Bere signed with the Cubs after the season.

Wickman stabilized a suspect Indians bullpen for the remainder of 2000 and remainded their closer until 2006 when he was traded to the Braves.

Woodard would go 6-6 with an ERA over 5 in 2000 and 2001 for the Indians.  Steve was released by the Indians after the 2001 season.

Rigdon went 7-9 with an ERA of 5.19 for the Brewers over 27 starts in 2000 and 2001 prior to injuries setting in.  He was released by the Brewers after the 2002 season.

Davis pitched in 3 games for the Brewers in 2000.  Kane was then traded to the Rocked along with Juan Acevedo and Jose Flores for Mark Leiter, Mike DeJean and Elvis Pena in April of 2001.  Kane would resurface with the Brewers in 2005 when he put up an ERA of 2.70 in 15 games.

Sexson would be the Brewers starting first baseman for the next three seasons.  In that time Richie hit 133 HR, good for 12th on the all-time Brewers list.  Sexson was traded to the Diamondbacks along with Shane Nance for Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell, Chad Moeller, Chris Capuano, Jorge Dela Rosa, and Lyle Overbay - a trade that not only acquired the immortal cycle-hitting Moeller, but is still helping the Brewers. (Capuano in still on the team, Dave Bush and current AA pitcher Josh Butler were acquired either directly or indirectly for Lyle Overbay).

The Brewers (and a host of other teams) never gave Scutaro, the current starting shortstop for the Red Sox, much of a chance.  Marco had a solid AAA season for the Brewers in 2001 in which he hit .295 with an OBP of .375 and 11 HR and 11 SB.  The Brewers put him on waivers after the season and he was claimed by the Mets.

August 18, 1999 - Milwaukee trades Rich Becker to Athletics for Carl Dale
Becker would become the A's everday centerfielder and hit .264 as the A's finished second.  Becker opened the 2000 season with the A's before being released in May.

Dale would post an ERA of 20.25 in 4 games for the Brewers.  He was released following the end of the season.

July 23, 1998 - Milwaukee trades Doug Jones to Cleveland for Eric Plunk
This was more just a trade of struggling releivers than anything else.  Both Jones and Plunk pitched well for their teams the remainder of 1998.  Jones moved on to the Athletics in 1999 with good results.  1999 was Plunk's last season and he posted an ERA just over 5 for the Brewers.

July 31, 1996 - Milwaukee trades Greg Vaughn and Gerald Parent to the Padres for Marc Newfield, Ron Villone and Bryce Florie.
Vaughn was having a huge season for the Brewers at the time of the trade (.280, 31 HR in 102 games).  He would hit .206 with 10 HR for the Padres who lost to St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs.  Greg re-signed with the Padres after the season and would play one more year in San Diego before being traded to the Reds.

Parent would spend the next two seasons in low A for the Padres, one as an outfielder, one as a pitcher.

Newfield, a former 1st round pick of the Mariners, would hit .307 and SLG .508 for the remainder of the season for the Brewers.  He would spend '97 and '98 with the Brewers as well and put up a composite .259/.319/.379 line in 522 AB before being released after the 1998 season.

Villone, another former 1st round pick of the Mariners (he and Newfield had previously been traded together from Seattle to San Diego for Andy Benes) would post and ERA of 3.38 in 75 games for the Brewers in '96 and '97.  The Brewers traded Villone, along with Ben McDonald and Mike Fetters, to the Indians for Marquis Grissom and Jeff Juden during the offseason.  Villone pitched with 10 more teams, including the Nationals in 2009.

Florie pitched in 47 games for the Brewers in '96 and '97 compliling and ERA of 4.79 and with 65 K/55BB in 94 IP.  He was traded to the Tigers for Mike Myers, Santiago Perez, and Rick Greene (a former first round pick) in November of 1997.

August 23, 1996 - Milwauke trades Pat Listach , Gabby Martinez, Ricky Bones, and Graeme Lloyd to the Yankees for Bob Wickman and Gerald Williams
Listach had suffered what was believed to be a bruise two days before the trade, but it was determined later he actually had a broken bone in his foot.  Listach was returned to the Brewers and the Yankees acquired Gabby Martinez, a minor league shortstop instead.  Listach would end up signing with the Astros as a free agent after the season.

Bones was added as a player to be named later in this trade, had been the Brewers opening day starter in '96.  Ricky's ERA was at 5.83 at the time of the trade and he raised that to 14.14 in his four games as a Yankee.  Ricky signed with the Reds as a free agent following the season.

Lloyd had pitched well for the Brewers up to the point of the trade compiling an ERA of 2.82 in 52 games.  He completely imploded for the Yankees, posting a 17.47 ERA in 13 games (albiet only 5 IP).  Graeme would recover to pitch 5.1 scoreless innings in the Yankees post season run and even won a game in the World Series.  Lloyd would spent to more successful seasons in New York prior to being traded to the Blue Jays as part of the package for Roger Clemens.

Wickman had been mediocre as a relief pitcher for the Yankees up to this point and after a successful end to the '96 season and a very good '97 as the set up man to Doug Jones, Bob became the Brewers closer until being traded to the Indians in 2000.  Wickman is tied for third on the Brewers all-time saves list.

Williams would spend the following season in 1997 playing everyday in the Brewers outfield.  Gerald hit .283/.282/.369 with 10 HR and 23 SB and was traded to the Braves for Chad Fox following the season.

August 31, 1996 - Milwaukee trades Kevin Seitzer to Cleveland for Jeromy Burnitz
Seitzer would hit .386 in 98 PA for the Indians who lost to the Orioles in the first round of the playoffs.  Kevin would spend one more year in Cleveland prior to retiring.

Burnitz would go on to spend 5 years in Milwaukee and is 8th on the Brewers all-time home run list.  Jeromy was traded to the Mets as part of a 3-team trade along with Jeff D'Amico when the Brewers acquired Glendon Rusch.

Summary

Overall, the it seems the Brewers have done reaonably well in these trades.  The biggest flop was the Vaughn trade, although at the time two-former first round picks and a hard throwing relief pitcher didn't seem so bad.  The acquisitions of Sexson, Burnitz and Wickman all turned out for the best.  Unfortunately, most of these better moves happened in the early part of this list.