FanPost

Trade Opportunity: Matt Garza Salary Dump

As this is my first fanpost on Brew Crew Ball introductions might be in order.

Hello.

I’m grover and I’m usually found over at Athletics Nation. I’ve been an A’s fan since Reggie Jackson did his farewell season through Oakland in 1987 and I stayed for the Bash Brothers, Stewart and Eckersley. That doesn’t make me a front-runner, bandwagon fan… it means I was 12 and Characters mattered! I’ve been an A’s fan ever since and have followed them fairly obsessively. But there are only so many hours in the day; especially when you consider family and children and career and I simply do not have the time to obsessively follow all 30 MLB teams. I do not pretend to know more than the surface level information for Oakland’s competitors and what I consider to be SB Nation’s finest attribute is the access to talk with similarly obsessive, knowledgeable fans of other teams.

If you aren’t rooting for either the Mets or Royals you’re probably wondering "what’s next for my team." Who’s about to get posted or what free agents are viable options or who could get traded to make the Brewers better next year and beyond; it’s this subject that brings me here today. One of the problems with coming up with trade scenarios is being able to balance both sides of the equation. Far too often the writer is more concerned about what makes sense for their ball club than whether their "fair return" to the other team actually works for the other team! So I’d like to get a larger, Milwaukee-biased perspective on a trade idea originally proposed by a member of this site:

Milwaukee will trade SP Matt Garza and RP Will Smith to Oakland in exchange for 3B/1B prospect Ryon Healy. Oakland will cover Garza’s full salary and bonuses in 2016 and 2017, plus any buy-outs/vesting options in 2018. Milwaukee will still be responsible for the $2 million annual deferred payments to Garza that run from 2018 through 2021.

That’s the deal. It’s a pure salary dump for the Brewers but it will cost them a talented relief pitcher to make it happen. They also get a decent prospect that "Passed" the AA test and plays a position of need.

I’ve come here to start a discussion, not a flame war. I’m fine with this deal from Oakland’s perspective… do Brewers fans feel the same way?

Let’s talk.