Ian Kinsler reportedly claimed on waivers by an unidentified team

Two interesting developments occurred today that could impact the Brewers. First, the Colorado Rockies have made several moves, and the one that might impact Milwaukee is the designation for assignment of minor league reliever Sam Moll. Moll is a lefty, and was a third round pick of the Rockies in 2013. The last two seasons he has a 1.56 WHIP in AAA Albuquerque, with ERAs in the fours, and xFIPs in of 4.41 and 4.57.

Of more immediate interest, MLB Trade Rumors tells us that John Heyman reports that Ian Kinsler has been claimed off of revocable waivers. Who claimed him, and whether they are actually interested in trading for him, are not known. It’s possible, of course, that the Brewers are the claimant, and are working on a deal to add the veteran second baseman to add some veteran presence to the Milwaukee nine.

As explained by Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors, Detroit has the options of working out a deal, simply allowing the claiming team to assume Kinsler’s contract, or pulling Kinsler back off of the waiver wire. If the Tigers do that, they could only place him on irrevocable waivers for the remainder of this season.

BCB’s Kyle Lesniewski reported earlier this week that the Brewers remain interested in Kinsler, but that the Brewers are among the teams that Kinsler can veto a trade to. Whether Milwaukee’s interest in the former All Star remains, or whether Kinsler would waive the non-trade clause, are not known.

The Brewers have lost five straight, have looked awful since this year’s All Star break, and have fallen two games behind the Cubs after leading the division by 5¹⁄₂ games at the break. They have also been passed by the Cardinals, who are now in second, a game ahead of Milwaukee. Would the addition of Kinsler serve as a wake-up call for the struggling Crew, or would it be a waste of resources for the Brewers to acquire him? It is possible that a straight-up swap for infielder Jonathan Villar would work for both teams, but Villar would also have to pass through waivers, and despite his horrid season he remains relatively cheap and controlled through 2021, so could be claimed. The Brewers could also send a prospect not on the 40 man - or prospects - negating the need for the waiver wire.

So this could mean more moves for the Brewers, or nothing doing. But a shake-up right now might just jump-start things. A two game deficit isn’t insurmountable, despite the low level of play the team has exhibited of late.