Milwaukee Brewers acquire Curtis Granderson from the Toronto Blue Jays

The Milwaukee Brewers sure didn’t skimp on the final day of the waiver trade deadline. After acquiring Xavier Cedeno and Gio Gonzalez, David Stearns capped the day off by acquiring Curtis Granderson as a lefty bat off the bench.

Granderson’s best years are behind him. The 37-year-old outfielder isn’t the MVP candidate he once was, but he still has shown he’s a valuable contributor this season. In 103 games in Toronto, Granderson has hit .243/.340/.429 with 11 homers, good for a wRC+ of 110. He can still manage to play all three outfield positions, but he’s best suited for corner outfield work if necessary.

The aging outfielder is almost exclusively a play again righties. He has hit .250 against right-handers and just .143 against lefties. It’s obvious that Toronto tried to limit his exposure to sane-side pitchers, as he has just 21 at-bats against them this season.

For what it’s worth, Granderson is also a veteran presence who has been to the post-season seven times in his career and the World Series twice.

The need for a strong lefty option on the bench was created by Eric Thames’ abysmal second half. Thames has managed just a .147./.183/.347 slash line in his 27 second half games. That leaves a lot to be desired offensively. He also isn’t the world’s best outfielder, meaning Granderson can serve as an upgrade in both departments.

Going back to the Blue Jays in exchange for Granderson is Carolina Mudcats outfielder Demi Orimoloye. Orimoloye was a fourth round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft coming to pro ball out of high school. He has split this year between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Carolina Mudcats, hitting .247/.322/.391 with 12 homers and 22 stolen bases. He projects to have good power and has shown decent speed, although the speed should come down as he continues to age and gain muscle. His swing a miss tendencies held him back quite a bit.