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The Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly interested in acquiring Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar.
Sources tell me and @juanctoribio that the Rays have expressed interest to the Brewers in Jesus Aguilar. He’s performed better in July (1.080 OPS) than the first three months (.634 OPS), so deal would have to help Milwaukee now for Brewers to move Aguilar.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 24, 2019
The rumor comes from MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand. At the end of the report, Feinsand speculates that the deal would likely require a player that can help Milwaukee now in order to move the big slugger.
The Brewers acquired Zeus off waivers from the Cleveland Indians before the 2017 season. Aguilar spent 2017 sharing time with Eric Thames at first base, but hit a quality .265/.331/.505 with 16 homers, good for a 113 wRC+. He followed that up with an All-Star performance, hitting .274/.352/.539 with a 134 wRC+.
Unfortunately, the almighty Aguilar has struggled mightily this season. His offense has only been good enough for a 83 wRC+. As Feinsand points out, Jesus has been picking up substantial steam lately. In July, he’s slashing .342/.395/.684 with three homers.
Aguilar has another big positive for any team looking for a power bat, control. Zeus is locked up until 2023.
The Rays have plenty to offer Milwaukee. Their farm team is one of the deepest in baseball, with eight prospects that sit on MLB Pipeline’s top-100 list. Add one a deep set of major league pitchers, there’s certainly someone the Rays could offer that can help Milwaukee. It all depends on how much they really like the thought of acquiring Aguilar.