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The trade rumor mill has been pretty hot regarding the Milwaukee Brewers and potential trades. This time the trade target is Kyle Gibson of the Texas Rangers. According to a source, the Brewers are one of the teams in on the big right hander.
Potential trade partners for Kyle Gibson include the Rays and Brewers, per source.
— Levi Weaver (@ThreeTwoEephus) July 27, 2021
As for Gallo, I don’t have much you’re not hearing elsewhere but can reiterate Blue Jays’ interest.
Gibson is having a really good year. So far this season, Gibson is posting a 2.87 ERA. That is much better than previous seasons that saw him with an ERA in the high 3.00s at best and generally sitting with an ERA above 4.00 and sometimes above 5.00.
Nonetheless, Gibson pitched himself onto an All-Star team this year with a first half as good as he has ever had. Since the All-Star game, Gibson has pitched in two contests. Against Detroit on July 19, the Tigers lit him up for 8 runs over 5 innings. Could that be a sign of regression? He righted the ship against the Astros on July 24. He was tagged with a loss, but he only gave up 2 runs over 6 innings pitched.
The question for any acquiring team is whether Gibson at 33 years old has found something that allows him to be more effective? Or has he just had a good first half and is apt to fall back to the type of pitcher he has always been?
Evidently there have been issues with his health in the past with ulcerative colitis, which he has been able to better deal with coming into this season. He has also made some mechanical tweaks and has worked on perfecting his cutter. The results are an elite level of barrel avoidance.
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Maybe the Rangers’ right hander did find something, because with the exception of a couple of starts, he has been outstanding this season. Right now, Gibson is the ace of the Texas staff. If he came to Milwaukee, he would be their fourth starter. He obviously enhances an already strong starting staff and allows for pitchers like Adrian Houser to work out of the bullpen where his stuff could play up.
It sounds like David Stearns and Company are being very active this trade season. They have already brought in Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez. They are trying to get better, and one gets the sense that this front office believes that they have a real shot to win it all. Kyle Gibson is the latest name to be connected with Milwaukee. I imagine he will not be the last.
Baseball statistics courtesy of Fangraphs and Baseball Savant