The Milwaukee Brewers have traded star players a year before free agency in the past, specifically pitchers.
The Brewers dealt All-Stars Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, Devin Williams and Josh Hader all before they hit the open market. Their last two star closers have been dealt, and Trevor Megill may meet the same fate. Just because the Brewers won the World Series, they should not be expected to deviate from their formula.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Megill is not off limits this winter.
"Megill has saved 30 games each of the past two seasons, but the Brewers also have Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby who certainly have the talent to be premier closers," wrote Nightengale. "Megill, who’s projected to earn $8 million next year, will definitely be shopped, and likely moved before opening day."
Megill is one of the best closers in baseball, and the Brewers could not have won the World Series without him. The only problem for Megill is that the Brewers have two other arms who would be closers on more than half of the teams in baseball.
He is not irreplaceable, and the Brewers have already proven they can replace All-Star closers with ease. Many teams would love to have Megill, and the Brewers should have no problem getting a decent return for him.
It's certainly a move that would raise a ton of questions about the Brewers' way of doing things. However, Matt Arnold has proven he knows what he's doing and should be trusted.