Heading into the winter meetings, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he was looking to acquire pitching.
Mission accomplished.
According to an MLBTradeRumors.com report, the Brewers have acquired starting pitcher Shaun Marcum from the Toronto Blue Jays. The original report claimed that the Blue Jays would recevie two pitching prospects in return for Marcum, while another report named top second base prospect Brett Lawrie as the player leaving Milwaukee.
The move is a big win for the Brewers, who finished 14th in the National League with a 4.58 team ERA in 2010.
The deal is a bit of a curious one for the Blue Jays, who seem to be in a constant flux between attempting to contend in 2011 and stocking up for future years. The team acquired Rajai Davis from the Athletics earlier in the season, but dealing Marcum — arguably the team’s second-best pitcher behind Ricky Romero — will be a blow to their pitching staff. It’s possible, though, that the Jays are stockpiling prospects in order to attempt to trade for Royals ace Zack Greinke.
Marcum will likely enter the season as the Brewers’ No.2 starter, behind Yovani Gallardo and ahead of Randy Wolf, Chris Narveson and Manny Parra.
Romero, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, prospect Kyle Drabek and Mark Rzepcyznski would appear to be Toronto’s starting rotation if they stand pat.
