The Brewers have acquired utilityman Mike Brosseau from the Rays in exchange for minor-league right-hander Evan Reifert. Both teams have officially announced the trade.
One of many multi-positional players coming through the Rays’ pipeline, Brosseau was an undrafted free agent who rose through Tampa’s ranks to appear in 143 games over the last three seasons. Brosseau hit .284/.343/.500 with 11 homers over 240 plate appearances in 2019-20, and looked to be on the verge of becoming a regular in the Rays’ infield mix before struggling in 2021.
Brosseau never seemed to get on track in the early going, and then found himself frequently shuttled back and forth between Tampa Bay and Triple-A Durham. An oblique strain in July further hampered his season, and overall, Brosseau hit only .187/.266/.347 over 169 PA for the Rays. This apparently made Brosseau an expendable piece for a Rays team with a deep infield, and as broadcaster Neil Solondz notes, the Rays now also open up a roster spot in advance of the 40-man roster deadline on Nov. 19.
The Brewers have a pattern of seeking out versatile players, and Brosseau has plenty of experience at multiple positions. He has mostly played second base and third base throughout his pro career but also has seen a decent chunk of action as a shortstop, first baseman and corner outfielder. A right-handed hitter, Brosseau can serve as a complement to lefty swingers Kolten Wong at second base or Rowdy Tellez at first base. With Brosseau now in the fold, it could increase the chances that Milwaukee parts ways with at least one of Daniel Vogelbach or Jace Peterson prior to Nov. 19, or the Dec. 2 non-tender deadline.
Reifert is also technically an undrafted player, as though he was a 30th-round pick for the Rangers in 2018, he opted to attend college rather than begin his pro career at that stage. He instead signed with the Brewers in 2020, as Reifert wasn’t selected in the shortened five-round 2020 draft.
The 22-year-old righty looked good in his first season, posting a 2.10 ERA with a stunning 40.23% strikeout rate over 60 combined relief innings with the Brewers’ high-A and A-ball affiliates. Those missed bats came with some shaky control, however, as Reifert’s walk rate was a concerning 14.06%. Reifert possesses an upper-90s fastball, so if the Rays can improve his command, Tampa Bay will have yet another hard-throwing bullpen weapon at their disposal in the next season or two.
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