Brewers praised for making 'deal of the year' amid 14-game winning streak

The Milwaukee Brewers have come out of the trade deadline looking wise. On Saturday night, the Brewers set a franchise record by winning their 14th game in a row.

The Brewers didn't make too many moves to boost a roster that was hanging around the top of the NL Central on July 31. Bob Nightingale of USA Today wrote that Milwaukee had an "absolute snoozer" at the deadline, as they only traded $2 million to the Arizona Diamondbacks for closer Shelby Miller.

However, he thinks the Brewers made the "deal of the year" way before the trade deadline, when the team added first baseman Andrew Vaughn.

"Who knew that their June 13 trade with the White Sox for struggling first baseman Andrew Vaughn for starter Aaron Civale would turn out to deal of the year?" Nightengale wrote. "Vaughn has been a savior replacing injured first baseman Rhys Hoskins, hitting .343 with a 1.051 OPS and nine homers and 35 RBI in his first 29 games."

Vaughn's offense has been critical to the Brewers' success this summer. Milwaukee has gone 27-4 since he joined the team, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. 

In the last seven days, Vaughn has gone 6-of-24 at-bat with two home runs and seven RBI. He's scored three runs and is now in the NL MVP conversation.

The Brewers took advantage of the market by executing a trade for cheap in June from a desperate Chicago White Sox team. Then they made a prudent choice not to overpay at the trade deadline, believing in the core lineup. 

The results have been awesome, as the Brewers enjoy a nine-game lead over the Cubs for first place in the NL Central and have the NL's best record by 8.5 games over the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.