Brewers could be targeting Wheeler in trade

July 26th, 2018

The Brewers nearly traded for Zack Wheeler three years ago. They appear to be interested in the Mets right-hander yet again.
The two sides have discussed a deal involving Wheeler, sources told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi on Thursday morning, with Morosi noting that no deal is close at the moment. 
Back in July 2015, the Mets nearly sent Wheeler, along with infielder , to the Brewers in a reported deal to acquire outfielder . When that trade fell through -- amid some controversy and Flores' reaction to the possibility of being traded -- New York pivoted and acquired slugger from the Tigers for and .
Meanwhile, the Brewers wound up trading Gomez, Mike Fiers and cash to the Astros for , , and .
Milwaukee's front office is different this time around -- general manager David Stearns took over in late 2015 -- but it seems the club's interest in Wheeler remains. The 28-year-old right-hander, who is under club control through 2019, has a 4.33 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP and an 8.6 K/9 rate -- but he's pitched to a 3.50 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over his past 10 starts.
The Brewers have been seeking to address their rotation, which has been ravaged by injuries for much of 2018. The latest came Wednesday when righty , who has been limited to eight starts this year, had another setback in his attempt to return from right shoulder and lower back ailments. That came two days after was placed on the DL with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow that is expected to require Tommy John surgery.
Milwaukee also has been without right-hander Jimmy Nelson, arguably its top starter a year ago, all season long while he recovers from shoulder surgery.
The Brewers' current rotation consists of righties Chase Anderson, , , and lefty . Other in-house options include rookies and .