PHILADELPHIA -- The Brewers made a big splash Thursday when they acquired both Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain.
The Phillies had coveted Yelich for some time. Sources said earlier this month that the club had been talking to the Marlins about him, but seemed unlikely to meet Miami's high asking price. Philadelphia currently has Rhys Hoskins, Odubel Herrera, Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams in the outfield, and they almost certainly plan to take a run at Bryce Harper next offseason. So while the Phillies love Yelich, they also did not feel compelled to unload the farm system for him, particularly at this point in their rebuild.
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The Brewers sent four top prospects to Miami: outfielder Lewis Brinson, infielder Isan Diaz, outfielder Monte Harrison and right-hander Jordan Yamamoto. Brinson is one of the top prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Diaz had been in the top 100 before struggling last season. Harrison and Yamamoto are both promising prospects.
Sixto Sanchez, Scott Kingery or J.P. Crawford figured to top any deal for Yelich. Adonis Medina, Mickey Moniak or Adam Haseley arguably are the equivalent of Diaz. That is two top 100 prospects right there. Prospects like Cornelius Randolph, Cole Stobbe and Edgar Garcia could have rounded out the deal.
The Brewers have five everyday outfielders on the 25-man roster, so it is expected they will try to trade one of them for starting pitching. If the Brewers trade for a pitcher, it could benefit the Phillies because it will remove Milwaukee from the free-agent market. The Phillies are trying to find another starting pitcher before Opening Day, and they could find a pitcher at a more club-friendly price as Spring Training approaches.