Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun is the hottest name on the MLB trade market right now, and rightfully so.
Braun, who is in the first year of a five-year $105 million deal signed back in 2011, is batting .351/.424/.583 with 9 home runs and 31 runs batted in through 41 games this year, leaving many teams interested in the 31-year-old Braun.
A National League scout told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe earlier today that Braun is the “hot name out there.”. The anonymous scout also listed the Astros, Cardinals, Giants, Mets, Phillies, Red Sox, and the White Sox as potential suitors for Braun.
Braun was out of Milwaukee’s lineup today due to what Brewers manager Craig Counsell noted as a stiff neck. Braun was used as a pinch-hitter the previous game on what was scheduled to be a day off for Braun:
“The stiffness in his neck showed up [Saturday] night pretty bad,” Counsell said. “He’s hurting today a little bit.”
Brewers general manager David Stearns had this to say after Braun was out of the Brewers lineup today for the 8th time in the Brewers’ last 14 games:
“Ryan wants to play as much as anyone,” Brewers GM David Stearns said. “I think Craig [Counsell] has been around Ryan for a long time, knows who the player is, understands how he’s feeling on a daily basis, and I think Craig is doing a really good job of managing it to make sure we get a healthy Ryan Braun for the remainder of the season and for years to come.”
In addition to Braun’s health, Stearns addressed the trade rumors surrounding his highest paid player in a rebuilding season, and if the Brewers were in any trade talks:
“We get interest in a number of players,” he said. “Certainly, any player who’s performing at the level that Ryan is performing, you’re going to get a level of interest. But we fully anticipate Ryan is going to be a Brewer for a very long time.”
When Braun signed the five-year, $105 million extension in 2011, Braun was on record for saying he expects to spend the rest of his career with the Brewers. A lot has changed since that day in 2011, but it looks like David Stearns has the same goal as ex-Brewers general manager Doug Melvin had for Braun.
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