The Brewers' biggest need with the trade deadline less than two weeks away is starting pitching, but that isn't stopping them from upgrading in other areas. Milwaukee traded for second baseman Felipe Lopez Sunday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, filling a void in the middle of their infield that has existed since Rickie Weeks went down for the season with a muscle tear in his left wrist.The Brewers sent two minor leaguers -- outfielder Cole Gillespie and relief pitcher Roque Mercedes -- to the Diamondbacks in return for Lopez. Gillespie was ranked the organization's ninth best prospect by Baseball America coming into the season, but he's having a mostly forgettable season at Triple-A Nashville.
Now, he'll be thrust into a heated pennant race in the NL Central. The Brewers currently sit in third place, three games behind division-leading St. Louis. Every team except the Pirates is within six games of first.
Lopez is hardly the difference-making starting pitcher the Brewers are likely to need to come out on top in that race, but it's easy to forget how good Rickie Weeks was before he was lost for the season. Weeks had an .857 OPS, production not easily replicated at second base. Lopez should shore up the lineup in that regard.As for Arizona, the Lopez deal is the second sure-fire sign that the club will be a seller at the deadline this year (the first being the Tony Pena deal). Contenders looking for useful parts for the stretch run are sure to be making a few extra phone calls to GM Josh Byrnes in the coming days.
