Brewers' Luis Urias: Shipped to Milwaukee
Urias was traded from the Padres to the Brewers along with Eric Lauer in exchange for Trent Grisham and Zach Davies, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The Padres had been rumored to be shopping Urias, whom the Brewers have long coveted, and Milwaukee had a crowded outfield, so they lined up as trade partners. Orlando Arcia's bat is well below average at shortstop and Keston Hiura is a very poor defender at second base, so Urias' ability to play both middle-infield spots will come in handy. Hiura obviously won't lose out on playing time, but giving him occassional starts at first base, where his throwing arm wouldn't be as big of a liability, might make sense. Urias figures to be the Opening Day shortstop, and the Brewers may even non-tender Arcia. The former has a potentially plus (or better) hit tool, but it has not yet translated consistently against big-league pitching. However, he is still just 22 years old, and while he hit .223 last year, he got on base at a .329 clip. It is a home park upgrade for Urias and he goes to an organization that is less likely to mess with his playing time, so this results in a bump in his fantasy value.
