The Milwaukee Brewers kept working the phones Tuesday, and this one came together around a familiar kind of deadline-day move: a little cash, a depth arm, and not much drama beyond that.
Milwaukee sent right-hander Easton McGee to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations. Kansas City announced the deal on X and said McGee has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha. The Royals also noted that RHP Nick Mears was transferred to the 60-day IL.
That part of the transaction carries a little irony. Mears was one of the pieces Kansas City had already gotten from Milwaukee in a previous deal, when the Royals landed him and Isaac Collins for Ángel Zerpa. Zerpa and Mears are both currently on the Injured List.
For the Brewers, this is the second small move they’ve made in the last week after bringing in Braden Shewmake from the Houston Astros. It’s not the kind of trade that changes the shape of the roster, but it does show Milwaukee still looking for ways to shuffle the edges before the second half begins.
McGee’s time with the Brewers was brief. Milwaukee designated him for assignment on July 10 after he made just two major league appearances this season. That move cleared room for Bryse Wilson, who signed with the club, while Drew Rom was optioned to Triple-A the same day.
Once a player is DFA’d, teams around the league can put in a waiver claim. If nobody grabs him, the original club can outright him to the minors or simply move on. Players with enough service time can turn down an outright assignment.
In this case, Milwaukee got something back instead of losing McGee for nothing, which is the real win here. That suggests there was enough interest around the league for Kansas City to send over cash rather than wait and see if a waiver claim would do the job.
McGee, 28, pitched in two big league games for Milwaukee this season and didn’t allow a run. His first appearance came on April 10, and his second was on May 1. He hadn’t been back in the majors since then, spending most of the season at Triple-A Nashville, where he posted a 5.62 ERA in 25 outings before the DFA and the trade to Kansas City.
So Milwaukee gets cash. Kansas City gets a four-year veteran depth reliever. In a deal this small, that’s about as straightforward as it gets.
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