This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy's Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Carlos Correa¡¯s stunning overnight switch from the Giants to the Mets probably reminded many Brewers fans of another Carlos: Carlos G¨®mez, who was traded, then not traded, then traded again in 2015 -- ostensibly over a dispute about medical reports.
The Mets were a major player in that saga, too.
Earlier that year, the Brewers dove headlong into a selloff of players for prospects. G¨®mez was one of Milwaukee¡¯s best trade assets, and all of the Brewers¡¯ scouts came to town to participate in brainstorming sessions as the July 31 Trade Deadline approached. On July 29, it looked like G¨®mez was gone.
General manager Doug Melvin had verbally agreed to trade G¨®mez to the Mets for Zack Wheeler (then a young pitcher in the early stages of recovery from Tommy John surgery) and infielder Wilmer Flores. With the deal done, Brewers scouts went to dinner in a private room at a Milwaukee steakhouse, where TVs showed the Padres-Mets game at Citi Field. Everyone was bewildered to see Flores' eyes filling with tears as he manned shortstop in the seventh inning.
Still, the Brewers believed they had a trade.
¡°It became almost like a party atmosphere,¡± Zack Minasian, the pro scouting director at the time, told me a couple of years ago during research for "The Milwaukee Brewers at 50." ¡°We weren¡¯t high-fiving or anything, but everyone had a really good energy. It was a little bit of a deep breath. Then, probably an hour into the dinner, Doug is in the corner on the phone.¡±
The deal had fallen apart. The Mets blamed G¨®mez¡¯s medicals, which was simultaneously curious -- the Brewers believed the reports were fine -- and damaging to whatever was to come next. Now other teams would have questions about G¨®mez¡¯s health, wondering what the Mets saw and didn¡¯t like.
Minasian picked up his plate and put it down so hard it broke it into a few pieces. He left to go on a walk. The room drained of its energy. Scouts dispersed.
Late that night, perhaps 1 a.m., Minasian¡¯s phone rang. It was Melvin.
¡°Are you OK?¡± Melvin asked.
When Minasian assured his boss he was fine, Melvin replied, ¡°OK, we have to trade him tomorrow. We need to be in the office tomorrow morning ready to go.¡±
While club officials worked the phones, G¨®mez met reporters and helped dispel rumors about his health. He did it in the most Carlos G¨®mez way possible.
¡°I don¡¯t have problems,¡± G¨®mez said. ¡°I¡¯m playing, and I feel really sexy about it.¡±
Fortunately, there was another match in the Astros, who were just emerging from their own rebuild under GM Jeff Luhnow and his up-and-coming assistant, David Stearns. Earlier talks hit a wall when Melvin asked for Brett Phillips, the strong-armed outfield prospect. The Astros said no. The Brewers moved on.
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But when the teams reengaged in the wake of the Mets debacle, they agreed to swap G¨®mez for outfielder Domingo Santana and left-hander Josh Hader, whom the Brewers had scouted on seven occasions in the runup to the Deadline. Only after the Brewers agreed to include right-hander Mike Fiers did Houston bend on Phillips. In fact, not only did the Brewers get Phillips, they also picked up another prospect, right-hander Adrian Houser. ?
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This time, the deal stuck.?
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¡°I had [Oakland executive] Billy Beane send me a text the next day and say, ¡®Doug, how did you get Phillips in that deal?¡¯¡± Melvin said. ¡°Everyone wanted Phillips at the time.¡±
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Who knows how the Correa reversal will turn out for the Giants and Mets. Looking back, the G¨®mez situation was fortuitous for the Brewers. Wheeler eventually developed into an ace, but the Houston haul was better, propelling Milwaukee back into contention far quicker than expected. Santana had a 30-homer season for the Brewers. Houser has been a decent back-end starter. Phillips was flipped to the Royals for Mike Moustakas, a final piece of the 2018 Brewers team that made it within one game of the World Series. And Hader became a record-setting closer. ?
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Less than two months after the quick pivot, Stearns found himself reunited with all of those prospects when he was hired as Milwaukee¡¯s GM. It was quite a twist of fate.
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¡°It¡¯s crazy,¡± Stearns said a couple of years ago. ¡°I can¡¯t say I was smart enough to see any of that coming.¡± ?
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And speaking of twists of fate: Minasian is now vice president of pro scouting for the Giants, who must pivot after losing Correa.