The Arizona Diamondbacks, toiling away at the bottom of the MLB standings, traded starting infielder Eduardo Escobar to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, the team announced.
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro was first to report the deal.
In exchange for Escobar, the D-backs will receive outfielder Cooper Hummel and second baseman Alberto Ciprian. Neither are on MLB Pipeline’s list of Milwaukee’s top-30 prospects.
Hummel was an 18th-round selection in 2016 and this season is playing at the Triple-A level, batting .254 with six home runs and 15 RBI in 46 games.
Ciprian just became a member of the Brewers organization this year, playing rookie ball in the Dominican Summer League.
Escobar, who has been one of the most consistent players this year for the struggling D-backs, heads to the NL Central.
This season, Escobar is batting .246 with a team-high 22 home runs and 65 RBI.
In July of 2018, the D-backs acquired Escobar from the Minnesota Twins for minor league pitcher Jhoan Duran, along with outfielders Gabriel Maciel and Ernie De La Trinidad. After 54 appearances for Arizona to close that year, Escobar signed a three-year extension worth a reported $21 million to lock in his services through this 2021 season.
Escobar paid the Diamondbacks off in 2019, posting a career-high .831 OPS and .511 slugging percentage to go with 118 RBI, 35 home runs and 10 triples.
But like many of the D-backs during the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, Escobar struggled, slashing .212/.270/.335 over 54 games last year. At the end of the season, he and the team admitted the infielder who played mostly at third base struggled with his weight.
He returned to form this season, representing the D-backs in the All-Star Game.