Brewers land big bat in Carlos Santana

With a one and a half game lead on the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central, it is crunch time for the Milwaukee Brewers, and they have reached into their bag and gone for a booming bat for answers.

Not needing to wait until the trade deadline on Tuesday, they have done a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates that lands them switch hitter Carlos Santana in exchange for shortstop prospect Jhonny Severino.

Brewers senior vice president and general manager Matt Arnold said, ”We are thrilled to add Carlos. He is a switch-hitting power bat and quality defender. His veteran presence and winning attitude will also be a valuable addition to the clubhouse as we continue our push to the postseason.”

The Brewers could use the pop in their lineup and Santana will certainly add it. But even more than that, Milwaukee will need to make use of his glove at first base, with regular Rowdy Tellez in the throes of a late-season injury. They have had to rely on utility player Owen Miller to cover first, but this move gives them a dedicated first-baseman to take over the workload.

So far this season, Santana has slashed .235/.321/.412 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs in 94 games. He burned himself onto the Brewers consciousness with a booming, walk-off home run off of Matt Bush last month.

With the addition of Santana, the Brewers are prepared to make a push into the postseason where they hope to improve on their last two performances and upset the National League apple cart.