NEW YORK (AP) The New York Mets acquired outfielder Keon Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, giving them a center field option in addition to Juan Lagares.
The Mets sent reliever Bobby Wahl to the Brewers along with a pair of minor leaguers, right-handed reliever Adam Hill and infielder Felix Valerio.
Broxton had four home runs, 11 RBIs and a .179 batting average in 51 games for Milwaukee last season. While he stole 23 bases in 2016 and 21 the following year, he swiped just five last season. A right-handed batter, he hit 20 homers in 2017 but struck out 175 times.
Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen called the 28-year-old Broxton a ”dynamic athlete with the ability to impact the game in the outfield, on the bases and with his bat.”
Lagares had little depth behind him on the roster, with corner outfielders Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo his likely backups in center before the trade. Yoenis Cespedes is recovering from surgery on both heels and New York is not certain when he will return.
Wahl, a 26-year-old righty, was acquired by the Mets from Oakland in July as part of the deal that sent closer Jeurys Familia to the Athletics. Wahl went 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA in seven games with the Mets and was 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA for New York’s and Oakland’s Triple-A teams last season.
Brewers general manager David Stearns says Wahl ”has the arsenal to be a very quality major league reliever and has dominated the upper levels of the minor leagues.”
Hill, a right-handed reliever, was selected out of South Carolina in the fourth round of last year’s amateur draft. He went 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA in nine games for the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones.
Valerio batted .319 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 67 games in the Dominican Summer League.
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