An early-July hot streak combined with a slump by the St. Louis Cardinals put the Brewers in first place in the NL Central heading into the All-Star break, but even the most optimistic fans would have to admit there were problems with the pitching staff, and David Stearns would have to do something if the Brewers were going to stay in contention in the second half.
Sensing that, Slingin’ Stearns slung an All-Star break trade for an impact relief arm, joining the run on late-inning relievers (Kirby Yates to Minnesota, Brad Hand to Washington, Mychal Givens to LA) by trading minor league outfielder Pablo Abreu and reliever Devin Williams to Toronto for former All-Star Ken Giles.