After collapsing in the second half and narrowly missing the playoffs last season, the Brewers appear dead set on ensuring history doesn't repeat itself.
Milwaukee acquired third baseman Mike Moustakas from the Royals for outfielder Brett Phillips and righthanded pitcher Jorge López.
The Brewers announced the trade shortly after beating the Giants 3-1 on Friday night. The swap comes on the heels of the Brewers' acquisition of reliever Joakim Soria on Wednesday.
Through 98 games, Moustakas is slashing .249/.309/.468 with 20 homers, 62 RBIs and an OPS of .778. He was an unfortunate product of the sluggish offseason, settling for a one-year contract with the Royals after drilling a career-high 38 homers in an All-Star 2017 campaign.