Brewers trade Zach Davies, Trent Grisham to Padres for LHP Eric Lauer, infielder Luis Urias

Tom Haudricourt | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Brewers made their first significant move in reconfiguring their roster for 2020 and beyond Wednesday when they traded right-hander Zach Davies and outfielder Trent Grisham to the San Diego Padres for left-hander Eric Lauer, infielder Luis Urias and a player to be named or cash.

The key to the deal is Urias, 22, a middle infielder who will be given a chance to win the starting shortstop job with the Brewers. The Brewers have been unhappy with the offensive contributions of shortstop Orlando Arcia, who batted .223 in 152 games last season with 15 homers, 59 RBI, 109 strikeouts, .283 on-base percentage and .350 slugging percentage.

Urias is considered one of the top infield prospects in baseball and has batted .308 with 36 homers and .219 RBI in 540 games in the minors, with a .830 OPS. In 73 games with Class AAA El Paso last season, he batted .315 with 19 homers, 50 RBI and a .998 OPS.

Urias played in 71 games for the Padres last season and struggled for the most part at the plate, batting .223 with four homers, 24 RBI and a .655 OPS. He played 41 games at short in place of injured Fernando Tatis Jr., and 26 games at second base.

Lauer, 24, was a first-round draft pick in 2016 out of Kent State. In 30 games (29 starts) for the Padres last season, he went 8-10 with a 4.45 ERA in 149 2/3 innings, with 158 hits allowed, including 20 home runs, 51 walks and 138 strikeouts.

Davies, 26, has been in the Brewers starting rotation since 2016. Last season, he went 10-7 with a 3.55 ERA in 31 starts, leading the team with 159 2/3 innings pitched. He is an arbitration-eligible player with two years of contractual control remaining.

Grisham rose through the minors to join the Brewers in the second half last season, batting .231 in 51 games with six homers and 24 RBI. Unfortunately, his season ended on a sour note as he committed an eighth-inning error in the wild-card game against Washington that allowed the eventual winning run to score in the Nationals’ 4-3 victory.

Pomeranz signs with Padres: It was a busy day for the Padres, who also were reported to have a four-year deal with free-agent reliever Drew Pomeranz, who played a key role in the Brewers' bullpen after coming from San Francisco in a late-July trade.