Crew begins bullpen rebuild at Winter Meetings

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Brewers made a Winter Meetings splash by trading Tyler Thornburg but did most of their work in the background. They met with agents in an effort to rebuild a depleted bullpen and talked with teams about a myriad of trades, positioning general manager David Stearns for a busy next two months as the rebuild rolls on.

“I don’t know that we look at any particular Winter Meetings as successes or failures,” Stearns said. “We try to make contact with as many teams as possible and continue to understand how the industry values certain players, what different teams are looking for. In that regard, we were able to accomplish those goals.”

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Stearns departed the Winter Meetings with active trade talks in progress on multiple fronts, including on their relative surplus of starting pitchers. But in the public sphere, it was a week devoid of Ryan Braun rumors. The Brewers remain open to trading the six-time All-Star, but as Stearns told MLB Network on Wednesday afternoon, “No one’s gotten over the bar that’s compelled us to move him.”

“We’re actively engaged on a number of different levels, but it’s challenging to figure out exactly when a deal might be executed,” Stearns said.

DEALS DONE Thornburg was the fourth closer-type player traded by the Brewers in 12 months when he went to the Red Sox on Tuesday morning for infielder Travis Shaw, prospects Mauricio Dubon and Josh Pennington and a player to be named later or cash. The one-time top Brewers prospect did not see the move coming.

“I’m fairly surprised, not going to lie,” Thornburg said. “But I’m definitely excited for the …

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