Brewers have sights set on future

MILWAUKEE — It was a big day for the Milwaukee Brewers’ long-term rebuilding project. For the devoted fan base of this franchise, the 2016 Trade Deadline was a day of mixed emotions.

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy, one of the most popular players to ever wear the Milwaukee uniform, was traded to the Texas Rangers on Monday, along with Jeremy Jeffress, a power-armed reliever who has had remarkable success in his first season as a big league closer.

And left-handed reliever Will Smith, a setup man who is much more than a situational lefty, was traded to the San Francisco Giants.

The Brewers received substantial prospects in return for Lucroy, Jeffress and Smith. That was the point of this exercise. The absence of that trio may not bode well for the last two months of the 2016 season in Milwaukee, but that is not at all the point.

From the Rangers, the Brewers received 22-year-old outfielder Lewis Brinson, who was rated as Texas’ No. 2 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com, and right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz, 20, who was rated No. 3. Milwaukee will also receive a player to be named later from Texas.

Both Brinson and Ortiz were first-round Draft choices by the Rangers, and they are now competing in Double-A. Brewers fans who were hoping to get slugger Joey Gallo, the Rangers’ top prospect, were probably destined to be disappointed in that regard. Brinson is not having a banner season, but he is viewed favorably for long-term success, given his combination of potential power and speed.

In the Smith deal, the Brewers received …

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