After surprisingly being designated for assignment by the Padres last week, prospect outfielder Rymer Liriano has a new home. The Brewers just announced that they have acquired Liriano from San Diego in exchange for minor league reliever Trevor Seidenberger.
Once a top-50 prospect, Liriano appeared in 38 games with the Padres in 2014, but he spent all of last season at the Triple-A level and batted .292/.383/.460 with 14 home runs, 64 RBI, and 18 stolen bases over 131 games. It was a head-scratcher to see San Diego give up on him, especially when they have their own outfield issues, but it makes sense to see a rebuilding team like the Brewers take advantage. Liriano is still just 24 years old.
The Brewers already have Ryan Braun in right field and Khris Davis in left, so Liriano’s best chance to contribute is in center field. He has extensive experience there in the minors, though many have viewed him as more of a corner outfielder in the long-term. Domingo Santana, who was acquired from the Astros in the Carlos Gomez/Mike Fiers deal last July, is also in the mix for center field along with names like Keon Broxton and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. It’s worth noting that Liriano is out of options going into this spring, so the Brewers would have to carry him on their active roster to begin the season or risk exposing him to waivers.
Seidenberger, a 23-year-old left-hander, had a 4.07 ERA and 48/26 K/BB ratio over 48 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A last season.