Shaun Marcum Trade Sends Righty To Brewers For Brett Lawrie

We’re all official now - the Shaun Marcum trade between the Blue Jays and Brewers is complete.

The righty Marcum heads from Toronto to Milwaukee, and, in exchange, top prospect Brett Lawrie heads from the Milwaukee organization to the Toronto organization. It was previously thought that the Blue Jays might receive multiple prospects, but instead, the exchange is Marcum for Lawrie straight up.

A factor in the trade, and a big reason why Marcum was dealt, is that the Blue Jays weren’t willing to offer him a long-term contract extension at the moment, while the Brewers are open to the idea. Marcum has two remaining years of team control and is set to become a free agent after 2012.

In Lawrie, the Blue Jays pick up Milwaukee’s best prospect, a young second baseman who may not have the defense to stick in the middle infield, but who should develop enough of a bat to carry him to the bigs. In Marcum, the Brewers get a steady #2 starter to slide in behind Yovani Gallardo.

It’s unclear whether the Blue Jays intend to stick with the pitchers they have now, or if they’ll make a push for help. They have been linked in the Zack Greinke trade rumors, but nothing there appears imminent.