Sunday, July 20, 2008

Brewers near deal for Giants' Durham

GM Melvin unavailable for comment; trade may set up platoon

Adam McCalvy -MLB.com
The Brewers and Giants were poised on Sunday to complete a trade that would send second baseman Ray Durham and possibly left-handed reliever Jack Taschner to Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Giants would receive a package of players including fleet-footed outfielder Darren Ford from Class A Brevard County and Triple-A Nashville left-hander Steve Hammond.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin was not available early Sunday to comment on reports that the deal was complete. He is in San Francisco for the three-game series between the Brewers and Giants.

Durham, 36 and a switch-hitter, is hitting .293 this season with a .385 on-base percentage and could be worked into a second-base platoon with Rickie Weeks, who hit a go-ahead two-run single in Saturday's Brewers win but is batting .218 with a .322 on-base percentage.

Durham, who is in the final season of a two-year, $14.5 million contract that will pay roughly $3 million for the remainder of 2008, would have to OK any trade. He did not play in either of the first two games of the weekend series against the Brewers at AT&T Park. The Giants said he had the flu.

Taschner is a 30-year-old Milwaukee-area native who could bolster the back end of the Brewers' bullpen. He surrendered a three-run home run to Prince Fielder in Friday's series opener but has a solid 3.21 ERA this season and 14 walks in 44 appearances. Taschner could qualify for arbitration after this season.

The Brewers were aiming for a three-game sweep of the Giants on Sunday before traveling to St. Louis for a key four-game series that begins Monday night.

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