Ryan Braun’s hot start makes his future in Milwaukee uncertain

The Milwaukee Brewers are currently 11-15, and while they’ve won their last three games, the overall expectations for the team aren’t very high. They’re not expected to make the playoffs, or even be seriously competitive.

So when a player is hitting really well on a team like that, it might make sense to consider trading him. On the Brewers, that player is Ryan Braun. He’s gotten off to a fantastic start, hitting .372/.443/.605 over 24 games. So wouldn’t he be more useful on a competitive team with an actual shot at making the playoffs, and not the Brewers?

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You can watch Braun and the Brewers (while Braun is still with them) face the Los Angeles Angels in Wednesday’s Free Game of the Day here at Yahoo Sports. The game starts at 1:40 p.m. ET, and you can stream it at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home.

There are a few obstacles that might stand in the way of trading Braun. The Brewers currently owe him $76 million over the next four years, and that doesn’t include year five, which is either a $15 million mutual option or a $4 million buyout. That’s a lot of money for a team to take on, though the Brewers could sweeten the deal by paying some (or all) of his salary for 2016. But the contract isn’t all — Braun also has a no-trade clause, which includes a list of six pre-approved trade partners.

Teams that can trade for Braun freely have changed; I had wrong list yesterday. List now is LAA, LAD, MIA, AZ, SD, SF. Can block other 23.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 1, 2016

And of course, there is Braun’s past with PEDs and Biogenesis, which will follow him the rest of his career.

But for a team that needs Braun’s bat to shore up their lineup, or to make a playoff push, those obstacles could be overcome. Putting aside Braun’s no-trade clause for a moment, there are a few teams that need Braun already, even just a month into the season.

The Chicago White Sox have surprised everyone with their 19-8 start, and while their pitching has been fantastic (their 2.59 ERA ranks third in the majors), their offense has been a little anemic. Adding Braun would make up for the slumping Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu, and when their bats finally shake off the slumber, that could be a serious, no-joke lineup.

Speaking of anemic offense, the Yankees could also badly use a player like Braun. Their outfield of Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner, and Jacoby Ellsbury could badly use a boost. The entirety of their lineup could use a boost, as their team triple slash is .234/.305/.361. A player like Braun might be enough to make them competitive in their own division again, or at least for a shot at the wild card.

[Elsewhere: Everything the Yankees are doing is awful]

Neither of those teams are on Braun’s list of approved trade partners, so any deal with them would need his sign-off. And that’s not a given — it remains to be seen whether Braun actually wants to leave Milwaukee. But playing for a contender and possibly going to the playoffs, which Braun hasn’t done since 2011, could be tempting. It might be time for the Brewers to let another team enjoy what Braun has left in the tank and start preparing for a more competitive future.

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