Brewers land infielder Villar from Astros for prospect
For the second time in as many days, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired an infielder.
Jonathan Villar will make his way from the Houston Astros to Milwaukee in exchange for right-hander Cy Sneed.
The 24-year-old Villar appeared in 53 games last season, hitting .284/.339/.414 with two home runs and seven stolen bases while appearing primarily at shortstop. The switch-hitter also saw time at second, third, left field, and center field.
"He came up as a shortstop; that has been his primary position," said Brewers general manager David Stearns. "But one of the things that attracted us to him is his ability to move around the diamond. Positional flexibility is such an important part of roster construction, especially in the National League.
"I got a chance to watch him play over the last three seasons in Houston. He's an extremely talented guy. To add that type of versatility to your club is always a benefit."
Stearns, who worked as an assistant GM with the Astros before moving to the Brewers in September, landed Javier Betancourt from the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
Selected in the third round of the 2014 draft, Sneed went 6-11 with a 2.58 ERA and 122 strikeouts across 139 1/3 innings in Class-A in 2015.
The Astros also released left-hander Luis Cruz and outfielder Robbie Grossman.