Brewers' Travis Shaw: Headed to Milwaukee in four-player deal

Shaw was traded Tuesday to the Brewers along with prospects Josh Pennington and Mauricio Dubon in exchange for reliever Tyler Thornburg, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

Analysis:

After claiming the Opening Day starting job at third base over Pablo Sandoval last season, Shaw got off to a hot start in April, but ended up fizzling in the second half. He batted just .194 after the All-Star break and finished the campaign with a meager .242/.306/.421 batting line across 530 plate appearances, but was a useful source of counting stats in a powerful Red Sox offense, homering 16 times and scoring 63 runs while driving in 71. Still, with the Red Sox having a long-term financial commitment to Pablo Sandoval and two high-end third-base prospects in Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers waiting in the wings, Shaw was deemed an expendable piece heading into 2017 as the Red Sox looked to upgrade the roster elsewhere. With the move to the Brewers, Shaw should be in good position to serve as the team's primary third baseman to open the season, though he may end up having to settle for the large half of a platoon at the position with utility man Hernan Perez. In addition, Shaw's acquisition figures to result in Jonathan Villar seeing most of his action at the keystone during the coming season, potentially pushing Scooter Gennett out of a regular spot in the lineup.