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MLB

How Trading J.J. Hardy Helped Build Milwaukee’s World Series Roster

The former Brewers shortstop remains connected to Milwaukee through the trades that brought Robert Gasser and William Contreras.

By TSP Staff
Milwaukee players on the basepaths during a game at Miller Park in 2007.
J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart on the basepaths for Milwaukee in June 2007. File photograph; scaled for display. · Credit: Jeramey Jannene / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0

J.J. Hardy’s connection to Milwaukee’s World Series roster extends beyond his years at shortstop. His 2009 departure began a trade chain that eventually brought Robert Gasser and William Contreras to the Brewers.

Milwaukee traded Hardy to Minnesota for Carlos Gómez on November 6, 2009. Gómez later became an All-Star before another deal extended the chain.

In July 2015, Milwaukee sent Gómez and Mike Fiers to Houston in a package that returned Josh Hader, Adrian Houser, Brett Phillips and Domingo Santana.

Hader became the Brewers’ closer before they moved him to San Diego in August 2022. That deal brought Gasser and Esteury Ruiz to Milwaukee, along with Taylor Rogers and Dinelson Lamet.

Milwaukee then included Ruiz in the December 2022 three-team trade that brought Contreras from Atlanta. Oakland also participated. Reviewing the Brew documented the chain at the time.

MLB.com revisited Hardy’s connection this week, with Gasser and Contreras comprising Milwaukee’s battery for NLCS Game 3. Hardy made his Brewers debut in 2005 and was a 2007 All-Star.

Sources and notes

  1. Photo: Jeramey Jannene. File photograph, June 3, 2007; scaled for display under CC BY 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corey_Hart_and_JJ_Hardy_(791210296).jpg
  2. Photo licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/