Brewers infielder Craig Counsell recently cleared waivers, suggesting no team was willing to take on the prorated portion of his $2.3MM salary (currently $600K). Counsell can now be traded to any team, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Brewers seek "a legit return." Rosenthal notes that the Brewers received Chris Dickerson for Jim Edmonds, though I'll point out that Edmonds was having a stronger season at a lower salary and did get claimed on waivers by multiple clubs. In terms of the Counsell market, Rosenthal says the Cardinals inquired and backed off while the Braves have yet to inquire.
Counsell, 40 in a few days, is hitting .246/.317/.305 in 188 plate appearances this season. He's mostly played on the left side of the infield this year, but has plenty of career experience at second base. Counsell has had a disappointing season, though it seems to amount to a dip in playing time and batting average. He's not a clear upgrade for a contender, so he could stay put unless the asking price drops in the 15 days leading up to the waiver trade deadline.
How “legit a return” are you going to get when nobody was even willing to pay $600k cash for the guy?
I think a guy like Craig Counsell brings something special to any team. He brings a veteran bat off the bench and a guy who could play any position in the infield. He is a career .257ba/.317obp hitter. The other thing about Craig Counsell is he has appeared in 35 career post season games (12 NLDS, 10 NLCS, and 13 WS games). He’s been there and done it!
He’s probably more valuable to the Brewers than he is in a trade, unless someone is willing to give up another Dickerson type player. Counsell is a locker room leader who will probably have some sort of job with the Brewers for however long he wants. Wisconsin native, etc.