This article is part of a series looking at expectations for the Milwaukee Brewers position units in the 2023 season. Additional coverage is available on starting pitching, infielders, and outfielders.
Over the past few seasons the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen has been a strength of the team. Unfortunately that changed during the second half of last season. Josh Hader was traded to the San Diego Padres, new players were brought in, and the bullpen unit ended up costing the Brew Crew a lot of games down the stretch.
During the off-season, new general manager Matt Arnold retooled the bullpen by promoting internal prospects, selecting a pitcher in the Rule-5 Draft, claiming players off waivers, and by adding through trade. In this article we will review which pitchers will likely get an early season opportunity in the bullpen and who might be an option later on.
As of the publication of this article, quite a few relief pitchers have been optioned down to the minor leagues or reassigned. The exact opening day bullpen is not known, but the pitchers listed as players who will make an impact early on in the season have not been moved out of Major League spring training camp.
Milwaukee Brewers bullpen pitchers who will make an impact early on in the season.
- Devin Williams, Matt Bush, Hoby Milner, Peter Strzelecki, Javy Guerra, Tyson Miller, Joel Payamps, Gus Varland, Bryse Wilson, Adrian Houser, Aaron Ashby.
The anchor of the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen this year will be Devin Williams. He got opportunities to close out games last year when Josh Hader was away from the team due to personal reasons as well as after the trade. During these chances he shined and in 2023 he should set a career high in saves.
One big question is which player(s) will serve in the eighth inning set up role for Devin Williams. Outside of Matt Bush, none of the other pitchers listed have done that consistently at the Major League level before. Peter Strzelecki, who broke out last season, is inline for an expanded role and could see high leverage looks early on.
As for the remainder of the pitchers, their performance will dictate their fate. Javy Guerra, Joel Payamps, and Bryse Wilson are out of MiLB options. Gus Varland, who was selected in the Rule-5 draft, has to remain on the 26-man roster all season. This leaves Tyson Miller as the only other “new guy” who could be shuttled to the minor leagues.
Lastly, there is Adrian Houser and Aaron Ashby. The opening day status of Adrian Houser is currently in question and Aaron Ashby for sure won’t be ready for opening day. Once they are ready, both will likely primarily serve in long relief roles out of the bullpen.
Milwaukee Brewers bullpen pitchers who could make an impact later on in the season.
- Jake Cousins, Elvis Peguero, Cam Robinson, Ethan Small, Abner Uribe, Janson Junk, Alex Claudio
All of the above mentioned players have been informed that they will not make the Brew Crews opening day roster. Of these players, Jake Cousins has been an effective reliever for the Brewers in the past. He broke out during 2021 but unfortunately dealt with injuries in 2022. If he can bounce back and return to form he could be an asset in the bullpen later on in the season.
Elvis Peguero, who was acquired in the Hunter Renfroe trade, turned a lot of heads with his heavy sinker ball this spring. Similarly, Abner Uribe was blowing triple digits fastballs past Major League hitters all spring. Given how well they performed in March, they could be on the cusp of joining the Brewers sooner rather than later.
A bit further down the list is Janson Junk and Alex Claudio. Junk will likely have a Triple-A starting rotation spot this season and could be a spot starter for the Brewers if needed. Claudio is not on the 40-man roster, but if anything were to happen to southpaw Hoby Milner it’s nice to know that Claudio is just a phone call away.
Rounding out the group is promising prospects Cam Robinson and Ethan Small. Robinson pitched to a 2.49 ERA over 65 innings across three Minor League levels last season. Small is a former first round pick who got his feet wet with the Crew last season, but otherwise struggled with command.
The best way to explain the 2023 Brewers bullpen entering the season is “exciting, but with a lot of uncertainty.” There will likely be a lot of moving pieces in regards to relief pitchers this year, but hopefully as a unit they can become a strength of Milwaukee’s once again.
Once again additional coverage on 2023 Milwaukee Brewer positional units can be found below:
- Starting Pitchers
- Infielders
- Outfielders
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