The Milwaukee Brewers currently have quite a bit of depth in the starting rotation. Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer, and Wade Miley highlight what should be the top five. Unless the Brewers go with a six man rotation, this leaves Aaron Ashby and Adrian Houser on the outside looking in. Bryse Wilson and Janson Junk are also expected to compete for this role. Recently, Matt Arnold gave an explanation for the crowded starting rotation and described how he sees it playing out.
“It’s gonna be a competition is probably the way I’d phrase it,” Arnold says when asked if Ashby and Houser could possibly work out of the bullpen with the crowded rotation.
“These guys are all going to get starts throughout the course of the year.”
— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) January 9, 2023
Last season, injuries hindered the Brewers starting rotation. Corbin Burnes was the only pitcher to not miss a turn through the starting rotation. This forced the Brewers to call upon Jason Alexander for multiple starts. Chi Chi Gonzalez and Ethan Small also made spots starts.
How has Matt Arnold addressed the Brewers starting pitch depth this off-season?
This off-season, Arnold has added Wade Miley, Jason Junk, and Bryse Wilson. All likely will figure into the starting rotation at some point during the 2023 season. The Brew Crew also has Ethan Small on the 40-man roster along with Robert Gasser knocking on the door of big league playing time.
All of these moves signify that the Brewers realize the importance of not having a weak spot in the starting rotation. As pointed out above, last year they got exposed to that due to all the injuries. By the looks of it, 2023 will be much different in that regard.
It’s possible that the Brewers could look to trade from a position of strength (starting position) to upgrade the team, but for now Matt Arnold is at least indicating that it is going to be a competition for these spots.
Follow me on Twitter @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
