Earlier on Monday, the Milwaukee Brewers traded four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres. In return, they receiver closer Taylor Rogers, reliever, Dinelson Lamet, and two prospects. The Brewers were not done, though. Late on Monday night, Milwaukee sent Mark Mathias and Antoine Kelly to the Texas Rangers for right-handed relief pitcher Matt Bush. Ken Rosenthal detailed the trade on Twitter.
LHP Antoine Kelly also to Rangers, source says.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 2, 2022
Mark Mathias was on the Brewers’ 40-man roster. This means the Brewers will not need to remove anyone from that roster to make room for Bush.
Matt Bush Has Had Quite the Journey to the Majors
There was a time when Matt Bush was one of the best prospects in all of baseball. As a short stop. The San Diego Padres drafted him with the first overall pick in 2004. However, his career got off to a rocky start. He was suspended numerous times for alcohol related offenses. The Padres converted him to a pitcher in 2007, but he was soon bouncing around the minors from organization to organization.
Rock bottom came in 2012. Bush was suspended to start the season after drunkenly running over a 72-year old man’s head during spring training. He faced criminal charges as a result and served 39 months in prison.
After his release from prison, Bush was signed by the Texas Rangers. His father accompanied him to games and lived with him to make sure he stayed on the bandwagon. Bush stayed clean and made his Major League debut in 2016, 12 years after first being drafted.
Despite Age, Bush Has Been a Dominant Reliever
In 2016, Matt Bush finished the season 7-2 with a 2.48 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. This season, Bush has a 2-1 ERA with a 2.95 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 40 games. He did have down seasons in 2019 and 2021, but those were due to shoulder issues. He has overcome those injuries and has been great all season.
Even though he is 36 years old, Bush still has two years of club control remaining.
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