The Milwaukee Brewers have quite a few questions to answer and roles to fill on their pitching staff. Frankie Montas, who was acquired via in-season trade from the Cincinnati Reds, saw Milwaukee decline his $20 million player option. He has since signed with the New York Mets.
Additionally, key pitching contributors Colin Rea and Hoby Milner were either waived or non-tendered by the Brewers, making them free agents.
As they always do, Milwaukee will find a way to fill their pitching needs with unexpected free agent or trade targets. Or, as was the case today, by making an unexpected selection the Rule 5 Draft.
The Milwaukee Brewers Select Connor Thomas Away from the St. Louis Cardinals
The Brewers do not always select a player in the annual Rule 5 Draft, but they decided that their plethora of pitching needs warranted a selection this year. According to multiple reporters, Milwaukee has selected left-handed pitcher Connor Thomas from the St. Louis Cardinals:
The #Brewers selected LHP Connor Thomas from the #STLCards Triple-A roster. Thomas was 7-4 with a 2.89 ERA this past season in 56 appearances (three starts) with Triple-A Memphis. Thomas was an Arizona Fall League All-Star in 2023.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) December 11, 2024
As John Denton (who covers the Cardinals for MLB.com), notes above, Thomas was 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA this season in 56 games, three of which were starts. He also had a 1.34 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 90.1 innings.
Thomas, however, has not always been as productive as he was in 2024.
In 2022, pitching for Triple-A Memphis, Thomas was 6-12 with a 5.47 ERA in 28 games (25 starts). In 2023, he was 5-4 with a 5.53 ERA in 21 games (17 starts).
Last season was the first year of his professional career in which he made the vast majority of his appearances out of the bullpen. Considering how much more productive he was as a reliever as opposed to a starter, one would think that the Brewers will also view him as a bullpen arm.
As mentioned, left-handed pitcher Hoby Milner was non-tendered this offseason, so Milwaukee had a need for a new left-handed arm in its bullpen.
Thomas will certainly get every opportunity to nail down that or any other role on the team. As a Rule 5 pick, he must remain on the Brewers’ Major League roster for the entire 2025 season. Otherwise, he will be returned to the Cardinals.
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