The Milwaukee Brewers did not have great organizational depth a season ago in regards to left-handed relievers. For a substantial amount of time Hoby Milner was the only southpaw in the bullpen. Players like Andrew Chafin, Clayton Andrews, and Ethan Small all played minuscule roles.
Justin Wilson was a free agent signing a winter ago, but he was unfortunately injured while warming up for his Brewers debut and did not make a MLB appearance in 2023. On top of that Aaron Ashby, who historically served as both a starting pitcher and reliever, was unable to contribute in the big leagues after undergoing shoulder surgery.
This off-season Milwaukee is taking some steps to address that depth. In November Jared Koenig was signed to a minor league deal. Now they have added another southpaw to a similar deal, except this 31 year old has more MLB experience.
Left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny has signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Rob Zastryzny is a former second round pick by the Chicago Cubs. The 31 year old has MLB experience with the Cubs, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, and most recently the Pittsburgh Pirates. Across five MLB years he has thrown 59.1 innings and has a 4.70 ERA.
His numbers do not jump off of the page, but he is a strike thrower who generates punch-outs at a healthy rate. He has a fastball that sits in the mid to low 90s, but he is in the upper echelon in regards to extension off the mound so his heater plays faster. On top of that he mixes in a mid to high 80s cutter, a curveball, and a changeup.
As mentioned this deal does not put him on the big league roster. If at any point he was selected to the 40-man roster he would have to clear waivers if Milwaukee wanted to send him back down to the minors. In that case he also would have the right to elect free agency due to being previously outrighted in his career.
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