For the first time in years, starting pitching depth cannot be identified as the Milwaukee Brewers‘ biggest strength. Brandon Woodruff was non-tendered after suffering a terrible shoulder injury that could keep him out all of 2024 anyway. Corbin Burnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for top prospects and a draft pick instead of being allowed see his years of club control through to the end in Milwaukee.
The pitching staff is now led by one-time All-Star Freddy Peralta, who was 12-10 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.12 WHIP last season. He also totaled 210 strikeouts in 165.2 innings pitched. Wade Miley will follow Peralta in the rotation after re-signing with the club this winter. However, what the rest of the staff will look like after Peralta and Miley remains up in the air.
Last season, the Brewers won their division while playing a plethora of young rookies nearly everyday. Outfielders Garrett Mitchell (until he got hurt), Joey Wiemer, and Sal Frelick were joined by rookie infielders Brice Turang and Andruw Monasterio on a roster that many believed overachieved.
It stands to reason that, given how the Brewers approached their position players last year, that they will do the same with the remaining spots in the starting rotation. That is, they will plug in whatever rookies or young arms they feel give them the best chance to win. That being said, they could look to the free agent market for a familiar veteran to add some depth.
Former Milwaukee Brewers Starter Zack Greinke Is Still a Free Agent
There is no way getting around it: Zack Greinke was bad in 2023. Finishing up his second stint with the Kansas City Royals, Greinke was 2-15 with a 5.06 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. That being said, in 2022, he had a respectable 3.86 ERA, though his WHIP was a bit higher at 1.34.
Now a free agent, the 40-year old former American League Cy Young Award Winner is not ready to call it a career just yet. However, he has not been signed by anyone.
And that is understandable. After all, signing a 40-year old pitcher who went 2-15 in the previous season is not a normal practice for Major League Baseball clubs. But it is also the exact kind of swing-for-the-fences-with-your-eyes-closed move that Milwaukee has been known to make.
They could capture lightning in a bottle and get at least a portion of Greinke’s old dominance back (he went 16-6 in his lone full season with the Brewers, and 9-3 the following year before being traded). On the other hand, and more likely, they get more of Greinke’s shadow that Kansas City saw last season.
In any case, Greinke is not going to be an expensive signing, no matter what team picks him up (if a team picks him up). For a rotation with so many questions to begin with, what’s another one whose answer could be a lot of fun?
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