MARCH 23: Wilson’s deal is now official, Murray tweets.
MARCH 22: 2:55pm: The deal includes a $750K base salary along with unspecified incentives, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).
12:44pm: Murray tweets that Wilson’s contract is a Major League deal. He’ll be added to the 40-man roster once he passes a physical, which is taking place today.
12:35pm: The Brewers are in agreement with free-agent right-hander Alex Wilson, per Robert Murray and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 32-year-old opted out of a minor league contract with the Indians earlier this week.
Wilson has been a steady member of the Tigers’ bullpen over the past four seasons, working to a combined 3.20 ERA with a below-average 5.8 K/9 mark but a quality average of 2.1 BB/9. He’s averaged 6.3 punchouts per nine innings pitched over the past two seasons and logged the second-best grounder rate of his career in 2018 (49.2 percent).
Milwaukee’s bullpen was one of its greatest strengths in 2018, but the relief corps is rapidly becoming more of a question mark with the revelation that Corey Knebel’s immediate future is clouded by a UCL injury. Jeremy Jeffress, meanwhile, is expected to open the season on the injured list due to shoulder weakness, although president of baseball ops David Stearns has suggested that Jeffress could return to the active roster by mid or late April. Beyond today’s addition of Wilson, the Brewers have been connected to a more dramatic upgrade — lingering free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel.
Knebel who?
Alex Kimbrel?
any Tigers fans want to comment on his talent? i dont watch much AL baseball.
solid
One of the few brights spots. He will fit right in.
Good move for the Brewers. Glad he landed with a competitor. Good luck, Alex! Please make the Indians look foolish
He’s a very good reliever. Very surprised he wasn’t brought back to Detroit. He was the most consistent and durable reliever we’ve had for years. He’s not flashy… no 95 mph fastball… no huge strike out numbers. He comes in, gets guys out.
He looks like Chris Pratt
Lol Indians this guy couldn’t make your sad bullpen on a minors deal but he can get a major league deal in one of the leagues deepest pens…
Could be stupid-cheap Indians. Could be huge red flag for Brewers. Given how much this guy overachieved on mediocre stuff, I got my money on the latter.
He’s been doing it for years tho.
Stupid cheap? Wouldn’t a stupid cheap team keep the guy in camp on a minor league deal over higher paid guys?
in 2018 they had a deep pen, in 2019 it’s not so deep. Knebel is done, Jeffress is hurt, Woodruff and Burnes are in the starting rotation, and Jennings who was 2nd in appearances, is gone.
Guerra and Anderson are now in the pen to offset Woodruff and Burnes
and that means what? I’m sure they’ll get the same production out of those 2, and Guerra is close to being cut since he’s out of options.
they strengthened their rotation while weakening their pen, hence the part where i said they aren’t as deep.
Jeffress isnt hurt for a long time. He will be back in a few weeks. All they need to do is add a closer and they are fine. Knebel is a punch to the gut tho. Hes a beast
btw this does not mean that the brewers only have to look for relievers. They could easily get another starter or two and put Burnes or Woodruff back into their roles last season in the pen. Either way, stearns is not done making moves and shuffling things around. I have alot of confidence in this team doing something before opening day to bolster either the rotation, and putting Burnes/Woodruff back into the pen, or getting another top end reliever.
Great signing for the crew, cheap, solid arm that can log some innings for us. I would like to see a one year deal between us and Dallas— maybe include a mutual option for 2020. Something similar to the Grandal deal. Hopefully this separates us from signing Kimbrel. We may be in a win now, but we have a few years in this position. No use blowing all that money to sign a fading veteran reliever with injury concerns. We’ve made mistakes in the past: Matt Garza/Kyle Lohse let’s avoid them. In Sterns we trust!
great and underrated deal. shame the guy will have so little time to prepare. would be nice if the league offered a new rule to deal with FAs signing late.
Wilson has been in Indian camp all spring. He should be ready.
If he wants to go from a nearly guaranteed 1st place team to a 3rd place team that’s on him.
The Indians cut him… he had no choice.
He opted out he wasnt released. Theres a difference
He opted out because they wanted to send him down to AAA. Can’t say I blame him but he’d have been back in Cleveland in no time had he stuck around.
**cubs fan ThatBallwasBryzzoed** So many to jump the gun on the Brewers and the season has yet to start. (Did you learn anything from last year?) The Central has always been a fairly competitive division and every game will count. Sounds like some great baseball to me.
Wow. The Tigers let him walk because he was expected to make $2.8 million in arbitration, which is a lot for a middle reliever on a rebuilding team. But, for $750k in base salary, I bet the Tigers are kicking themselves.
I wish him well. One of the most dependable middle relievers Detroit has had in the 21st century.