1:48pm: Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold told reporters Boxberger went unclaimed on waivers before the team decided on the option (via Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Had another team claimed him off waivers, they could’ve controlled him for $3MM while saving Milwaukee the buyout money. Arnold noted that indicates no team presently values Boxberger at $3MM but suggested the Brewers could be open to a reunion at some point down the line.
12:51pm: The Brewers announced they’ve declined their $3MM option on reliever Brad Boxberger. The 34-year-old collects a $750K buyout and heads back to the open market.
It was only a $2.25MM decision, which seems a reasonable sum for a pitcher who posted a 2.95 ERA over 64 innings this year. That makes this a moderately surprising move, but there are a number of underlying marks in Boxberger’s profile that explain why the Milwaukee front office wasn’t bullish about his chances of repeating that success.
The right-hander got swinging strikes on a below-average 9.5% of his pitches, two points lower than the league mark. That was the worst whiff rate in any of his 11 MLB seasons, although he offset that somewhat with one of the better called-strike rates of his career. Boxberger still struck out a slightly above-average 25.4% of opposing hitters, but he didn’t dominate on a pitch-for-pitch basis as he has at his best. His velocity also took a slight step back, with his fastball sitting at 92.7 MPH after averaging 93.5 MPH in 2021.
Missing bats has long been Boxberger’s calling card, as he’s never had great control or consistently strong ground-ball rates. He has been effective keeping runs off the board, posting an ERA of 3.34 or lower in each of the last three years. Manager Craig Counsell continued to rely upon him in high-leverage spots, but the front office clearly isn’t of the opinion he’ll continue to be a fit in that kind of role.
Despite some of the red flags in Boxberger’s profile, he could find a major league deal with a similar base salary to the option value in free agency. He has plenty of high-leverage experience, including a 41-save All-Star campaign with the 2015 Rays. He’s also been a durable source of innings in middle relief and setup work, avoiding the injured list three years running.
Will Sammon of the Athletic reported the news before the team announcement.
2.95 ERA in 70 games, 64 IP, 68 K’s against 27 walks… they really think they’re going to find someone cheaper that’s gonna do that for less than $3 million out of nowhere? Bit of a headscratcher, especially considering his $750k buyout.
No, it’s that Boxberger won’t do that again. Peripherals suggest the Brewers were fortunate to get that out of him last year and he could very well be about done.
Well, he went unclaimed. So, 29 other teams think they can find a guy like him for less than $3 million too.
Strange
Why? I thought he pitched pretty good.
He’ll be a nice pickup for another team this offseason
Boxburger isn’t worth 2 mil but Wong is worth 10? Brewers general management is floundering.
Good middle-reliever for most teams. I would guess after 2021 and 22 he’s looking for something in the range of 1 year 5 million. C’mon Dombrowski, he’s better and cheaper than Knebel!
Weird move, they must be REALLY pinching pennies this offseason. Solid and consistent middle reliever.
You’d think they’d be able to find a trade partner for a good 7th-inning guy with solid peripherals making $3M. Only thing I can think of is that his 6-point K% drop must have really scared the FO
Loved him in Tron.
Decline 3 mil option on a solid reliever but pick up 10 mil on Wong who was terrible?
This teams hard to root for
I think with Topa and Cousins being healthy along with Robinson and Uribe probably being added to 40 man. They have that covered. Don’t kid yourself they are very high on Uribe. They felt he was going to be up last year before the ACL tear. He is our next future closer. Plus we all know we still have Kelly lol.
I can’t believe the Brewers rejected his option. Dude is a key piece to their team. This is sad.
Surprised no one claimed him, that means no team wanted this option.
It’s very surprising. He’s a decent veteran coming off a good year and $3 M is not that much for a reliable relief pitcher.
Arnold noted that indicates no team presently values Boxberger at $3MM but suggested the Brewers could be open to a reunion at some point down the line
that gives off a “Hey – the entire league thinks you are crap.. how would you like to come back to work for me” vibe. Not sure Boxberger will be returning to the brewers.
Pretty sure they did that at least once before with him, and he was fine with it.
Besides, if every other team has already said he’s not worth 3 mil, how are they any different than MKE if they later offer him the vet minimum?
Some things are better off not spoken. At best its poorly phrased. Maybe go with ” now that he has cleared waivers maybe we can bring him back at a better pricepoint for the team moving forward”
What if the Brewers offer him the most $?
How many more years can they expect him to perform at that level? We know relievers can be up 1 year and way down the next. He’s been pretty good for 3 consecutive years for MKE, but as the article says they could circle back later (which I believe they did last year if I’m not mistaken).
There are a lost worse relievers making a lot more money..
His Players Weekend jersey for Arizona was unique. Emoji’s only.
Two in a row wong. Wong signing not right. ” In Box I trust” is gone as well.