Brewers Rumors

Brewers Release Tom Wilhelmsen

By Connor Byrne | August 5, 2017 at 9:54pm CDT

The Brewers announced that they’ve released right-handed reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, who signed a minor league contract with the team on June 20.

This was the second stint with the Brewers for the 33-year-old Wilhelmsen, whom they selected in the seventh round of the 2002 draft. Wilmhelmsen has never cracked the majors with the Brewers, though, and struggled mightily with their Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs this year. Across 13 innings, Wilhelmsen recorded a 13.15 ERA with 7.62 K/9 and 4.85 BB/9.

Formerly the Mariners’ closer, Wilhelmsen signed a minors deal with the Diamondbacks over the winter after dividing 2016 between Seattle and Texas. Wilhelmsen made Arizona’s season-opening roster, but he underwhelmed over the first few months of the campaign, leading the team to designate him for assignment in early June. While Wilhemsen showed off a 95 mph fastball and posted a 49.4 percent ground-ball rate in 26 1/3 innings with the D-backs, he combined a 4.44 ERA with unappealing strikeout and walk rates (5.81 K/9, 4.1 BB/9).

Jett Bandy Suffers Fractured Rib

By Jeff Todd | August 3, 2017 at 11:35pm CDT

The Brewers may not be able to count on catcher Jett Bandy down the stretch. As Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal tweets, the 27-year-old has been diagnosed with a fractured rib. It is not immediately clear how much time he’ll miss, though anything but a fairly rapid return could spell the end of his season. With Stephen Vogt also out, Andrew Susac is the only healthy 40-man alternative to join Manny Pina on the MLB roster. But Susac himself only just made it back from injury woes, and it’s possible Milwaukee could end up checking into the market for alternatives.

Brewers Outright Wily Peralta, Kirk Nieuwenhuis

By Steve Adams | August 3, 2017 at 1:51pm CDT

The Brewers announced today that right-hander Wily Peralta and outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis have both cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

The 28-year-old Peralta was designated for assignment on Saturday, and Milwaukee was apparently unable to find a taker for him in any trade talks that may have occurred. No team felt comfortable claiming the remaining $1.4MM on his $4.275MM salary, either, so Peralta will return to the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate.

While the fact that Peralta has more than three years of Major League service time allows him to refuse the outright assignment, the fact that he has fewer than five years of service also means that he would forfeit that remaining $1.4MM in order to hit the free-agent market. Peralta will earn that $1.4MM through season’s end whether he’s on the 40-man roster or not, but if he isn’t on the 40-man at the end of the year, he’ll have the right to elect free agency.

It’s been a tough year for Milwaukee’s former Opening Day starter. Peralta posted a 6.08 ERA with a 32-to-17 K/BB ratio through eight starts this season before losing his spot in the rotation and heading to the bullpen. While his strikeout rate and velocity ticked up working in relief, his walk rate also ballooned. Ultimately, Peralta surrendered 23 earned runs on 28 hits and 15 walks in just 17 1/3 frames out of the Brewer bullpen.

As for Nieuwenhuis, the veteran outfielder spent most of the 2016 campaign on the Brewers’ big league roster but has just 16 games and 31 plate appearances to his credit thus far in 2017. He’s hit just .115/.268/.269 in that time, though he’s a career .221/.311/.384 hitter in parts of six big league seasons. He’s in a similar situation to Peralta in that he agreed to a split deal this past winter that reportedly pays him $900K in the Majors and $257K in the minors (each pro-rated). He’d have forfeited the remainder of that contract had he gone the free-agent route.

Brewers Designate Kirk Nieuwenhuis For Assignment

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2017 at 8:32pm CDT

The Brewers have designated outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis for assignment, the team announced (via Twitter). The move creates 25-man roster space for Jeremy Jeffress, who was acquired by Milwaukee earlier today.

This is the second time Nieuwenhuis has entered DFA limbo this season, as the outfielder was previously designated and then outrighted off Milwaukee’s roster in April. Nieuwenhuis will again have the option of rejecting an outright assignment (if he isn’t claimed or a trade isn’t worked out) to become a free agent, though he chose to remain in the Brewers organization during his first outright.

Nieuwenhuis just had his contract purchased by the Brewers two days ago when Milwaukee designated Wily Peralta for an assignment. In 16 games and 31 overall plate appearances for the Crew this year, Nieuwenhuis has just a .115/.258/.269 slash line. The six-year veteran played in a career-high 125 games for the Brewers in 2016, getting some playing time for the rebuilding club after four previous seasons as a part-timer with the Mets and Angels.

Brewers Acquire Jeremy Jeffress

By Jeff Todd and charliewilmoth | July 31, 2017 at 3:22pm CDT

The Brewers have struck a deal to acquire righty Jeremy Jeffress from the Rangers, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick first reported (via Twitter). The move reverses the reliever’s move this time last year, when he headed to Texas from Milwaukee along with Jonathan Lucroy. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman tweets that the Rangers will receive righty Tayler Scott in return.

The 29-year-old Jeffress returns to the organization that drafted him in the first round in 2006, and for whom he played in 2010 and 2014-16. (He saved 27 games for the Brewers last season, although he doesn’t seem likely to now supplant Corey Knebel as the Brewers’ closer this year.) Jeffress hasn’t been the pitcher this season that he was in that second Brewers stint, however — in 40 2/3 innings with Texas this year, he’s posted a 5.31 ERA, 6.4 K/9 and an ugly 4.2 BB/9. He has, however, maintained mid-90s velocity, and the Brewers likely hope he returns to some version of his prior self as he gets a change of scenery. If he does, they can control him for two more years after this one through the arbitration process.

Scott, 25, had a 2.34 ERA with a strong 9.2 K/9 but a too-high 5.1 BB/9 in 61 2/3 innings of relief this season at Double-A Biloxi. He was a fifth-round pick of the Cubs in 2011, but Chicago released him last year, then signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers after a brief stint in independent ball. He did not rank in MLB.com’s list of the Brewers’ top 30 prospects.

Sonny Gray Trade Rumors: Deadline Day

By Tim Dierkes | July 31, 2017 at 1:47pm CDT

With about one hour remaining until the trade deadline, all eyes are on Athletics ace Sonny Gray. Gray comes with a 3.43 ERA on the season and club control through 2019. The latest:

The Yankees’ dialogue continues on Gray, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports says the Yankees and A’s have had some movement on a trade, but aren’t quite there yet. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com feels Gray will either go to the Yankees or stay with the A’s. There is a strong belief within the A’s organization that a Gray trade will get done, tweets MLB.com’s Jane Lee.

Earlier Updates

The Cubs would love to acquire Gray and are monitoring the situation in case the Yankees’ talks with the A’s crumble, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. But as Shea notes, the Cubs don’t have as much to offer as the Yankees, having depleted their farm system with trades dating back to last summer. Shea’s colleague Susan Slusser hears that several other clubs are in the same boat as the Cubs.
The Brewers love Gray and could get involved in talks with the A’s if negotiations with the Yankees drag on, tweets Jon Heyman. Joel Sherman believes the A’s like the Yankees’ bid more, however.
A trade of Gray to the Yankees is “gaining more traction,” tweets Joel Sherman. Sherman adds that a deal is “still not at finish line, but [is] becoming more than less likely now.” In a subsequent tweet, Sherman cautions the A’s could still walk away. Meanwhile, Mark Feinsand has three sources who expect the Yankees to acquire Gray, though they believe it could come down to the final hour.
Jon Heyman says some pieces have been agreed to in a potential Yankees-A’s Gray swap, with the Yankees remaining the favorite. Heyman says the A’s want three or four top prospects, below the tier of Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier. Here’s a look at the Yankees’ top prospects from MLB.com, in case you’d like to speculate.
The Braves’ interest in Gray has cooled, tweets Joel Sherman. Sherman takes that as a sign the A’s will either trade Gray to the Yankees today or hold onto him until the winter.
Deals involving Gray and Yu Darvish are “not expected to materialize” until the final hour of the deadline, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports notes that the Cubs checked in on Gray, but the asking price seems to be too steep.
While the Yankees remain the strong favorite for Gray, according to Jon Heyman, the Braves are at least one other team that is in contact with the A’s regarding the 27-year-old righty. Heyman feels that the Yankees are a better match than the Braves for Gray given Oakland’s positional needs, noting that the Braves won’t deal Triple-A outfielder Ronald Acuna.
The Yankees and A’s are “still close enough to get over the hump” on a trade for Gray today, a source tells ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Joel Sherman notes that the two teams continue to talk, and quotes an “involved person” saying the Yankees have “pieces to make it work.”

Sonny Gray Rumors: Saturday

By charliewilmoth | July 29, 2017 at 10:39pm CDT

With two days left before the deadline, here’s the latest on the market for Athletics starter Sonny Gray, with the most recent updates at the top.

Gray to the Yankees is “somewhere between likely to inevitable,” according to Sherman, who reports that the trade could happen Sunday. An executive who has been involved in Gray talks told Sherman that the Yankees are “holding firm” in what they’re willing to offer because they’re not convinced there are any other serious bidders. In case their negotiations with the A’s collapse, the Yankees are discussing starters with other teams as fallback options, per Sherman.

Earlier updates:

Neither the Astros nor Brewers are “serious players for Gray,” writes MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal, who adds that the Braves and Cubs also don’t look likely to acquire him. The Dodgers are the biggest threat to the Yankees in this sweepstakes, but Gray isn’t LA’s main focus, per Rosenthal. With that in mind, Rosenthal expects the Yankees to land Gray, though it might not happen until Monday. Gray to the Bronx makes sense, opines Rosenthal, who notes that the Yankees need answers in their rotation beyond this year (only Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery are locks to return in 2018) and want to get under the $197MM luxury-tax threshold next season. Acquiring the affordable Gray would help them on both fronts.
Heyman, Sherman, Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Buster Olney of ESPN (on Twitter) each report that the A’s and Yankees are making progress in Gray talks. There’s “optimism” a deal will happen, per Nightengale.
As expected, Oakland has pushed Gray’s next start from Sunday to Monday, reports Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California (Twitter link).
The A’s talks centering on Gray have been heavier with the Yankees than any other team over the past 48 hours, per Morosi (Twitter link).
Gray will, in fact, skip his start tomorrow if he hasn’t been traded by then, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Bob Klapisch of USA Today previously tweeted that the A’s were likely to pull Gray from his scheduled start tomorrow due to requests from teams interested in trading for him.
The Yankees’ reluctance to part with Torres or Frazier is not currently holding up talks with the A’s about Gray, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. The two sides are currently discussing other players and still have not reached an agreement. In fact, Morosi tweets that the A’s prefer another Yankees prospect, Estevan Florial, to Frazier because of his center field defense.
Only after the A’s trade Gray will there be a flurry of activity surrounding other starters, Jon Morosi writes for MLB.com. Teams in the pitching market are primarily seeking multiyear assets like Gray rather than rentals, Morosi writes. That means there are more teams interested in Gray than in rentals like Yu Darvish or Lance Lynn.
The Brewers and Athletics have hit an impasse in their discussions about Gray, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. The hangup, it seems, is that the A’s want top young outfielder Lewis Brinson, and the Brewers don’t want to trade him. Brinson arrived last winter in the Jonathan Lucroy deal and made his big-league debut last month.
The Yankees still have interest in Gray, but are now looking to rental options like Darvish, Lynn and Jaime Garcia, FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes. (A report earlier today also connected the Yankees to Dan Straily.) As was previously reported, the Yankees do not want to part with Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier. Still, teams expect Gray to be traded before Sunday, when he’s scheduled to start.
The Yankees “might take” first baseman Yonder Alonso to help “facilitate” a Gray deal, but they aren’t currently focused on first base, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes (Twitter links). If the Athletics don’t reduce their price for Gray, the Yankees are prepared to look elsewhere. To state the obvious, Alonso is a terrific asset in his own right, and does not fit the profile of a player a team would take merely to facilitate a trade. The first baseman is batting .262/.360/.525 with 21 home runs this season.

Brewers, Marlins Discussing Dan Straily

By Connor Byrne | July 29, 2017 at 5:50pm CDT

The Brewers and Marlins are “engaged in ongoing dialogue” about Miami right-hander Dan Straily, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network (on Twitter). Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald first noted the Brewers’ interest in Straily.

A report Friday indicated that the Marlins had taken Straily off the market after briefly shopping him, yet they continue to discuss him as Monday’s trade deadline nears. In theory, Straily should represent a cheaper alternative to the Athletics’ Sonny Gray, the most desirable controllable starter available. However, one National League executive told Jon Heyman of FanRag that the Marlins have placed a “Sonny Gray type price” on Straily, whom they seemingly want to keep.

Straily is “no Sonny Gray,” one rival exec told Heyman, but he’d still bring back a legitimate return in his own right. The 28-year-old is an established major league starter who’s making a near-minimum salary now and comes with arbitration eligibility through 2020, so moving him would help the Marlins restock their fallow farm system.

After logging appealing results in Cincinnati last year, where he registered a 3.76 ERA, 7.62 K/9 and a 3.43 BB/9 over 191 1/3 innings, Straily went to the Marlins in an offseason trade involving righty Luis Castillo and has fared well again in 2017. Straily has thrown 117 1/3 frames and recorded a 3.84 ERA, 8.21 K/9 and a 2.53 BB/9. While Straily’s ground-ball rate is at just 34.4 percent (up from 32 percent a year ago), he has offset that with a 14.4 percent infield fly mark that ranks No. 1 among major league starters.

As was the case last year, ERA indicators such as FIP (4.38), xFIP (4.65) and SIERA (4.32) aren’t really buying into Straily’s success, and he’s once again benefiting from a low batting average on balls in play (.272 this season, .239 in 2016). Statcast data paints a rosier picture, though: Straily’s weighted on-base average against is a strong .318, but his xwOBA is an even better .298, per Baseball Savant (Gray’s is a strikingly similar .296).

Thanks to Straily’s performance and affordable control, it’s easy to see why teams – including the Brewers – would want him. Milwaukee has lost nine of 14 since the All-Star break to fall to 55-50 and lose its grip on the National League Central, which the Cubs now lead by a half-game, and seen its playoff odds dwindle significantly. While a postseason trip might not be in the cards for the upstart Brewers this year, acquiring Straily would give them a third proven big league starter who’s under wraps at palatable costs through 2020. The team already has Chase Anderson, who’s soon to return from a lengthy absence stemming from an oblique injury, and Jimmy Nelson. Adding Straily to that duo would ostensibly increase the Brewers’ chances to contend this season and in future years.

Brewers Designate Wily Peralta For Assignment

By charliewilmoth | July 29, 2017 at 2:47pm CDT

The Brewers have announced that they’ve designated righty Wily Peralta for assignment. The move clears space on their active and 40-man rosters for outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, whose contract they’ve selected from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Peralta had been a longtime member of the Brewers’ rotation, making 120 starts since his MLB debut with the club in 2012. He typically pitched serviceably or downright well, as he did in 2014, when he produced a 3.54 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over nearly 200 innings.

This year, however, has been disastrous for Peralta — he has a 7.85 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 over 57 1/3 frames, with many of those coming in relief. He also only recently returned after missing a month due to a calf issue. He’s making $4.275MM in his second year through the arbitration process as a Super Two player, so it’s highly unlikely he’ll be claimed on waivers.

Brewers Interested In Dan Straily

By charliewilmoth | July 29, 2017 at 10:21am CDT

The Brewers, Royals, Rockies and Yankees all have interest in Marlins starter Dan Straily, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald writes (Twitter links). Yesterday, a report indicated that the Marlins had “taken [Straily] off the market,” although, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted, it would have been surprising if Straily truly were completely unavailable when the Marlins were reportedly recently initiating contact with other teams about him. At last check, the Marlins were hoping to land a terrific trade package for Straily, who’s in his second straight year as a productive starter, with a 3.84 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 over 117 1/3 innings. He also has three years of control remaining after this one, potentially making him an interesting addition for a team like the Brewers or Yankees that has an eye on the future as well as the present.

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