The Milwaukee Brewers brought back former Brewer Jeremy Jeffress in a deadline day deal with the Rangers.
Perhaps in response to the Chicago Cubs adding reliever Justin Wilson, the Milwaukee Brewers have added a reliever of their own, Jeremy Jeffress. Jeffress pitched for the Brewers in parts of four seasons and had more success with the team than for any of the other three teams he’s pitched for. With the Brewers, Jeffress has a 3.09 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He was their main closer in 2016 before being traded to the Rangers almost a year ago to the day.
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Jeffress has struggled with the Rangers this season with a 5.31 ERA (5.83 FIP) and 1.67 WHIP. He has a below-average strikeout rate and walks too many. He’s also been hurt by home runs, allowing eight in 40 2/3 innings. His fastball velocity is down from 95.1 mph last year to 94.3 mph this year.
The Brewers bullpen ranks in the middle of the pack in FanGraphs WAR (16th out of 30 teams). Jeffress is projected to be right at replacement level over the rest of the season, so he appears to be just another arm rather than an upgrade of any significance. Maybe the Brewers can work some magic on him to get him back to the success he had last year.
The cost for the Brewers was not high. They sent 25-year-old reliever Tayler Scott to the Rangers. Scott was a fifth-round draft pick by the Cubs in 2011. He’s pitched seven seasons in the minor leagues and has a 3.76 ERA in 481 2/3 innings. He’s never pitched above Double-A. He is having a good season at that level this year, with a 2.34 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings for the Biloxi Shuckers of the Southern League.
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It’s not much of an answer to the Cubs getting Justin Wilson, but it’s something. The Brewers are in a tough spot because they’ve been leading the NL Central for much of the season but have just been passed by the very hot Chicago Cubs. They are also 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. The Cubs are clearly the more talented team, so it would be tough for the Brewers to give up too much of their future talent in their quest to win the NL Central or a Wild Card spot this year.