Brewers Rumors: Milwaukee Hot on Pitching Market
By David Hill
After coming agonizingly close to knocking off the Chicago Cubs, the Milwaukee Brewers are looking to take that next step. It is no surprise that the latest Brewers rumors involve the top starting pitchers available.
The Milwaukee Brewers were one of the biggest surprises in baseball last year. They remained in playoff contention until the final week of the season, pushing the Chicago Cubs for the National League Central. Buoyed by their unexpected success, it is not surprising that there are a great deal of Brewers rumors as free agency is set to get underway.
Likewise, it should not be a surprise that the Brewers are linked to some of the top starters in the market. With Jimmy Nelson out for a chunk of the 2018 season, if not the entire campaign, Milwaukee needs an ace. As such, they have their sights set on pitchers like Jake Arrieta and Lance Lynn.
One of the top pitchers on the market, Arrieta does have a track record of success. During his time with the Cubs, he has posted a 68-31 record, along with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.034 WHiP. In his 803 innings, Arrieta has struck out 793 batters with only 244 walks. He would certainly qualify as the strikeout pitcher the Brewers need.
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However, there are concerns about Arrieta going forward. The former top prospect had become a star with the Cubs, but showed signs of regression last year. After leading the league with the fewest hits per nine in 2015 and 2016, Arrieta allowed 150 hits in his 168.1 innings in 2017. His FIP was at 4.16, 0.63 runs higher than his ERA. Even if he is not the Cy Young winner from 2015, can Arrieta be the pitcher the Brewers need?
Lynn is another intriguing name for the Brewers. He had displayed that ace ability with the Cardinals prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the 2016 campaign. Last season, he pitched well, with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.229 WHiP. More importantly, he proved to be healthy, leading the National League with 33 starts.
While Lynn is likely to perform even better in his second season removed from from the procedure, there are questions as to how his performance stacks up. Just as Arrieta outperformed his FIP, Lynn pitched far better than expected. In 2017, he had a 4.82 FIP, 1.39 runs higher than his ERA.
Any time a team is spending heavily on pitching, there are always concerns. The crop of top arms available in free agency this season all have their own issues, but that will be the case every year. It is just a matter of making the right choices and hoping for the best. As the Brewers have money to spend this offseason, those choices are going to be very interesting.
There will be quite a few Brewers rumors this offseason. Given how close they came to the playoffs in 2017, a top of the rotation arm could put them right back in contention.