Milwaukee Brewers: Could Jake Peavy fit with the Crew?

Jake Peavy has expressed interest in a comeback for the 2018 season and the Milwaukee Brewers should take that under consideration.

At 36, Peavy is not the answer to the rotation. But he is an option to fill the back end of it. Whether it be realistic or not, when a former Cy Young Award winner speaks up, teams listen. Remember the whole tryout with Tim Lincecum? It will draw the attention of teams, but that may not translate to signing. If it does it will be cost effective and the Milwaukee Brewers should scoff at the idea.

Right off of the bat, is Peavy the best move?

No.

Is he the right move?

Who knows.

But Peavy does represent a low cost, high reward venture. After not throwing a competitive pitch in 2017, the 36 year old will not be able to swing anything more than a one year contract. There is a chance there won’t even be a roster spot involved with the deal. Just a minor league signing with Spring Training invite.

Now that I have established that this probably will not happen, it is time to dive into why it should. And for that we dive into Fangraphs. What is showing up is a potential innings eater. Peavy used to be a huge workhorse until the injury bug bit him in 2015 and 2016. However, after a year off to let his body rest up, he could provide a solid, injury free year.

Though 2016 was rough, one would like to blame injuries for it. Prior to that, Peavy’s capability was a mid three, maybe low four ERA. That is not bad coming from a back end rotation guy who is there to eat up innings.

Really the injuries played a big part in 2016. The strikeouts, walks, and home runs per nine all stayed pretty consistent to the rest of his career. It is only the BABIP that suffered mightily in comparison, inflating 80 points. Hence the high ERA. That is a clear sign of ailment, not decline.

Signing Peavy will not be the 15 million dollar venture it was back in 2016. He will cost less…much less. No one knows how much work has been put into this idea. Or what level he is at. Without playing in 2017, there is no gauge for that. It is not entirely impossible for the league minimum to be the best he can do.

For that price, it would be irresponsible for David Stearns not to take a shot on the former Cy Young. It has the potential to be a great way to put off that ace necessity until July. Or maybe even next offseason.

Next: Monte Harrison is the next Brewers superstar

If Peavy wants to pitch, a team will take a chance on him. The Milwaukee Brewers should be in the running for the right price. With the low cost, it sounds like a Stearns move already. And the Crew coaching staff is proving to be more than capable of getting the best out of every player.