Milwaukee Brewers: Building a rotation for the 2019 season

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Pitchers, pitchers and more pitchers… This offseason has been about the pitching staff and what the 2019 Milwaukee Brewers’ rotation could look like.

The Milwaukee Brewers are a team that has options. Internally they have eight pitchers that could be slotted right into the rotation. They have seven from 2018 and are returning Jimmy Nelson.

With some highly coveted prospects the Brewers have been linked to many deals for established starters, such as a Corey Kluber. The financial constraints of a small-market team do hinder the Brewers, but not all pitchers will request max contracts.

So, how can they build a rotation from all three options?

The Trade Target rotation

When we look at the current trade targets the Milwaukee Brewers are linked to, there are a few things to take into consideration. Who the opposing teams will ask for, the length of team control and current salary.

Below is a rotation of players that are in the Brewers’ price range and what prospects it could potential take to make the trade happen.

Corey Kluber, RHP, 32

2018 – 20-7, 2.89 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

Current contract – Three years / $17.5 million

What hasn’t been written about Corey Kluber already. He is a true “ace” pitcher, going 56-20 in the last three seasons. He has struck out more than 200 hitters in each of the last five seasons. He’s earning $17.5 million on average for three more seasons.

It’s worth noting is a package to get him will be a steep price, and most likely will include top position prospect Keston Hiura or top pitching prospect Corbin Burnes along with others.

Related Story. Creating A Trade Package For Corey Kluber. light

Noah Syndergaard, RHP, 26

2018 – 13-4, 3.03 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

Current contract – Arbitration 2, under team control through 2021 season

Another highly talked about target, Noah Syndergaard, like Kluber is a true “ace”. In 87 career starts, he has a 37-22 record with a 2.93 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 573 strikeouts. Advanced stats show he was a better pitcher than that on a horrible Mets team.

He is young, entertaining, entering his prime, and is a talented player, but he would cost the Brewers some Major League talent. It has been written in previous posts that the price would be most likely a package of Corey Ray, Brandon Woodruff or Freddy Peralta, and a couple throw in pieces.

Robbie Ray, LHP, 27

2018 – 6-2, 3.93, 1.35

Current contract – Arb 2, under team control through 2021 season

Robbie Ray is a fascinating trade target. In 2017, he went 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. In 2018, he went 6-2 with an ERA just shy of 4.00 and pitched a career low in innings with 123.2.

Ray is known as a command pitcher, with a good slider and great change up that are considered “nasty” by some scouts and often tricks hitters. He can get up to 95 MPH with his fastball but usually averages a touch slower, so he won’t overpower hitters with blistering speed, but has accuracy with placement.

Ray could be a cheaper option that could be a strong two or three pitcher for the Brewers. A package of Freddy Peralta or Brandon Woodruff and shedding Eric Thames salary to a D-Backs team that no longer has Paul Goldschmidt could make the deal happen. However, according to reports, a trade of Robbie Ray is unlikely to happen.

Marcus Stroman, RHP, 27

2018 – 4-9, 5.54, 1.48

Current Contract – Arb 3, under team control through 2020 season

Going back to the 2017-18 offseason there were rumors about Stroman to the Brewers that went nowhere, so why not try again? He isn’t going to strike out a lot of hitters, but he keeps the ball on the ground and in Miller Park that is a good thing.

In 2018, he used his 93 MPH sinker and 86 MPH slider to get a lot of ground balls, but has a cutter, curve and four seam fastball that he mixes in as well. With a team friendly contract, years of control, and a career 3.91 ERA, 1.29 WHIP in just 114 games, the Brewers could acquire him for Domingo Santana, Yeison Coca, and another good, young prospect in the Brewers farm system.

Roenis Elias, LHP, 30

2018 – 3-1, 2.65, 1.22

Current contract – Arb 1, under team control through 2021 season

Roenis Elias is another player we haven’t discussed yet this offseason, but the Seattle Mariners have been selling the farm and the 30-year-old Elias could be an attractive option for a team seeking a good fourth or fifth pitcher in the rotation.

In 78 games, Elias is 18-22 with a 3.97 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. In 2014, the Mariners had him locked into the rotation starting 29 games. 2015 was similar, but like other starters in Seattle he struggled in found his way to the bullpen. Last year he started four games, played in 23 and kept opponents to a .242 average with 34 strikeouts.

A change of scenery could be good for Elias, who may need to get out of the Emerald City, and the Mariners may look at a straight up trade for prospect Trent Grisham as a fair trade as they attempt to find buyers for Kyle Seager’s large contract.

The Free Agent rotation

Imagine you could sign any pitcher off the free agent market. Now imagine signing five pitchers. You could build an all-star rotation if you had endless funds, but what if you had the Milwaukee Brewers payroll and needed to play a version of moneyball? Here is a group of pitchers that the Brewers could afford.

Wade Miley, LHP, 32

2018 – 5-2, 2.57, 1.22

Last season contract – $2.5 million with Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers fans are familiar with Wade Miley, and many want him back on the staff. He is currently a target of GM David Stearns, but is also gaining interest from the current Cincinnati Reds pitching coach, and former Brewers pitching coach, Derek Johnson.

His career high salary is $8.75 million in 2017 with the Baltimore Orioles, but few expect him to make that money in 2019, after a small sample size. It’s realistic to see Miley earning somewhere between $4.5-5.5 million in 2019.

Trevor Cahill, RHP, 30

2018 – 7-4, 3.76, 1.19

Last season contract – $1.5 million with Oakland A’s

After a few rough seasons, Trevor Cahill went back to Oakland to start for the American League wild card surprise A’s. In 20 starts he went 7-4 with a 3.76 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Cahill also struck out 100 hitters in 110 innings, while giving up just eight home runs.

A sinker ball pitcher, Cahill relies on getting the ball down in the zone with his change-up, slider and knuckle-curve. In Miller Park that arsenal could be valuable as managed Craig Counsell likes to shift his defense to assist pitchers in getting ground outs. Cahill’s career salary is $37.75 million, with the majority of that coming in 2015 with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. His bounce back in Oakland could lead to him earning $2.5-3 million.

Clay Buchholz, RHP, 34

2018 – 7-2, 2.01, 1.04

Last season contract – $1.5 million with Arizona Diamondbacks

A 2013 World Series champion, Clay Buchholz found a bounce back season with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018, pitching to a 2.01 ERA in 16 starts. In 12 seasons Clay is 88-64 with a 3.86 ERA, but that story also includes a 6.75 ERA in 2008, 5.34 in 2014 and 4.78 in 2016.

His four-seam fastball is still hitting 91, and cutter are his primary pitches, but mixes in three breaking pitches that helped him get to 985 career strikeouts. Like Miley and Cahill, Buchholz is a guy that needed to find a team to bounce back on a one-year deal.

Mike Fiers, RHP, 33

2018 – 12-8, 3.56, 1.18

Last season contract- $6 million with Oakland A’s, non-tendered in arbitration

Could Mike Fiers return to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019? The former Brewers pitcher went 12-8 with a 3.56 ERA with Detroit and Oakland in 2018.

Another control guy, Fiers relies on the four-seam fastball mixed pitches well leading to 139 strike outs to only 37 walks last year. The rough part of Fiers is the 32 home runs he gave up, which compares directly to Chase Anderson. His $6 million-dollar salary is also Anderson-esque.

Being non-tendered doesn’t mean he will take a pay cut for a team needing pitching. It’s not unrealistic to think he will request $6 million in 2019.

The Internal Options rotation

Now the most likely and maybe best long-term option the Milwaukee Brewers have, the one that they had for most of 2018. After using a number of starting pitchers, the Brewers could pick and choose the best five or six starters for their 2019 rotation. Here is a look at who is there and how they could be slotted:

Jhoulys Chacin, RHP, 30

2018 – 15-8, 3.50 ERA, 1.16 WHIP

Current contract – 1-year / $6 million

The “ace” of the 2018 staff, Jhoulys Chacin is the only starter from 2018 that went from start to finish with the Brewers rotation. Probably the easiest person to slot into the 2019 starting rotation, Chacin started 35 games, pitching 192 2/3 innings and striking out 156 batters.

Jimmy Nelson, RHP, 29

2017 – 12-6, 3.49, 1.25

Current contract – Arb 2 for $3.7 million, team control through 2020 season

After surgery and rehabbing in 2018, Jimmy Nelson sounds like he’s ready to bounce back to show that 2017 wasn’t a fluke. He is ready to report to Maryvale, and has said he plans to be back in the rotation in 2019. Motivation is a powerful tool for a player who was out for a season while his team made a playoff run.

Corbin Burnes, RHP, 24

2018 – 7-0, 2.61, 1.00

Current contract – Team control through 2024 season

Corbin Burnes was exciting in the 2018 regular season and he was exciting in the playoffs. Management has been adamant that he’s a future starter. With a high ceiling, Burnes could be more than a mid-range starter in 2019 and might potentially be the best starter on the team in the future. He has ace potential and there’s a lot to be excited about for his future.

Brandon Woodruff, RHP, 25

2018 – 3-0, 3.61, 1.18

Current contract – Team control through 2023 season

Another exciting internal option, Brandon Woodruff is also a guy the team should want to see pick right up where he left off the 2018 postseason. He has the potential to be a solid mid-rotation option for his career.

Zach Davies, RHP, 25

2017 – 17-9, 3.90, 1.35

Current contract – Arb 1, team control through 2021 season

It’s tough to look at Zach Davies and not think about his 2018 struggles. From the disabled list to majors, then to disabled list to up and down the minor leagues to the major leagues and eventually the postseason roster.

Here is the bad – In 2018 he went 2-7 with a 4.77 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. He struggled in just 13 games with the Brewers.

Now the good – At just 25 years old, Davies is young and pitched well prior to the 2018 season. Prior to last season he owned a 31-18 record, with a 3.91 ERA, 1.297 WHIP and 283 strikeouts in 67 games.

The case for Davies over Chase Anderson, Freddy Peralta, Junior Guerra or anyone in the system that could potentially move up is a tough one. He is still younger than both Anderson and Guerra, and had a better ERA than Peralta and Guerra, while allowing fewer home runs in two seasons than Anderson. During the postseason, Anderson was passed over for the bullpen, and both Peralta and Guerra excelled in roles coming out of the pen in long relief.

Brewers fans should be rooting for the 25-year old to bounce back to form in 2019 and cement his place in the rotation.

Next. Should Crew Sign Troy Tulowitzki?. dark

The Milwaukee Brewers will have fun putting together a rotation this off season.

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