Brewers bring back Alex Claudio, add IF Ronny Rodriguez

In what’s sure to be a busy week, the Milwaukee Brewers got the signings started today. Left-handed reliever Alex Claudio signed a one-year deal, and the team claimed infielder Ronny Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers.

The Milwaukee Brewers have a lot of holes on their roster right now, but they’ve managed to add a lefty reliever and a depth option for their infield, so progress!

Alex Claudio will return for 2020 after getting non-tendered a few weeks ago, and infielder Ronny Rodriguez was claimed from the Detroit Tigers.

Will Claudio factor in the 2020 Brewers bullpen?

Probably.

Claudio appeared in 83 games for the 2019 Milwaukee Brewers, and managed a 4.06 ERA. He worked 62 innings, struck out 44, walked 24, and was tagged for eight homers. Lefties only managed a .218/.301/.378 slash line against Claudio, while righties battered him for a .274/.357/.469 slash line.

Claudio is back on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million plus incentives. He was due to earn about $2.2 million in arbitration, so the team managed to save a little less than $500K after non-tendering him.

If Claudio makes the Opening Day roster, he’ll be their third lefty in the bullpen, and will only be called upon to face a tough left-hander in the late innings.

Who is Ronny Rodriguez?

Rodriguez can best be described as similar to Tyler Saladino, only less exciting.

Rodriguez has managed to rack up 500 plate appearances at the Major League level over the past two seasons. He owns a .221/.254/.396 slash line for his career.

He did manage to hit 25 homers between Triple-A and the Majors last year, so he has some pop.

Rodriguez has spent time at four infield spots and has played the outfield. He’s capable of filling in just about anywhere in a pinch, but he’s likely ticketed for Triple-A San Antonio until the Brewers suffer a few injuries in their infield. If he’s on the Opening Day roster, either mistakes were made or injuries happened.

Neither of these signings will make a huge impact on the active roster, but the team has 40 roster spots that need to be filled. An extra left-hander and an infield depth signing are perfectly fine moves…as long as they’re not the only moves that Brewers GM David Stearns makes this week.