Brewers: Josh Lindblom Signing Official, Will Join Rotation Picture

The reports of Josh Lindblom coming to Milwaukee was confirmed to be true after the Brewers announced the right-handed pitcher would be signed to a 3-year contract on Monday.

It was announced a little over a week ago that the Milwaukee Brewers were in talks on an agreement with RHP Josh Lindblom, but the team hadn’t confirmed it to be true. Lindblom agreed to the deal during the Winter Meetings.

After the announcement of the return of left-hander Alex Claudio, the bullpen still was left with some empty spots. Along with Claudio signing, the Brewers also signed LHP Brett Anderson to a one year deal, Eric Lauer in a trade deal, and RHP Corey Knebel was brought back on a one year contract, avoiding arbitration.

We recently just wrote up about Lindblom and the signing rumors, which you can check out here. But the news was official this morning from the Brewers official social media.

Lindblom has less than $10 million guaranteed in his contract but there’s a large number of incentives that he can reach to increase his payday.

What Does This Mean for The Brewers?

Lindblom is more commonly known for his stellar performance in the KBO, where in just 2019 alone, he went 20-3 with a 2.50 ERA and 0.997 WHIP. Not only has he pitched well on the mound, but, he’s got an MVP award to prove it.

With his success, he did earn a starting role in the KBO, which will be essential for the Brewers’ pitching staff  as they now have to figure out who they will be putting in their starting rotation after losing RHP Zach Davies and Jordan Lyles for starters.

What Will Lindblom’s 2020 Look Like?

Based on how he performed in the KBO, Lindblom will have relatively high expectations in Milwaukee. With adding him for three years, it’ll be a nice little refresher for the starting rotation. Where Lindblom will stand in the rotation is still a question as we have yet to see how he’ll perform against big league hitters again. His spring training performance will determine his placement within the rotation.

A 2020 starting prediction was posted, where Lindblom wasn’t put into the starting rotation, but he looks like he will fill the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation.

The Brewers had success with another recent KBO export in Eric Thames on a three year deal. They’re hoping for a similar type of success with Lindblom.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the offseason goes with the Brew Crew before Spring Training rolls around in just two short months. They have spots to fill in the roster, and there’s a good chance Brewers’ GM David Stearns has something up his sleeve.