10 Free Agent Reliever Targets For The Brewers Once Lockout Ends

Once MLB’s lockout of the players ends with a new CBA, the transaction freeze will lift, and we’ll see a flurry of free agent signings. The Milwaukee Brewers are going to be in on the action.

Spring training will be getting started very quickly after the CBA is agreed to and the remaining free agents are going to be in a hurry to sign, and teams will be in a hurry to sign them.

The Brewers made some moves prior to the lockout, acquiring infielder Mike Brosseau, reliever J.C. Mejia, and most notably, outfielder Hunter Renfroe in trades. They also signed Pedro Severino and Trevor Gott as free agents. But there’s still more work to be done on this roster.

With the addition of the DH in the NL, the Brewers likely will be on the lookout for another bat, which we’ve covered extensively at RtB. But another area where the Brewers are going to look to upgrade is the bullpen.

Given the current bullpen depth on the roster, Milwaukee should look to add at least one, maybe two veteran relievers still to this group. Three relievers from last year’s bullpen that were on the 40 man roster are free agents (Brad Boxberger, Hunter Strickland, Daniel Norris) and two pitchers were added in Mejia and Gott.

The Brewers are going to sign at least one more free agent to fill out their bullpen, and it will likely be someone from this group of 10 free agent relievers.

Brewers free agent reliever targets #1 and #2: RHP Brad Boxberger, RHP Hunter Strickland

Why not run it back? Both Brad Boxberger and Hunter Strickland were key members of the Brewers bullpen in 2021, putting up strong seasons. Boxberger, 33, posted a 3.34 ERA as the regular 7th inning setup man and Strickland, 33, served in a variety of roles and posted a 1.73 ERA in 35 games with Milwaukee.

Both were excellent and could still serve in valuable roles for the Brewers again in 2022. They are familiar with the organization and Craig Counsell knows how to use them.

Boxberger will turn 34 in May while Strickland will turn 34 in September. Coming off the seasons they had, both could’ve been searching for a two year deal earlier in the offseason, and the Brewers may not want to do that with either of them. But with a flurry of moves happening in a shortened timeframe once the lockout ends, they’re more likely to receive one year offers as everyone tries to just get signed and lock something in for 2022.

As that flurry happens and the two pitchers are receiving a number of calls, a call to come back to Milwaukee in a familiar role is likely to stick out to them.

With the Brewers on the lookout for bullpen help, bringing back one or both of these pitchers who had success with them last year may be the smart play. But, there are other options out on the market.

Brewers free agent reliever target #5: LHP Chasen Shreve

While Chasen Shreve has bounced around the league, he’s been a mostly serviceable reliever that stays healthy and can fill some innings. Brewers fans will remember him most from his time with the Cardinals and, most recently, the Pirates.

Shreve, 31, spent the 2021 season with Pittsburgh, posting a 3.20 ERA in 57 games in his best season since 2015.

Shreve can be had for fairly cheap and he can backfill some innings in the bullpen. He probably wouldn’t be expected to handle many high-leverage situations, though. Shreve does have an issue with high walk counts that make him an unlikely candidate for those big roles.

With his bounce back season in 2021, the Brewers could look at Shreve as an under-the-radar pitcher that they can get into their system and get the most out of.

Brewers free agent reliever target #6: RHP Alex Colome

Remember when Alex Colome was the hot name among young relievers? After coming up through the Tampa Bay Rays system Colome exploded onto the scene in 2016, becoming an All-Star and racking up 37 saves. The next season in 2017, Colome led baseball with 47 saves.

Colome, 33, hasn’t been quite that good since, but he’s still been a productive pitcher, even without the saves totals. He racked up 30 saves in 2019 with the White Sox with a 2.80 ERA, then 12 saves with a 0.81 ERA in the shortened 2020 season.

In 2021, Colome was with the Minnesota Twins and he couldn’t hold on to his closer’s job, converting 17 saves but blowing seven opportunities and posting a 4.15 ERA on the season. His days as an elite closer are probably over.

But just because he won’t be a closer anymore doesn’t mean he won’t be valuable as a setup man in some high leverage spots in the back end of a bullpen still. Brad Boxberger was a former closer turned setup man and he turned out pretty well for Milwaukee last season. Colome could be the next version of that in 2022.

Brewers free agent reliever target #7: RHP Jimmy Nelson

Bring Jimmy home! The former 2nd round pick of the Brewers in 2010 was the Crew’s top pitching prospect, worked his way up to the big leagues, and was a key piece in the Brewers rotation for a number of years, being seen as a potential ace of future contending Brewers teams. He was finally reaching that potential in 2017, having a breakout season before an unfortunate dive into first base tore up his throwing shoulder.

Nelson, 32, still hasn’t been able to get all the way back to that ace-level starter and he likely won’t. Injuries have bothered him in every season since, with back issues popping up recently.

He had a bit of a bounce back in 2021 with the Dodgers, posting a 1.86 ERA in 28 appearances, 27 of them out of the bullpen, for Los Angeles. Injuries cut his season short again, but he proved he can still be a productive pitcher when he’s on the mound.

Perhaps a return to Milwaukee, where he began his career and found success the first time, can continue to help him find success again, this time in a bullpen role. His days as a regular starter are likely over and with the Brewers current rotation depth, they don’t need him to start anyways.

The Brewers would be banking on Nelson to stay healthy, and if they sign him, they’d likely also look to bring in another veteran arm as well to ensure the depth is strong.

Brewers free agent reliever target #8: RHP Collin McHugh

Collin McHugh is perhaps most known for his time in the starting rotation with the Houston Astros. At 34 years old, McHugh has been seeing more time in the bullpen than the rotation in recent years, moving to the bullpen starting in 2018.

McHugh made seven starts in 37 appearances in 2021 with the Tampa Bay rays, posting a stellar 1.55 ERA in 64 IP with 74 strikeouts. He kept the ball in the ballpark and can serve in a variety of roles.

Currently, the Brewers don’t have much need for him to help out with the rotation, but throughout the course of a season, opportunities for spot starts may arise and McHugh would be an excellent back up option for that rotation if need be.

Despite his fastball velocity not being very strong, McHugh is a bit of an analytics darling, ranking in the 90th percentile or above in Fastball Spin, BB%, xSLG, HardHit%, xwOBA, xERA, and Barrel%. He also sits in the high 80s in the rest of the top categories on Statcast. Basically what those stats mean is that McHugh is a quality pitcher and he would fit in well with the Milwaukee Brewers.

If any team will see McHugh’s advanced numbers and recognize the talent there, it’s the Brewers. What role he fits into may change or have to be figured out, but getting him on the pitching staff looks like it would be a net positive.

Brewers free agent reliever target #9: RHP Nick Wittgren

Nick Wittgren, 30, has spent six seasons in the big leagues and has been a valuable reliever to this point in his career. Now finally in free agency, Wittgren will have his first chance to choose the team he wants to play for.

Wittgren had three consecutive strong seasons from 2018-2020 between Miami and Cleveland, posting a combined 2.97 ERA over those three years.

However, in 2021 Wittgren had a down season. He had a 5.05 ERA in 60 appearances last year, allowing a career-high 13 home runs. Still, he posts solid strikeout numbers and walk rates below 2.5 BB/9. If he can cut down on those home runs, he’d be an excellent addition to any bullpen.

Perhaps the Brewers will see something in Wittgren that, if he fixes, he can get back to being a trusted reliever. If they feel that’s there, he could be worth a pickup.

Brewers free agent reliever target #10: LHP Tony Watson

Finally, Tony Watson closes this list of Brewers bullpen targets. The 36 year old spent last season with the Angels and Giants, putting up a respectable 3.92 ERA combined, but he had a 2.96 ERA over the second half of the season with the Giants.

Watson keeps the exit velocities down, doesn’t allow a lot of hard contact, and doesn’t allow many free passes. He’s a solid, reliable, veteran left-hander that can fill innings in the bullpen and handle high leverage situations.

Watson could be the regular seventh inning setup man ahead of Devin Williams and Josh Hader, or he could be brought in to face a slate of left-handed batters that may come up. Craig Counsell would have no shortage of ways to use Watson out of the bullpen in Milwaukee. He’s remained productive into his mid-30s.

At this stage in his career, Watson is going to be looking at one year deals, finding the best situations for him year to year. For 2022, the Milwaukee Brewers might be a very attractive option for Watson.

There are a number of other relief options out there on the free agent market, but these 10 pitchers appear to be strong candidates for the Milwaukee Brewers to target to help fill out their bullpen once this lockout ends.