3 playoff-tested veterans Brewers could find on waiver wire before stretch run

Remember when Josh Donaldson was the Milwaukee Brewers’ starting third baseman during the 2023 postseason?

The only reason the Brewers were able to add the "Bringer of Rain" to their roster on August 31 in 2023 was because of a waiver claim strategy that has become popular over the last five years. Prior to 2019, players could be traded after the July 31 trade deadline so long as they cleared waivers first. However, now, teams are not allowed to make any trades in August, but there is still a way for them to acquire new players. Teams can still place players on waivers to be claimed by another team, so long as no trade occurs.

So why would a team want to part with a player for nothing in return at this point in the season? Money. Take, for example, a player like Carlos Santana, who was just placed on outright waivers by the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday afternoon. Santana, who was playing on a $12 million salary this season, is still owed roughly $2 million over the next month. If a team claims Santana, the Guardians, who are no longer playing for much after falling out of the AL Wild Card race, could quickly save a cool $2 million. Meanwhile, the acquiring team would be adding an experienced postseason bat to their roster, while giving up no prospect capital in return.

The Brewers sit atop the NL Central division ahead of the streaky Chicago Cubs, who took the season series between the two teams. It's unlikely that the Brewers will make a waiver claim over the next five days (claimed players need to be added to the 40-man roster by 11:59 p.m. ET on August 31 to be eligible for the postseason roster), as they don't have an obvious need like they did back in 2023 when they added Donaldson.

However, with the recent injuries to Joey Ortiz and Grant Anderson, there's an opportunity for the Brewers to plug a temporary hole on their roster by claiming one of the following names off waivers. Should they catch fire down the stretch, the Brewers could elect to keep them around for their postseason push.

Milwaukee will, however, face an uphill battle in trying to claim any of these players as the waiver claim order is determined by reverse winning percentage, meaning, as the best team in baseball, the Brewers hold the last spot in the order.

1. INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa - Pittsburgh Pirates

Isiah Kiner-Falefa would be an interesting player for the Brewers to pick up off the waivers should the notably stingy Pittsburgh Pirates elect to place him on them. He has always been a small ball player, someone who does not particularly hit for power, but succeeds at getting on base and can wreak havoc once he does.

He had a really nice couple of months to open the season as he had OPS's of .807 in March and .876 in May. But as the summer has gone on, his monthly OPS has fallen into the .500-600 range. However, he still sports a respectable .264 batting average and has swiped 15 bases on the season.

Kiner-Falefa would not be a long-term option for the Brewers, but rather a temporary fill-in for Joey Ortiz at shortstop, while the latter heals from a minor hamstring strain. Once Ortiz returns, Kiner-Falefa would likely be relegated to a utility role, where he would replace Andruw Monasterio.

Given how important Mona is to the Brewers' clubhouse, the fact that Milwaukee would have to pay Kiner-Falefa more than $1 million over the final month of the season, and the fact that Ortiz will be back shortly after September 1, it's unlikely that the Brewers make this move. However, if they are looking for a slight upgrade over Mona or Anthony Seigler on their bench, that won't cost them any prospect capital, Kiner-Falefa is not a bad option.

2. CL Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels

If you're looking for postseason experience, look no further than the Los Angeles Angels' closer Kenley Jansen. The now 37-year-old long-time Dodger has pitched in 59 postseason games and collected 24 playoff saves.

Meanwhile, the Angels are an interesting position as they decided to buy at the trade deadline, and then proceeded to quickly fall out of playoff contention. They are eight games under .500 and 8.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League. With their closer, Jansen, owed more than $1.5 million over the rest of the season, they could easily save a few pennies by placing him on waivers.

Jansen holds a 3.12 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and has converted 23 of his 24 save opportunities this season. With the recent injuries to DL Hall and Grant Anderson, Jansen could be a nice addition for the Crew, as he would give Pat Murphy another high-leverage option at the back-end of his bullpen.

More than likely, the Brewers will rely on their current group of relievers, which has been more than solid for them throughout the season. Their deadline addition of Shelby Miller suggests that the Brewers don't need another veteran right-hander at the back of their pen, but should Matt Arnold and company look to make another addition, Jansen could be a good choice.

3. 1B/DH Carlos Santana - Cleveland Guardians

How about a reunion? Just two years after Santana started opposite Josh Donaldson on the Brewers’ infield in their postseason loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Brewers have a chance to bring their former friend back for another postseason run. As previously mentioned, the Guardians placed Santana on waivers on Tuesday afternoon, signaling to their fans that they have given up on the 2025 season.

Finding a place for Santana on the Brewers’ roster is especially difficult. With Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers on the active roster and Rhys Hoskins expected to return in just a few days, the Brewers certainly don't need another first baseman.

However, if you look at Hoskins as the team's primary DH, which puts Christian Yelich as the team's primary LF, and slot Vaughn into an everyday role at first base, that leaves Bauers as the team's backup first baseman. The Brewers could instead elect to have Santana fill that role for roughly $2 million over the final month of the season. Santana would be an upgrade defensively over all of the Brewers' first base options, and would be a slight upgrade offensively over Bauers. Despite being 39 years old, Santana has still slugged 11 HR and collected 52 RBI this season.

It's certainly an expensive move just to make a slight upgrade at the backup first baseman position, and there's no guarantee that Santana would even see much playing time in a Brewers uniform. However, if Matt Arnold and company are still looking to upgrade their roster down the stretch, Santana offers a slight one and they wouldn't have to give up any prospect capital to acquire him.