Brewers bring back veteran bullpen option after his brief stint on free agent market

Back in late January, the Milwaukee Brewers brought in 32-year-old right-handed reliever Jacob Waguespack on a minor league deal. Despite Waguespack's shaky track record at the big-league level, his unique profile caught the attention of Brewers fans. With a 70-degree arm angle -- one of the steepest in MLB -- a great deal of extension on the mound, and a delivery in which he hides the ball for a long time before throwing it, there was reason to believe that under the right guidance, Waguespack could become something special.

Then came Spring Training, and the excitement surrounding the minor league reliever only grew. Waguespack made seven Cactus League appearances and surrendered a total of one earned run during the stretch. He allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out seven opponents.

However, since Waguespack was on a minor league contract, and therefore didn't have a spot on the 40-man roster, making the Opening Day roster was near impossible regardless of the performance he put together during the spring exhibition season. As a result, Waguespack was sent to Triple-A, to begin the 2026 season with the Nashville Sounds.

Waguespack's success continued in Nashville; the right-hander posted a 2.25 ERA in his first 11 appearances out of the Sounds' bullpen. Even more impressive, however, was the nearly 42% whiff rate and 34% strikeout rate that Waguespack put together in his first month with in Nashville.

With Waguespack impressing at the Triple-A level, it came as a surprise to Brewers fans when the Sounds announced that they had released the veteran right-hander back on May 4. The assumption at the time was that Waguespack had an opt-out clause in his contract to allow him to search for better options around the league. Now, that assumption is all but confirmed after the Brewers recently announced that they've re-signed Waguespack to a minor league contract.

Jacob Waguespack is back in the Brewers' organization after his release earlier this month

Veteran players who are signed to minor league contracts are often awarded opt-out or upward mobility clauses that grant them the ability to terminate their contract with the team that signed them at a certain point in the season to seek out big-league opportunities elsewhere. This appears to be the case with Waguespack, who spent about a week as a free agent in between the time that the Brewers released him and re-signed him to a minor league deal. Presumably, other teams weren't yet willing to grant Waguespack a spot on their 40-man rosters, so the right-hander opted for the consistency of remaining in the Brewers' organization.

It's excellent news for the Brewers, who may need Waguespack's services in their bullpen at some point in the 2026 campaign. While Waguespack has yet to prove himself at the big-league level, his numbers with the Sounds, backed up by impressive underlying metrics, suggest that he could be an effective fill-in for the Brew Crew should more injuries pop up.

For now, Waguespack looks to continue the success that he showed in Triple-A through the first month of the season, and string together strong outings as he awaits an opportunity with the big-league club.

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