Brewers lose bullpen bounceback candidate to Yankees after recent DFA

The Milwaukee Brewers excited the fanbase last weekend when they promoted right-hander Peter Strzelecki to the major league roster. Strzelecki was a shut-down reliever for the Crew back in 2022, and fans were enthused to see him return to the organization on a minor league deal this past offseason. Excited too was Strzelecki himself, who had nothing but positive things to say about the Brewers and his time spent in Milwaukee prior to a 2023 trade deadline deal that landed him with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Unfortunately, Strzelecki's stint on the Brewers this time around didn't include a single appearance. It was a tough situation in which the right-hander was promoted for game two of the Brewers' weekend series against the Minnesota Twins last week, but designated for assignment before the series finale without pitching in his lone game with the big-league squad.

It's likely that it was always the plan for Strzelecki to have a brief stint on the Brewers' roster this past weekend. Milwaukee promoted him after they sent Coleman Crow back down to the minor leagues following his spot start in the series opener. In need of another arm, Milwaukee promoted Robert Gasser on Sunday, and, as the last man in the bullpen, Strzelecki was unfortunately the casualty of a series of strategic roster decisions that allowed the Brewers to keep their relief corps at full strength throughout the changes in their rotation.

Strzelecki, who owned a 4.16 ERA through 16 appearances with the Nashville Sounds through the first two months of the season, was exposed to waivers. He cleared waivers, and the Brewers' outrighted him to Triple-A, but Strzelecki rejected the assignment and opted for free agency instead -- an option afforded to him due to the fact that he has been outrighted in the past.

Over the weekend, Strzelecki signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees, who are hoping to tap into the success that the now-31-year-old reliever displayed back in 2022.

New York Yankees sign Peter Strzelecki, who remains an intriguing bullpen arm, to a minor league contract

The Yankees will be the sixth organization with whom Strzelecki has spent time since the Brewers signed him as an undrafted free agent back in June of 2018. He rose through the Brewers' minor league system and made his debut back in 2022. A year later, he was traded to the D-Backs for Andrew Chafin at the trade deadline, in a deal that the Brewers would like to forget.

Since his trade to Arizona, Strzelecki has spent time with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays, Brewers (for the second time), and now the Yankees. Due to the deal being a minor league pact, Strzelecki will not immediately earn a spot on New York's 40-man roster, and he has been optioned to Triple-A to begin his time in the Yankees' organization.

Strzelecki, especially given the fact that he's leaning into a sinker now over his previously oft-used four-seam fastball, remains an intriguing bounceback candidate, and the Yankees could be the beneficiaries of a second career breakout from the right-hander. He possesses an excellent slider, which should play even better off of a sinker than it does off of his four-seamer. Strzelecki never threw his sinker more than 20% of the time in any season, but this year, he's throwing it 48.5% of the time -- more than any other pitch.

Strzelecki didn't have a clear role in the Brewers' bullpen, which is becoming increasingly crowded due to the additions of Shane Drohan and Chad Patrick and the upcoming returns of Jared Koenig and Rob Zastrynzy. However, maybe Strzelecki can carve out a role in New York if his revamped arsenal continues to pay dividends.

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