Brewers' pitching depth results in two veteran opt-outs

It's no secret that the Milwaukee Brewers have a ridiculous amount of pitching depth. Last week, Reviewing the Brew's Tyler Miller wrote about how the Brewers' Triple-A starting rotation is just as strong as some MLB starting staffs. But the depth extends past the starting rotation; the Brewers have several major-league caliber relief arms pitching for their Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds, as well.

Currently rostered by the Sounds are Bryan Hudson, Easton McGee, Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps, and Craig Yoho, all of whom have pitched, to varying degrees of success, for the Brewers at some point this season. Additionally, outside of Payamps, each of the relievers mentioned in the previous sentence currently resides on the Brewers' 40-man roster, which makes it far more likely that they would be called upon to replace a big-league reliever than one of their Sounds teammates who is not on the 40-man.

For a former big-leaguer trying to return to MLB, sitting behind that kind of depth without a spot on the 40-man roster can be frustrating. It means that the veteran would either have to force their way onto the big-league roster with exceptional play, or count on the downfall of countless arms ahead of them on the depth chart.

Luckily, for two veterans in that exact position — waiting on the Triple-A roster without a clear path back to the big leagues in the Brewers' organization — another option exists in the form of an opt-out clause.

Vinny Nittoli and Bruce Zimmermann opt out of Brewers contracts, become free agents

Opt-outs generally exist in the contracts of former big leaguers who sign minor league contracts with a new organization. It serves as a way for the player to explore other options if they find themselves in an unfavorable situation at some point during the season. It's common for the "opt-out date" to occur prior to the start of the MLB season, during spring training, allowing a player who is unlikely to make their current team’s big-league roster to join a different squad before the inception of the new season.

Two Brewers veterans, Vinny Nittoli and Bruce Zimmermann, had midseason opt-out dates, and over the All-Star Break they exercised them, as reported by Jim Goulart of brewerfanatic.com and Steve Adams of mlbtraderumors.com.

As Goulart mentioned, the Brewers officially released both Nittoli and Zimmermann. Teams have the option to add recently opted-out players to their active roster, and if they choose not to do so, the player becomes a free agent.

Nittoli, a relief pitcher who has appeared in parts of four MLB seasons, joined the Brewers on a minor league deal back in October. He pitched well in his 27 appearances out of the Sounds' bullpen this year, posting a 3.86 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 28 innings. Nittoli, who holds a 2.41 ERA in his 15 career MLB appearances, should garner plenty of interest and could still easily crack a major league roster during the second half of the season.

Zimmermann, on the other hand, is a starting pitcher who is stuck behind the Brewers' plethora of starting pitching options on the organizational depth chart. Signed to a minor league deal as starting depth by the Brewers this past offseason, Zimmermann made 26 total starts for the Baltimore Orioles in 2021 and 2022, but posted a pedestrian 5.54 ERA. He's been solid, but unspectacular for the Sounds this season, holding a 4.35 ERA through 19 appearances that include 13 starts. Zimmermann could find a home as a back-end rotation piece or long reliever for a team that needs an innings eater.

The two decisions by veterans who will almost certainly be back in the MLB at some point speak to just how much depth the Brewers have in the pitching department. Each knew that they had little chance of making it back to the big leagues in Milwaukee and opted for an alternate route.