Brewers trade reliever in the midst of a dominant season in Triple-A to Tigers

Following a string of injuries to their relief corps, the Milwaukee Brewers have been forced to tap into their organizational pitching depth. With relievers like Ángel Zerpa, Jared Koenig, Rob Zastryzny, Carlos Rodriguez, and now Brian Fitzpatrick on the injured list and Jake Woodford recently being designated for assignment before re-signing with the Brewers on a minor league deal, Milwaukee has turned to arms like Drew Rom and the recently acquired Joel Kuhnel in recent days.

One name that was certainly in consideration as the Brewers were deciding who should join the big-league bullpen while the injuries started to pile up was 32-year-old right-hander Jacob Waguespack, whom Milwaukee signed to a minor league deal during the offseason. Waguespack, who broke into the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2019 and made four appearances for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024, was dominating his competition while pitching out of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds' bullpen this season.

In 16 appearances and 21.2 innings with the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate through the first two months of the 2026 campaign, Waguespack posted a 1.66 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. However, what was most eye-popping about Waguespack's time the Brewers' minor league system was the veteran right-hander's 36.3% strikeout rate -- the highest rate of his career. If Waguespack wasn't the next man up to the big-league bullpen, he was darn close, especially after his fellow offseason minor league free agent signee Rom earned the call to the majors earlier this week.

However, yesterday evening the Brewers announced that they had, somewhat surprisingly, traded Waguespack to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

Brewers trade minor league reliever Jacob Waguespack to Tigers for cash considerations or player to be named later

Not only do Waguespack's performance in the minor leagues and the Brewers' sudden onset of relief pitcher injuries make the move surprising, but the right-hander actually re-signed with Milwaukee back in early May after what appeared to be an upward mobility clause or opt-out in Waguespack's contract forced the organization to release him.

An upward mobility clause, which is a common inclusion in contracts for former big leaguers who sign minor league deals, allows the player to become a free agent if they aren't added to the major league roster by a certain date. It's likely that Waguespack had another opt-out date included in his new deal with the Brewers, that put pressure on the front office to deal him to another team before they potentially lost him for nothing.

Waguespack joins a Tigers' organization that is dealing with its own string of pitching injuries. However, with names like Tarik Skubal, Justin Verlander, Casey Mize, and Kenley Jansen all expected to return soon, it could be difficult for Waguespack to carve out a big-league role with his new team. Whoever does end up giving Waguespack a chance at the majors could end up being the beneficiaries of a late-career revival from the deceptive right-hander. If Waguespack's numbers with the Brewers' Triple-A squad are any indication, the veteran reliever deserves another shot in MLB.

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