It might be time for the Brewers to give this former first-round pick another shot

Baseball’s top six bullpens all made the playoffs in 2024. There is almost always a direct correlation between bullpen success and team success, as the Milwaukee Brewers have demonstrated in recent years.

A dominant bullpen has become part of Milwaukee’s identity as of late. The 2024 Brewers were second in saves (53) thanks to Trevor Megill and Devin Williams and second in baseball in bullpen ERA (3.11). Milwaukee also had the second-best bullpen in MLB in 2023. Coincidentally, they won the NL Central in each of those seasons.

This recent strength of Milwaukee's hasn't been quite the same in 2025. While they've been strong as of late, the 2025 Brewers' bullpen surprisingly ranks 22nd in baseball with a 4.60 ERA. However, this stat requires more context. That high ERA is inflated by several poor performances by a small number of Brewers relievers. Early season struggles from Connor Thomas, Elvin Rodriguez, and Joel Payamps, who have combined to allow 45 earned runs in less than 40 innings this season, have made the bullpen's ERA seem far worse than it actually is.

Meanwhile, the Brewers' "A bullpen" consisting of Megill, Nick Mears, Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig, and Grant Anderson, has been more than steady. Of that bunch, Koenig holds the highest ERA at 3.44. However, Koenig is also the only lefty of the bunch, with the only other southpaws making more than two appearances out of the Brewers' bullpen being swingman Tyler Alexander and the inconsistent Bryan Hudson, who has been shuttled back and forth between MLB and Triple-A. In other words, the Brewers could use another lefty in their pen.

Surprisingly, a familiar left-handed option waiting in Triple-A Nashville might be the answer.

Tyler Jay's strong start to the season is turning heads

Tyler Jay was drafted out of the University of Illinois by the Minnesota Twins with the sixth overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. Jay spent four years in the Twins' minor league system and half a season in the Reds organization before leaving baseball altogether in 2020 and 2021. He returned to the game in 2022 and pitched in the independent Frontier League for two seasons before earning a minor league contract from the New York Mets. Jay ended up making his long-awaited major league debut on April 11th, 2024, at Citi Field. 

On July 21, Jay was traded from the Mets to the Brewers for right-handed pitching prospect TJ Shook, and he made two scoreless appearances for the Crew last July before he was optioned to Triple-A.

This past offseason was a whirlwind for Jay. The Brewers kept him on the 40-man roster well into the offseason. Doing so partially prevented Milwaukee from keeping RHP Shane Smith unprotected, who now looks like a frontline starter for the Chicago White Sox after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. After the damage was already done, the Brewers designated Jay for assignment. He was claimed by the Seattle Mariners, but re-signed with the Brewers one month later after he was released by Seattle.

Jay was sent to Triple-A Nashville to open the 2025 season, and he has been dominant. In 13 appearances for the Nashville Sounds, Jay has surrendered just one earned run over 12.1 innings. He has two saves, five holds, and has allowed only two hits in his last six appearances.

Meanwhile, the Brewers currently have a need for another southpaw in their pen and an open 40-man roster spot, which Jay would require if he were to be promoted. With Hudson still struggling to find his way in 2025, and Alexander serving as a length option rather than a one-inning reliever, Jay could be an intriguing addition to the Brewers' bullpen.

With an actual shot and a larger sample size, I’d be curious to see if Jay can establish himself as a legitimate big league reliever. Even at his age, we’ve seen it happen before.