Milwaukee Brewers: Could A Reunion with A Former Fan Favorite Make Sense?

In 2023 Brent Suter pitched for a team not named the Milwaukee Brewers for the first time in his career. The first five years of his career was spent with the Brew Crew, but last offseason he was claimed off of waivers by the Colorado Rockies. After playing out his final year of team control in the Mile High City he is now a free agent for the first time.

As a member of the Rockies, Suter pitched exceptionally well. Despite the elevation and increased prevalence of home runs at Coors Field the southpaw allowed just three home runs all last season. Additionally he had good results on the mound with a 3.38 ERA over 69.1 innings pitched.

Given his strong results last year, his track record of success (3.49 career ERA), and his ability to operate both as a short and long reliever his market is reportedly starting to heat up. MLB Insider Robert Murray recently relayed that up to eight teams were interested in him.

Would a Milwaukee Brewers reunion with Brent Suter make sense?

The two primary lefties on the Brewers 40-man roster who will operate out of the bullpen in 2024 are Hoby Milner and Bryan Hudson. Milner has been a stable presence for Milwaukee each of the past two seasons whereas Hudson was just acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hudson does have minor league options remaining and just made his MLB debut last year.

Other players who may factor in include Aaron Ashby, Ethan Small, and Clayton Andrews. Ashby is the most talented pitcher out of this group but he underwent shoulder surgery in 2023. A decrease in his velocity upon returning to pitching prevented him from coming back to Major League Baseball last year and it currently is unclear as to what his role will be in 2024. Small and Andrews are very low on the depth chart.

Given the current situation of the Brewers pitching configuration a reunion with Brent Suter may not make the most sense right now. He made just $3.0MM a season ago in his final year of arbitration, so he likely is looking for something higher than that and with a few years attached to it.

At this time the Brewers should pass on targeting Brent Suter. Even though he is a solid relief option who provides value via production and versatility, Milwaukee currently has compiled a solid list of left-handed pitchers and the high level of interest may spark a bidding war that puts Suter out of the Brewers desired price range for a reliever.