Reds sign long forgotten old friend of the Brewers to contract that could be a steal

As a follower of the Milwaukee Brewers, you are more than forgiven if the name Aaron Wilkerson doesn't ring many bells for you. The right-hander initially joined the Brewers in July of 2016 as a part of the Aaron Hill trade with the Boston Red Sox. He made his big league debut in Milwaukee the next season.

Over the next three years, Wilkerson wound up making a total of 14 appearances for the Brewers, including three starts. He showed some small glimpses of hope, especially in a 10-inning cameo in 2017 that included a 5.2 no-hit performance against the St. Louis Cardinals, but he ultimately posted a 6.88 ERA, 6.10 FIP and 65 ERA+ through 35.1 big-league innings before being shown the door by the Crew.

Before he left, he managed to hit the first (and to this point - only) home run of his career, sending a ball into orbit against Michael Wacha of the Cardinals in 2019. This is likely how most people remember him in Milwaukee.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported on Monday night that Wilkerson had been signed to a minor league contract by the Cincinnati Reds. Again, you're forgiven if you thought the hurler had sailed off into retirement at this point. However, a closer look at his journey shows that the Reds may have gotten a real steal here.

Reds sign Brewers' old friend Aaron Wilkerson to contract

Now 35 years old, Wilkerson has not seen the big leagues since 2019, but he's made a few minor-league showings with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 and Oakland Athletics in 2023. In 2022, half of 2023 and this past season, he spent time overseas, making starts in both Japan and South Korea.

During the 2024 campaign, Wilkerson suited up for the Lotte Giants, where he made a full season of 32 starts for the first time in his entire professional career. Along the way, he went 12-8 with a 3.84 ERA, 167 strikeouts and just 27 walks across 196.2 innings, which was also a career-high. This performance came on the heels of a 13-start stint in 2023 where he posted a 2.26 ERA with 9.2 K/9, which is a high number coming from a pitcher who usually leans heavily on the groundball.

Since his deal with the Giants was of the single-year variety, he returned to the open market. It's hardly a surprise to see there be interested teams, especially one like the Reds who needs help in the experienced pitching depth department.

Things didn't go all that well during his first go-round in the states, but this time Wilkerson is returning as a new man. The Brewers have seen both sides of the whole "go overseas then come back" in recent years, with Eric Thames being a success and Josh Lindblom falling flat.

As things currently stand, the Reds have very little space in their big league starting rotation for Wilkerson to make the team out of camp, but he's a veteran arm who has shown some recent success, so it would not be a surprise to see him resurface at the game's highest level for the first time in over half a decade with the Brewers' division rival.

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