Brewers' Corey Knebel: Could be in line to close for Milwaukee

Knebel appears poised to enter spring training as the Brewers' top closer candidate, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Analysis:

In less than six months, Knebel has skyrocketed up the pecking order in the Brewers' bullpen, as the team shipped away its top two relievers in Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith at the trade deadline this past summer, and dealt Tyler Thornburg, who served as the team's primary closer in the second half, to the Red Sox on Tuesday. While the Brewers will likely make further additions to the bullpen as the offseason progresses, Knebel, a 25-year-old with a biting mid-90s fastball, now looks like the top option remaining in an inexperienced bullpen. Though early-season struggles resulted in Knebel spending much of the first half in the minors, he seemed to make positive adjustments upon rejoining the club after the All-Star break, posting an 18.2 K-BB percentage en route to a 3.43 FIP. He'll likely need to perform well in spring training in order to secure closing duties, but he could represent an attractive late-round dart for those who draft early.