Jonathan Broxton: Current Closer in Milwaukee

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Monday that as the roster stands right now, Broxton is the team's closer.

Analysis:

The expectation is that the Brewers will add a lefty to the bullpen to replace the departed Zach Duke, but Broxton is penciled in as the replacement for Francisco Rodriguez. In limited opportunities with the Brewers after he was acquired in August, Broxton had a 10.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 over 10.1 innings, while his past experience as a closer has seemingly placed him ahead of the likes of Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress on the depth chart. Roenicke mentioned Smith and Jeffress as options to pick up the occasional save when Broxton is unavailable. Of course, there are plenty of moving parts, including the potential return of Jim Henderson and Tyler Thornburg, the possibility of a trade, or the decision to use Jimmy Nelson out of the bullpen if the team's current stable of starting pitchers remain on the roster (and healthy) through spring training.