Brewers owner says team still has money for free-agent pitching
The Milwaukee Brewers might not be finished adding just yet.
Milwaukee has already made two of the bigger splashes this week by trading for Christian Yelich and signing highly-coveted free agent Lorenzo Cain. But the smaller-market club is still in need of some help on the mound, and owner Mark Attanasio appears ready to do what he can to help.
Speaking at the "Brewers On Deck" gathering Sunday, Attanasio told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that even after bringing in Yelich and Cain the team still has room in its budget to sign one of the big-name free-agent starters still on the market.
"You can never have enough pitching and (general manager) David (Stearns) is working on it," Attanasio added.
Attanasio said there was a meeting of the front office brain trust in October and the decision was made that 2018 was just as important as 2020 in this rebuild. Thus, Yelich and Cain (and it sounds like more to come).
— Tom (@Haudricourt) January 28, 2018
The Brewers have already added two veteran back-end arms to their rotation this winter in free-agent signings Yovani Gallardo and Jhoulys Chacin. But their projected Opening Day rotation remains a weaker area on the roster, especially with ace Jimmy Nelson beginning the season on the disabled list as he continues to recover from a torn labrum.
Brewers' Projected 2018 Opening Day Rotation
| Pitcher | GP | ERA | K/BB | WHIP | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Anderson | 25 | 2.74 | 133/41 | 1.090 | 4.1 |
| Zach Davies | 33 | 3.90 | 124/55 | 1.354 | 2.9 |
| Jhoulys Chacin | 32 | 3.89 | 153/72 | 1.270 | 2.4 |
| Yovani Gallardo | 28 | 5.72 | 94/60 | 1.515 | -0.2 |
| Junior Guerra | 21 | 5.12 | 67/43 | 1.479 | -0.1 |
Only a few days before completing the acquisitions of Yelich and Cain, it was reported that the Brewers had made All-Star right-hander Yu Darvish a contract offer. Earlier in January, they were said to have been one of four teams who reportedly submitted an offer to former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta. Both Darvish and Arrieta have yet to find homes for 2018 and beyond.
Lance Lynn, formerly of the NL Central rival St. Louis Cardinals, is another free-agent starter who's apparently drawn interest from the Brewers.
Alternatively, the Brewers could opt to try and add starting pitching via trade. Due to their sudden glut of outfielders, slugger Domingo Santana is reportedly being dangled for pitching help.