Brewers add Junis on 1-year deal, trade Small to Giants

The Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Jakob Junis agreed to a one-year contract, the club announced Wednesday.

The pact is worth $7 million and includes a mutual option for 2025, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Milwaukee plans for Junis to start after he was used as a swingman by the San Francisco Giants over the last two seasons, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.

Meanwhile, the Brewers also traded left-hander Ethan Small to the Giants for cash, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The move opens up a roster spot for Junis.

Junis posted a 3.87 ERA with 1.29 WHIP and 96 strikeouts over 86 innings (four starts) with the Giants in 2023. He's made 110 starts over a seven-year career that also included five campaigns with the Kansas City Royals.

The 31-year-old could take the rotation spot vacated by Corbin Burnes after the latter was traded to the Baltimore Orioles last Thursday.

Small was drafted 28th overall in 2019. He's yet to find his footing in the majors, amassing an 8.71 ERA over a combined 10 1/3 innings. Small was designated for assignment last week. The 26-year-old authored a 3.18 ERA with 10.8 K/9 over 38 appearances as a reliever in Triple-A last season.