Recently I picked five pitchers from the Yahoo free-agent checklist that could be possible fits for the Brewers. I was going to write a post based on the five: starters Brett Anderson and Gavin Floyd, swingman and former Brewer Chris Capuano, and relievers Jared Burton and Chris Perez.
However, owing to the pace with which free agents are being snapped up by other clubs, less than a week later, Brett Anderson has signed a big-money deal with the Dodgers, Gavin Floyd has signed a not-insignificant ($4MM+) pact with the Indians, and Chris Capuano re-upped with the Yankees.
So while we wait to see if the Brewers are the mystery team in Boston’s “active trade talks regarding Allen Craig,” let’s take a look at Burton and Perez as potential bullpen options for the Brew Crew.
Burton is a right-handed pitcher, a tall, burly type at 6’ 5”, 225 lb. and he’ll be 34 in June. Age is more of a state of mind for the relief corps. Burton has spent time in the Reds and Twins organizations, most recently three years in the Minnesota pen. He made $3.25 million last year but was bought out for $200K by the Twins following the season so they could avoid a $3.6MM option.
Burton wasn’t great last year by any means, which is probably why the Twins cut him loose. He sported an ERA of 4.36 in 64 innings pitched and 21 games finished. Burton’s FIP was 4.23 and he had a 1.29 WHIP. In 2014 Burton’s walk total increased while his strikeouts declined.
However, in 2012 and 2013, Burton posted ERAs of 2.18 and 3.82, respectively, in about the same number of innings as he threw in 2014. As recently as 2012 his FIP was .919 and the walks were lower while the strikeouts higher.
Burton is a guy who’s thrown a lot of innings over the last few years, and the Brewers could use the workhorse-type in their bullpen reservoir. Granted, Burton has had his troubles locating pitches and handling late-game duties. He’s had issues over the years but could be a solid contributor if right.
As for pressure-cooker duties, the Brewers have better options to back up presumed-closer Jon Broxton, such as Jeremy Jeffress. Nevertheless, at a low-salary one-year deal, perhaps Burton could be useful in a middle-innings capacity for Milwaukee.
Burton can still throw the fastball in the low 90s, but unless the Brewers can sign him very cheaply, he may not be worth bringing aboard. He doesn’t project to be much better than a replacement-level reliever, but he does eat a lot of innings.
The 29-year-old Chris Perez is another option the Brewers could consider to fortify the relief corps going into spring training 2015. Perez is also a right-hander, with a similar physique to Burton though reportedly an inch shorter and a bit more portly. Perez was an All-Star in 2011 and 2012 with Cleveland. From 2010 through 2013, he recorded 123 saves.
After things soured with Cleveland, including the notorious incident in which Perez had marijuana sent to his home in his dog’s name, he moved on to the Dodgers. The 2014 season wasn’t so good for Perez, though, as he posted a 4.27 ERA, a bloated 5.07 FIP, and 1.36 WHIP. His walks were up and strikeouts down from previous years, though he pitched only 46 innings after reaching at least 54 in the three seasons prior.
Like Burton, Perez has been known to struggle with inconsistency and his peripheral numbers, like Burton’s, don’t suggest things are going to improve wildly. But Perez can still throw some heat with a fastball around 94 mph, which could be useful. Should he get his mojo back he also could serve as a backup closer.
I’m guessing neither of these guys signs with the Brewers, but these may be the types of guys GM Doug Melvin is looking at. Presumably each could be signed to a short-term contract with a low salary to rebuild market value and the team assumes little risk.
One thing the Brewers shouldn’t do is spend big money on relievers. It seems like every year teams find relievers here and there and turn them into gold with little investment. Zach Duke of the 2014 Brewers is a good example. Pat Neshek, who just signed a $12MM deal with the Astros for two years, was basically available for free last offseason as well. It’s better to roll the dice on unknown-commodity relievers than to roll the payroll into something unworkable in a desperate stretch for bullpen depth.
I’d rather have Gerardo Parra than some overpaid reliever, regardless of the latter’s experience or flash factor. The Brewers could certainly use some bullpen help, but they have a decent bullpen core as is, and should look to augment it reasonably.
Jared Burton is number 91 on Yahoo’s free-agent value list, while Chris Perez is number 100. Not exactly sexy, but they are guys who have pitched a fair amount of innings recently (i.e. they aren’t coming back from Tommy John or other serious injuries) and are still relatively young.
Speaking of age not being a factor for some relievers: If not Burton or Perez, maybe the nearly 40-year-old Jamey Wright could come back to Milwaukee? He pitched for the Brewers back in 2000-01 and has been a pretty darn reliable arm for a long time. Dude pitched 70 innings last year with a 3.47 FIP. Give Wright a call, Doug!
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