Fixing the Need: Do the Brewers Really Have a Hole in the Closer Role?
After trading away Jeremy Jeffress at the trade deadline last year in a package that included catcher, Jonathan Lucroy, to the Texas Rangers and later traded Tyler Thornburg to the Boston Red Sox in exchange of a package of players including third baseman, Travis Shaw. Those two trades alone left Milwaukee without a star closer and left a lot of uncertainty regarding the future and that role.
Although some might argue that Milwaukee currently doesn't have a clear cut option for the closer role and should go outside of the organization to fulfill the need, there are some internal options that could very well fill the void. Granted, they're not the most attractive options out there, but they would provide Milwaukee with some clarity and the opportunity to save some money.
One possible internal option for Milwaukee is 34-year old, right-handed pitcher, Carlos Torres. Torres was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox during the 15th round of the 2004 Amateur Draft and signed as a free agent in April of last year with the Brewers. Last year alone, Torres had a very good season pitching to the tune of a 2.73 ERA in 82.1 IP, recording 78 strikeouts along with 2 saves in 5 save opportunities. Torres could be a potential option albeit he has a very limited track record in the closer role.
Another potential option would be 25-year old, right-handed pitcher, Corey Knebel. Knebel spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Brewers and had a good year in 2015 followed by a poor year last season. During the 2016 season, Knebel recorded a 4.68 ERA in 32.2 IP with 38 strikeouts and 2 saves in 4 save opportunities. Again, Knebel is another potential option, but someone that doesn't have a long track record in the closer role.
Beyond these two options, the best internal candidate can be found down in Triple-A Colorado Springs in Yhonathan Barrios. Barrios just turned 25 years old and has a fairly good track record with 6 different minor league teams over the past 4 seasons. He did miss all of last year due to a right shoulder injury, but Milwaukee resigned him in November on a minor league contract. In 2015 alone, Barrios recorded 17 saves in 19 save opportunities, posted a 2.83 ERA in 60.1 IP, and had 37 strikeouts in that span. The fact that he has a career 33 saves in 39 save opportunities could certainly give him a leg up over Torres and Knebel.
Yet again, the Brewers could always take a different route and elect to sign a free agent, back of the bullpen reliever to a one-year deal which would allow the three pitchers named above time to grow and get into solid form. A few potential options on the free agent market for Milwaukee include: David Hernandez, Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, or even Greg Holland.
Either way, if the Brewers elect to stay with an internal option or decide to go the free agent route, the closer role is a position of uncertainty for Milwaukee, but since they likely won't contend in 2017 and will continue to rebuild, it's not their most pressing need and something they certainly don't need to panic about.
