Brewers sign RP Alex Wilson

[brewcrewdue80]

 

They're all wearing different shirts.

 

By the numbers this seems for an AL pitcher to be really good bullpen signing. He doesn't come with a high K rate but has low BB rate. 3.23 ERA for a career RP and has experience finishing games? This isn't like a one year wonder followed by next year blunder. Then a wonder again. Consistently below 3.40ERA 4 of last 5years. Surprised he's up for grabs that we could get him!

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Stearns had an interesting answer last night about how he thinks the league has shifted its deadline and his personal theory has always been it's a deadline-driven league. He talked about how you used to have to make your big move at the winter meetings, and over time it shifted to January. Then 4-5 years ago it shifted to March and the value of having guys at ST really plummeted. Most layers kept in shape on their own and that became the norm. Weird that a guy like Kimbrel still has no club, but basically he was saying the FA "chill" is more than likely the new norm.

[ewitkows]

The deal includes a $750K base salary along with unspecified incentives, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).

[FVBrewerFan]

The deal includes a $750K base salary along with unspecified incentives, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).

 

That settles it, definitely can't afford Kimbrel now

[patrickgpe]

I think this signing probably means Kimbrel was asking for too much or too many years.

Maybe but we Don’t know that. Stearns has signed a guy like fields and Wilson each year he has been here and it has worked out each year. Nothing wrong with improving the pen especially with Corey and JJ possibly being on the IL to start the season. The longer this drags on, the more likely you are probably right though.

[tigerbrew]

Alex Wilson passed his physical. His deal with the Brewers is official.

 

I really like this cheap $750K signing, Alex Wilson's stats is pretty good, I'm very surprise he was let go by the Tigers and Indians.

[Ennder]

I think this signing probably means Kimbrel was asking for too much or too many years.

Maybe but we Don’t know that. Stearns has signed a guy like fields and Wilson each year he has been here and it has worked out each year. Nothing wrong with improving the pen especially with Corey and JJ possibly being on the IL to start the season. The longer this drags on, the more likely you are probably right though.

 

Well I did say probably. The way the roster spots work out just suggests to me that they aren't going to add yet another guy. Knebel and Jeffress both could easily still pitch this season, the roster is getting very full.

[HiAndTight]

I think this signing probably means Kimbrel was asking for too much or too many years.

 

 

I think you could draw the conclusion that Kimbrel was asking for both of those before since he's been historically great and not yet signed, but I don't think the signing of Alex Wilson means anything regarding Kimbrel.

 

Had they traded for Will Smith, perhaps that would have, but not Alex Wilson.

[HiAndTight]

I think this signing probably means Kimbrel was asking for too much or too many years.

Maybe but we Don’t know that. Stearns has signed a guy like fields and Wilson each year he has been here and it has worked out each year. Nothing wrong with improving the pen especially with Corey and JJ possibly being on the IL to start the season. The longer this drags on, the more likely you are probably right though.

 

Well I did say probably. The way the roster spots work out just suggests to me that they aren't going to add yet another guy. Knebel and Jeffress both could easily still pitch this season, the roster is getting very full.

 

 

That's probably a better chance that Knebel doesn't pitch this year and ends up on the 60 day than there is at this point. Pitchers getting second opinions on their UCL seldom come back to dominante like Knebel did last year.

 

Also, shoulder injury-topping out at 84....good chance Jeffress also sees the 60 day as well.

[HiAndTight]

 

Adding Fields and Wilson and removing two of Albers, Barnes, or Petricka pretty much makes up the loss of Knebel. Yes having Knebel would be awesome, but having 5 or 6 guys that you can count on consistently to get outs is awesome as well. Adding those two in with Hader, Jeffress when he’s healthy, Claudio, and Guerra is a well above average bullpen.

 

 

I don't see how you make this math work.

 

First of all, Fields is a guy who has been extremely lucky the last two years, stranding nearly 90 pct of runners each year. He's also a fly ball pitcher who's moving from the NL West to the AL Central.

 

Oh, and he missed the last two months of last year with a shoulder injury.

 

Wilson is a fine middle reliever who is a middle of the road reliever.

 

I think there's just as good of a chance that Barnes and Albers out-perform them than they not only out-perform Barnes and Albers, but do so to SUCH a degree that they make up for the loss of Knebel? Not likely. Not unless they both turn into something that they haven't been in their careers to date.

 

And Albers at least has been dominant at some point with a 1.60 ERA and a .85 Whip two years ago, and Barnes is the guy on the team who's pure stuff is closest to Knebel. Getting Jacob Barnes to turn it around like Knebel did would be the closest we could come to making up for the loss of Knebel....

 

But I wouldn't count on either of those happening either. Just as I wouldn't count on Jeffress, who was already highly, highly unlikely to even approach last years success to come out of this shoulder injury and be an elite high leverage reliever.

 

Fields and Wilson are like medics on the scene of a gun shot to the chest. Two pieces of Gauze that will be used up and then discarded most likely for a better option down the road. At least hopefully that's the case...othewise our patient was DOA when he got to the hospital.

[Brew crew 92]

 

Adding Fields and Wilson and removing two of Albers, Barnes, or Petricka pretty much makes up the loss of Knebel. Yes having Knebel would be awesome, but having 5 or 6 guys that you can count on consistently to get outs is awesome as well. Adding those two in with Hader, Jeffress when he’s healthy, Claudio, and Guerra is a well above average bullpen.

 

 

I don't see how you make this math work.

 

First of all, Fields is a guy who has been extremely lucky the last two years, stranding nearly 90 pct of runners each year. He's also a fly ball pitcher who's moving from the NL West to the AL Central.

 

Oh, and he missed the last two months of last year with a shoulder injury.

 

Wilson is a fine middle reliever who is a middle of the road reliever.

 

I think there's just as good of a chance that Barnes and Albers out-perform them than they not only out-perform Barnes and Albers, but do so to SUCH a degree that they make up for the loss of Knebel? Not likely. Not unless they both turn into something that they haven't been in their careers to date.

 

And Albers at least has been dominant at some point with a 1.60 ERA and a .85 Whip two years ago, and Barnes is the guy on the team who's pure stuff is closest to Knebel. Getting Jacob Barnes to turn it around like Knebel did would be the closest we could come to making up for the loss of Knebel....

 

But I wouldn't count on either of those happening either. Just as I wouldn't count on Jeffress, who was already highly, highly unlikely to even approach last years success to come out of this shoulder injury and be an elite high leverage reliever.

 

Fields and Wilson are like medics on the scene of a gun shot to the chest. Two pieces of Gauze that will be used up and then discarded most likely for a better option down the road. At least hopefully that's the case...othewise our patient was DOA when he got to the hospital.

 

+1

 

Couldn’t agree more with your take here.

Only quibble would be Barnes closest to knebel

Barnes scrapped his 99 four seem of 2017 for cutter.

2017 closer to knebel 2018 regressed In my mind.

We see cause apparently crew still likes him.

[wntrtxn21]

 

They're all wearing different shirts.

 

By the numbers this seems for an AL pitcher to be really good bullpen signing. He doesn't come with a high K rate but has low BB rate. 3.23 ERA for a career RP and has experience finishing games? This isn't like a one year wonder followed by next year blunder. Then a wonder again. Consistently below 3.40ERA 4 of last 5years. Surprised he's up for grabs that we could get him!

 

Wilson isn't a game finisher RP. Only 4 saves in his entire career. Generally a guy used in the 6th-7th innings to get to the late inning guys. There has to be a reason every other team in MLB passed on him though. At least they say he is a ground ball type pitcher.

[HiAndTight]

 

Adding Fields and Wilson and removing two of Albers, Barnes, or Petricka pretty much makes up the loss of Knebel. Yes having Knebel would be awesome, but having 5 or 6 guys that you can count on consistently to get outs is awesome as well. Adding those two in with Hader, Jeffress when he’s healthy, Claudio, and Guerra is a well above average bullpen.

 

 

I don't see how you make this math work.

 

First of all, Fields is a guy who has been extremely lucky the last two years, stranding nearly 90 pct of runners each year. He's also a fly ball pitcher who's moving from the NL West to the AL Central.

 

Oh, and he missed the last two months of last year with a shoulder injury.

 

Wilson is a fine middle reliever who is a middle of the road reliever.

 

I think there's just as good of a chance that Barnes and Albers out-perform them than they not only out-perform Barnes and Albers, but do so to SUCH a degree that they make up for the loss of Knebel? Not likely. Not unless they both turn into something that they haven't been in their careers to date.

 

And Albers at least has been dominant at some point with a 1.60 ERA and a .85 Whip two years ago, and Barnes is the guy on the team who's pure stuff is closest to Knebel. Getting Jacob Barnes to turn it around like Knebel did would be the closest we could come to making up for the loss of Knebel....

 

But I wouldn't count on either of those happening either. Just as I wouldn't count on Jeffress, who was already highly, highly unlikely to even approach last years success to come out of this shoulder injury and be an elite high leverage reliever.

 

Fields and Wilson are like medics on the scene of a gun shot to the chest. Two pieces of Gauze that will be used up and then discarded most likely for a better option down the road. At least hopefully that's the case...othewise our patient was DOA when he got to the hospital.

 

+1

 

Couldn’t agree more with your take here.

Only quibble would be Barnes closest to knebel

Barnes scrapped his 99 four seem of 2017 for cutter.

2017 closer to knebel 2018 regressed In my mind.

We see cause apparently crew still likes him.

 

 

Well, he's not exactly the same as Knebel. He throws a slider while Knebel has that wipeout curve.

 

They both throw really hard and they both get a lot of movement and they are both like a lot of other pitchers, if they have decent control, not even command, just control, they can dominate.

 

According to fangraphs though, he hasn't changed anything since 2016....He's thrown a 4 seemer and a slider and he throws them just a tick slower than Corey, but when Corey really took off was when he started working up in the zone and then using that nasty curve to change levels on the hitter.

 

That IS tougher to do with a slider, tougher to throw a "get me over slider." Which is probably why he walks more and struggles more, but also looks dominant at times.

 

 

 

Anyway, Kimbrel or no Kimbrel, the Brewers are gonna need a pitcher we all didn't expect to be really good to be really good. Not counting on Wahl to make it back late this year, though I think he could have been the guy, but the early candidates I have are Barnes, Guerra as a reliever...that splitter is fily, Chase Anderson, if he can get it up to 94-95 in the pen and get that curve over, he could be good, and kinda gotta hope that Albers can go back to being a 9K per 9 IP type guy, and while I'm not expecting a .85 whip and a 1.60 ERA, a workhorse who can be in the upper 2.00's and be that rubber arm would be nice.

 

 

IF we miss out on Kimbrel, fine. Hopefully a few guys have really nice 1st haves and we can add a dominant reliever. But as it stands right now....I'd feel much better with Kimbrel. And then maybe Knebel will be that one guy out of 100 who is able to rehab that UCL and come back and pitch like Tanaka did for a bit. But I have zero confidence in the two guys we just added other than being the Dan Jennings-esque type additions. Two guys who aren't part of a playoff BP rotation in the big games but not horrible and keep our heads above water for a little while.

 

Who knows what we may get from our own system. Maybe Phil Bickford figures it out and shoots through the system to become an effective reliever.

[Brew crew 92]

Ok. I’ll go with fan graphs over my eyes, but that still means Barnes has lost 2 to 3 miles an hour off that fastball since 2017. My opinion Albers Barnes > prob not

Guerra > yes

Anderson > 70% yes

 

After super two there will definitely be candidates. Then there’s Nelson?

[djoctagone]

now that the deal is official, has a corresponding move on the 40-man been announced?

[SRB]

now that the deal is official, has a corresponding move on the 40-man been announced?

 

Sounds like Kratz is going to San Francisco

[brewcrewdue80]

 

They're all wearing different shirts.

 

By the numbers this seems for an AL pitcher to be really good bullpen signing. He doesn't come with a high K rate but has low BB rate. 3.23 ERA for a career RP and has experience finishing games? This isn't like a one year wonder followed by next year blunder. Then a wonder again. Consistently below 3.40ERA 4 of last 5years. Surprised he's up for grabs that we could get him!

 

Wilson isn't a game finisher RP. Only 4 saves in his entire career. Generally a guy used in the 6th-7th innings to get to the late inning guys. There has to be a reason every other team in MLB passed on him though. At least they say he is a ground ball type pitcher.

 

BRef has him finishing 58 games in 290 appearances for career. 20% of all games he's pitched in he finished. That is experience finishing games. Not closing games which 4 saves would apply to.

[Cirilloing]

Yes, but with that few saves in that many games finished it implies that he was very rarely used in high pressure 9th inning situations.. and i would think that is the experience we are hoping he would have as that could very well end up being what we need him for at times.

[Tbadder]

I like picking up Wilson. Just keep on adding arms, find out who’s hot that year, and ride them. Next year just repeat.

[brewcrewdue80]

The thing im looking at Wilson with regard to finishing game experience, are games that are 3run+ deficits/leads. He doesnt have to be a 5th/6th inning guy only. Useful in a situation when given the ball to finish a game not close, vs using Hader/Kneble/Jeffress. Saving Albers, and Williams/Barnes whom Im uncomfortable in that role.

[djoctagone]

alex wilson has been released by the brewers.

 

having been outrighted to the minor leagues this season, he was ineligible to be traded after the 31 july deadline.

 

by having been granted his release, he is free to sign a major league contract with any other club for the remainder of the season, and the brewers would be off the hook for the majority of the remainder of his 2019 salary.

 

the brewers clearly felt that there were better options than alex wilson to help them conclude the regular season and win in the postseason. this may have been a courtesy to a veteran to allow him to latch on to another team.

[trwi7]

Cubs signed him.