Transaction Roundup: Boxberger option declined and more

As teams are getting their rosters set for the offseason, there will be a load of movement over the coming week MLB-wide. The Brewers have a number of their own moves for us to look at and get caught up on. 

Brad Boxberger's option was declined.
This move isn’t as shocking of a bullpen move as trading away Josh Hader, but it still comes with some intrigue. Brad Boxberger doesn’t have the stuff to be a lockdown reliever, but for the past three seasons, he has found a way to be a valuable bullpen arm, even if his stuff isn’t great. Over the past two seasons, Boxberger has thrown 128.2 innings with a 3.15 ERA, 10.6 K/9, and a 129 ERA +. 

While the success has been there, at 34 years old, some trends have made even what was only a $3 million option one to question. From 2021 to 2022, Boxberger saw a drop in his WHIFF% on every one of his pitches. Most significantly, his slider dropped from 33.9% to 23.7%. After the declined option, Boxberger went through waivers unclaimed and could be reunited with the Brewers at a lower salary if they still saw him fitting into their 2023 plans. 

Brewers trade for catching depth
It has been well-documented this season that the Brewers will need to bolster their catching corps. That happened this week, although not quite in the way fans would have hoped. We highlight bringing back one old friend of the Brewers here at Brewers Fanatic, and the Brewers went and brought back a different one in Payton Henry. 

The hope for Henry has always been that he had power potential in his bat and a good glove. He needed to make enough contact to see that power come to fruition. That led to Henry being the 15th-ranked prospect in the Brewers system in 2020 by mlb.com until he was traded in 2021 to acquire John Curtiss from the Marlins. In 20 MLB games, Henry has hit .143/.314/.143. So he is depth but has some further development before we get too excited about him.     

RHP Tyson Miller claimed from the Rangers
Tyson Miller made his major league debut in 2020 for the Chicago Cubs when he was called up and appeared in two games. Miller saw more action this past season, with the Texas Rangers bringing his total MLB experience up to 6 games, 15 ⅔ innings, and a 9.19 ERA. Going back to 2020, the right-hander was the 26th prospect in the Cubs system, according to mlb.com.

At age 27, Miller uses a fastball that averages 91 mph with an 81 mph slider and 86 mph changeup. With that mix, he doesn’t look like a candidate to be a regular major league contributor in any way. Miller is likely coming to the Brewers to add depth at the minor league level if he makes it through the continued roster shuffling that will happen this offseason. If Miller does make it through the offseason on the 40-man, don’t rule out him making an appearance for the Brewers at some point in 2023 since he has some major league experience.