Brewers
Moves rough on experienced players Roster cuts not just minor
PHOENIX – Some tough news was delivered to players Wednesday as the Milwaukee Brewers made significant roster cuts.
For some, it was tougher than others.
Veteran reliever Joba Chamberlain was released, a move he said he didn’t see coming. Another reliever, Michael Blazek, took the news of his option to Class AAA Colorado Springs very hard, to the point of tears.
Infielder Yadiel Rivera was told it was better to play regularly at Colorado Springs than sit on the Brewers’ bench. Easy for the decisionmakers to say but players seldom if ever share that sentiment.
Outfielder Michael Reed, who played at Colorado Springs last season, was given even tougher news, getting sent to Class AA Biloxi because of an overload of outfield prospects at the top level. Going backward in an organization is always difficult to accept.
“These are never fun deci-
sions,” general manager David Stearns said. “They’re tough decisions. When you get this late in camp, it means that everyone here has a chance to make the major-league team. So, you’re sending players out who have legitimate reasons why they think they should be on the club.
“That’s always challenging. What we try to stress to the guys ... is there is opportunity through the season. We saw that last year. We ran through 50 players over the course of the season. We’re going to run through a similar amount again this year.
“The vast majority of players who we end up sending out from now until opening day are still going to play meaningful roles for our team moving forward.”
The Brewers made other moves, sending relievers David Goforth and Andy Oliver as well as catcher Dustin Houle to minor-league camp. Reliever Ryan Webb was released, leaving 34 players in camp one week before leaving Arizona.
Here is a breakdown of the four major decisions:
Michael Blazek: A big part of the Brewers’ bullpen in 2015 (2.43 ERA in 45 outings), Blazek had arm issues last season and struggled for the most part in 41 appearances (5.66 ERA). In particular, he had trouble throwing strikes, issuing 27 walks in 41 1⁄3 innings.
Working more on throwing his fastball this spring, Blazek issued only two walks in eight innings but also allowed nine hits and five earned runs (5.63 ERA) and fell behind other relief candidates.
“He finished last season in a place where we needed to get more strikes,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I think he has made a lot of progress toward that. I think he’s on a very good path. ... I know it’s disappointing for him but I think, ultimately, this is going to make him a better pitcher.
“He is not being excluded because he didn’t get hitters out this spring. I wouldn’t say it’s on his performance this spring. Last season was an up-and-down season for him. By the time the season ended, I don’t think he was healthy, but he wasn’t throwing the ball great. He’s throwing the ball better right now than he did at the end of last season.
“As a reliever, he’s not a big strikeout pitcher. He has never been a big strikeout pitcher. You combine lack of strikeouts with walks, something has to give there. The order of this doesn’t matter. If Mike Blazek is the guy performing and we need a reliever, he’ll be the guy.”
That might prove to be true but, for now, Blazek took the news hard. He thought he was doing what Counsell and pitching coach Derek Johnson wanted him to do, and didn’t see this cut coming.
“I’m not really happy about it. That’s about it,” Blazek said.
Asked what he was told, he said, “Just keep throwing strikes. That’s pretty much it. Keep throwing strikes.”
Joba Chamberlain: The right-hander signed a $1.375 million, nonguaranteed contract with the Brewers on Jan. 20 and was a non-roster invitee to camp.
A 10-year veteran, the 31-year-old Chamberlain established himself as a strong clubhouse presence from the start. But he didn’t distinguish himself enough on the mound from the Brewers’ perspective, going 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in eight appearances (eight innings).
Chamberlain also walked five, most among the team’s relievers, and failed to pitch even one clean inning.
Stearns confirmed there was no specific date in Chamberlain’s contract that necessitated his release.
“The thinking was we decided he wasn’t going to be on the 25-man roster,” Counsell added. “Give him time to find another place. I think he pitched well. It’s really we felt the other guys were ahead of him.”
Chamberlain admitted to being surprised by the move.
“Obviously we’re working on stuff in the spring,” Chamberlain said. “I felt like I accomplished the things we were working on, but obviously they didn’t see fit. It’s part of the game and you understand that. Wish them the best of luck and you move on from there.”
Chamberlain was one
of the most accomplished players with the Brewers this spring. He’s a former first-round pick of the Yankees who spent seven years in New York and two more with the Detroit Tigers before being cut midseason in 2016 by the Cleveland Indians.
It was the first time he failed to make a team out of spring training since 2008, his second year as a professional.
“It’s one of those things,” he said. “You understand there’s a lot of young guys in here trying to prove some things. (I was) just trying to come in and provide leadership in a lot of ways and you know what? I hope that in those few weeks these guys learned something in how you go about it and just to have fun and enjoy it.
“It doesn’t last forever.”
Michael Reed: Reed took the news especially hard because he was dropped two full levels on the organizational ladder.
Reed hit .280 with one home run and two RBI over 16 games (25 atbats) while playing both right and left field this spring. He was a September call-up for the second straight year in 2016, but that came on the heels of a disappointing season in which he hit .248 with eight homers and 45 RBI in 121 games in an offensively conducive environment at Colorado Springs.
“It’s tough anytime you go backward,” Reed said. “But if you look at it like that it can mess with you a little bit. So I try to look at the positives and do whatever I can to continue to progress.”
With top prospect Lewis Brinson along with Ryan Cordell, Brett Phillips and Kyle Wren all ticketed for Colorado Springs, there wasn’t going to be significant playing time available for Reed.
“Really, the impetus for that is we want Michael to play every day,” Stearns said. “In Triple-A, there’s going to be a rotation there. Guys are going to be filtering in and out because we have so many outfielders there, and we wanted to make sure we gave Michael every opportunity we could to play as much as he could to get himself back on track.
“Michael had a really good year in 2015 in Double-A. I think he would admit he took a step backward last year in Triple-A, and so we’re going to give him a chance to get his feet back under him.
“Prove to us that he is the player he was in 2015, and then we’ll get him going again.”
Yadiel Rivera: A strong spring showing allowed Rivera to make the opening day roster last spring, but he went up and down to Colorado Springs four times. The result was only 66 at-bats in the majors, and Stearns and Counsell thought it would be best for Rivera to play every day in the minors.
“They want me to dominate Triple-A,” said Rivera, 24, who hit .212 for the Brewers last season with a .235 OBP. “They want me to play more. They don’t want to do the same thing as last year, have me on the bench and don’t play every day.
“Everybody wants to be in ‘The Show,’ but I’m going to play more. Everybody picks the big leagues, no matter if you play every day or not. Nothing I can do about it. They know I can play in the big leagues. They just want me getting at-bats.”
Depending on the roster composition at Colorado Springs, Rivera likely will be the everyday shortstop. But the Brewers value positional versatility, so he’ll see action at second base and third base as well.
“Yadiel is a player who defensively is a big-leaguer,” Counsell said. “On the bases, he’s a big-leaguer. Offensively, we need him to take the next step. Regular playing time is the best way for him to do that.”