Brewers add to bullpen with Orioles’ Drake
CINCINNATI – Brewers manager Craig Counsell wasn’t kidding when he said the final spot in the bullpen might be “fluid” in the early stages of the season.
The roster roulette in that spot continued late Thursday night when the Brewers acquired righthander Oliver Drake from Baltimore for a player to be named later or cash. Drake replaced David Goforth, who was designated for assignment just four days after coming up from Class AAA Colorado Springs.
Goforth had replaced lefty Brent Suter, who also was up only four days before being returned to the Sky Sox. And don’t forget that Jared Hughes was signed and added to the pen on the eve of opening day.
“I think you saw this at the beginning of last year as well,” Counsell said, referring to the revolving door through which Ariel Pena, Sam Freeman, Michael Kirkland and Neil Ramirez all came and went.
“We’re going to always try to upgrade the roster, and we feel at this point Oliver is an upgrade. We had an opportunity to acquire him, so he’s the latest member of the bullpen.”
Drake, 30, became available when he was designated for assignment by the Orioles, who did some bullpen shuffling of their own. The Brewers and Orioles did other relief business when Damien Magnifico was sent to Baltimore for international signing bonus slot No. 15, valued at $885,300.
Magnifico had been designated for assignment Sunday at Colorado Springs to open a 40-man roster spot for Goforth. So, you could say the Brewers lost the hardthrowing righty for four days of Goforth but assistant general manager Matt Arnold said the extra international money could lead to the signings of more players in that market before the June 15 deadline.
“Getting the extra cap space could help us improve in that area,” Arnold said. “We’re working on that stuff every day. And it’s a good commitment from ownership that we want to do things in that market. It’s a good sign to our international staff as well. It’s a great opportunity to add more talent.”
Drake was a teammate of Brewers starter Zach Davies at Class AAA Norfolk in 2015 (Davies was traded to Milwaukee that July) when he compiled a 0.82 ERA over 42 appearances, went 23-for-23 in save opportunities and struck out 66 hitters in 44 innings, earning Baltimore’s minor league pitcher of the year award.
Drake pitched well again in Norfolk in 2016 and had modest success in 30 appearances with the Orioles over two-plus seasons, posting a 3.89 ERA. The 6-foot-4, 215pounder comes straight over the top and relies heavily on a split-finger fastball, which the Brewers think will give hitters a different look.
“He’s a little different than sinkerballers like Jhan (Mariñez) and Jared (Hughes),” Counsell said. “They’re similar guys in both relying heavily on the sinker. They are kind of east-west guys. Oliver is more of a north-south guy with the split-finger. So, it’s a little different style of right-handed pitcher, which I think is helpful.”
A Massachusetts native, Drake has an unusual background. He was at the U.S. Naval Academy when the Orioles took him in the 43rd round of the 2008 draft. By leaving after his sophomore year, Drake was excused from his military commitment and instead focused on baseball.
“It was a hard decision to leave (the Academy). It’s a very special place,” he said. “There are a lot of amazing people there. I made the decision to leave two weeks before I had to make that (military) commitment.
“In an ideal world, I would have been able to graduate and still play baseball. But playing baseball is something I wanted to do since I was kid, so I was happy with my decision.”
Asked about throwing a splitter 50% of the time, Drake said, “It was just kind of trial and error. I started with the traditional ‘split the fingers,’ and then I talked to guys, looked online at pictures of other guys who threw splitters. I found a grip that works for me.
“I could never throw a changeup when I was a starter, so I said, ‘Let’s try this pitch.’ It ended up working pretty good. I’ve had a lot of success with it.”
As for the trade to the Brewers, Drake said, “It’s a fresh start, so I’m excited about the opportunity.”