Brewers reliever Corey Knebel has elected to undergo Tommy John surgery, he tells reporters including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link). The rehab process will take him out of action for all of the 2019 season and quite likely some of 2020 as well.
Knebel had been weighing the replacement of his right ulnar collateral ligament after speaking with multiple physicians. Evidently, it was less than a clear-cut decision, but he ultimately decided to bite the bullet rather than taking an uncertain rehab course that may only have delayed the inevitable.
The 27-year-old hurler had already agreed to a $5.125MM arbitration salary in his second season of eligibility. As a former Super Two qualifier, he’s eligible twice more. Whether the Brewers elect to tender him a contract next fall may depend upon how his rehab is progressing. Knebel would stand to earn a repeat of this season’s salary, which may be a bit of an expensive gamble. The presence of another season of arb eligibility certainly boosts the merits of a tender.
No matter how the future plays out, the reality at present is that the Brewers are down a key arm in the pen. Though he wasn’t as dominant last year as he had been in 2017, Kluber still ran up 55 1/3 innings of 3.58 ERA ball while recording an eye-popping 14.3 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Thankfully, the unit is still headlined by Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress (once he’s off the IL), but there’s little question it’s weakened from its ’18 levels.
yessir2020
Damn
todd76
That’s not good. Probably bring in Kimbrel now?
dray16
he’d probably rather sit out a year and sign with someone in 2020
nymetsking
that’d be dumb on his part. He’s not getting any younger. Whatever he gains by having the pick removed, he loses by aging.
stymeedone
Don’t knock anyone aging. It beats the alternative.
Strike Four
He’s 31, he’s literally in his prime. Just stop.
AtlSoxFan
He still has potential to be effective, but he was better when he was younger.
alski353
You got one helluva point.
kenleyfornia2
He is signing after the draft at the latest.
Strike Four
Probably should have gotten him even before this.
Whichever contender gets Kimbrel is making the WS, book it.
davidkaner
They better! Can’t let the season to unravel because of money. Give him 3 & 39 & he will jump at it!
Dok1234
You don’t think Kimbrel hasn’t already been offered something comparable to 3/39? Dude has been rumored to want six years.
I highly doubt he’s jumping at that.
joncoley
Enter Craig Kimbrel
ib6ub9
Zack Brown here we come.
tsolo85
Ebel Knebel would have pitched through the injury, and flew over some flaming cars while coming in from the bullpen.
trendysayings
I actually think they’ll trade for another reliever rather than go after Kimbrel, if they sign a replacement at all. They’ll probably just wait until the deadline to address their bullpen if it really is an issue
spudchukar
It is later than you think. No Kneble, no Jeffries, and Hader threw 20 pitches yesterday. With Peralta, Woodruff, and Burnes due up next, none of which go deep into games. Cards may feast.
batty
Huge blow.
afsooner02
While it hurts a little, let’s not pretend he’s even our third best relief pitcher. (Hader, burnes and jj are all better.)
We will be just fine without him and without Kimbrel.
iladelph53
Burnes is starting
afsooner02
For now….
jbigz12
They’re in even worse shape if burnes isn’t starting later. This hurts the brewers a lot. They rely on their pen more than anyone w that rotation they have. Woodruff is also now in the rotation. This is a huge loss. Brewers fans have to admit that.
biasisrelitive
And kenbel is better than kJ
afsooner02
Maybe in 2017 he was
jbigz12
Knebel came back in September and posted 16.1 innings of shut out baseball where he struck out 33 guys. He then followed that up with 10 innings of 1 run ball in the postseason. He’s a huge reason the brewers won that division. There’s no need to debate whether he or Jeffress is better. It really doesn’t matter they’re both integral parts of their success. Don’t act like this doesn’t hurt them a good deal. It definitely does.
Strike Four
No, you absolutely will not be better with Taylor Williams over Craig Kimbrel.
The stupidity on these comment threads just gets worse and worse. Fans literally defend owners pocketing the massive, spiraling out of control profits over winning.
bobtillman
Normally I’d agree, but at 125M in payroll, the Brewers are about as high as they can go, without sacrificing monies earmarked for draft/international expenses.. The Cubs they ain’t. Small/Mid market teams DO have their limitations, just not as many as they whine they do.
afsooner02
Ding ding ding….called reality….brewers can’t afford kimbrel. Otherwise he’d be there. The stupidity of posters not understanding that is incredible.
Solar Flare
Wouldn’t that make Knebel their fourth best relief pitcher, not third as you said?
twentyforty
Victim No. 2 of Counsells bullpen charade of the last seizure weeks of 2018. Hader is next. That pitching staff will be lucky to get them to .500. Sorry Brewers fans but your window was the fortunate run in 2018. 3rd place at best this year.
alski353
I’ll just file that exactly where it belongs…
Frank_Stallone1
Knebel missed 6 weeks last year with a hamstring injury and you think he was over worked? Are you slow?
GarryHarris
I thought the same thing about the. Rewears overuse of the pen…
The closest comparison I can remember is when the mid-early 1970s ChiSox and Chuck Tanner used 3-man rotations. Except for Wilbur Wood and Goose Gossage, all those promising pitchers were worn out. By 1977, the ChiSox has just a shell of a pitching staff.
GarryHarris
$:( *#! iPhone edits…
Frank_Stallone1
Youh don’t say! Pitchers have always had arm injuries?
Thomas James
Dude, he complained about this problem and the pain back when he was with Texas five years ago. They told him he would eventually need the surgery. So he’s been pitching through it the whole time. He just couldn’t gut it out any longer. Constantly blaming the manager just shows your lack of knowledge.
YelichdaGoat
Think a trade for Will Smith is more reasonable
stubby66
I look for William’s to step up and help minimize the loss. Brewers handle quite a chunk of last year without him. Yes it absolutely hurts but I believe there is guys that can fill the void like Williams, Brown, Griep, Houser, Oclzack maybe even pick up Finnegan for short burst
YelichdaGoat
people forget that the brewers have quite a few options in the minors who are almost ready and could have made the big league squad this year.
Strike Four
I absolutely cannot fathom why you’d literally say “Yeah I’d rather have untested scrub prospects instead of a HOFer in his prime.”
You morons YOU WILL WIN THE WORLD SERIES IF YOU SIGN KIMBREL NOW. You might win multiple titles if you sign him to a 5/90 deal like he deserves. You dont need a draft pick, you are contending as long as Yelich is around, dummies.
antibelt
5/90 Deal? He had his worst year last year. If he continues to trend this way, he’ll be another Melancon.
AtlSoxFan
Stop. Just stop.
The guy blew 11% of save opportunities last year, not accounting for his postseason meltdown or all the times he was brought in during the regular season and stunk up the joint turning a 3 run lead into a 1 run squeaker, or barely BARELY escaping with a winning run on 2nd base that HE put there.
Kimbrel is still a talented pitcher, but he DOES NOT “guarantee” anyone a WS – especially after sitting out spring training.
teddyjackeddy
Strike4 sniffing player farts. Kimbrel does not deserve 5/90 and Brewers damn sure aren’t giving it
smooveb330
No way those guys “fill the void”… Williams and Houser are the only ones who have pitched above AA, and they both struggled at the MLB level.
Strike Four
Williams is utterly terrible. You are wrong.
antibelt
Trade to get back Wil Smith. They could spare an outfielder to the Giants, at a fraction of the cost for Kimbrel. They’d be able to save money for any trade deadline acquisitions.
jbigz12
if you want Corey Ray for Will Smith. There’s no spare OF’s in Milwaukee. They’ve moved them all.
antibelt
That would actually be a good deal. He’s better than what they have. By a long shot.
twentyforty
And their farm is one of the lowest thought of in MLB. Brewers fans just don’t realize that. Very few difference makers and mostly organizational guys.
jbigz12
They have hiura. The farm isn’t strong at all but they do have burnes, woodruff and peralta on the ML team who are young former top prospects. They’ll also lose Grandal, Moose, and Thames salary after this year. But 2/3 of those guys are productive starters for them. Cain is great but he’s getting older. And from the system it’s just Hiura coming up. I think they’re going to need a TOR starter and it probably isn’t going to come internally and they can’t trade for it with the current state of the farm unless Hiura is included.
smooveb330
Terrible news, he was as nasty as any reliever I’ve ever seen the last month of 2018 (16.1 IP, 5 H, 0R , 3 BB, 33 K). I think they have to go out and get somebody, it’s unrealistic to expect a Taylor Williams or Adrian Houser to be able to fill his shoes.
scarfish
My fantasy team is dying
Tiger_diesel92
Kluber? Typo ?
Rbase
Ow that’s bad. I still don’t think Kimbrel is going to settle on a short or cheaper deal (He would’ve done so by now), so they will have to go somewhere else.
I wonder how much the Giants would ask for Mark Melancon + half of his salary (7 million).
antibelt
Melancon? They would absorb all the money for a prospect. He’s been a huge bust, and they have better prospects in the minors.
OG_03
Bummer for the Crew, wishing a speedy recovery to CK!
Also-Knebel not Kluber in the last paragraph, just FYI.
Baseball on Earth
Why is MLBTR not talking about the bombshell report that came out yesterday about “Championship Belt for Arbitration” ? Is this website in MLB’s pocket too?
CubsRule08
Lmao. I’ll give you 1/10 for the troll job.
Cubies1986
That’s a killer for the Crew! Puts even more pressure on Hader who is already used way to much
Frank_Stallone1
*too…Cubies? They give Hader proper rest, you are an idiot.
chicagofan1978
You are a very nice gentleman
Frank_Stallone1
It is a common, lazy thing among people that don’t know much to say the Brewers overwork the bullpen. It is not nice to say things that are not true.
chicagofan1978
But they literally did overwork the bullpen in the playoffs, which is possibly why they didn’t win the Nlcs.
Frank_Stallone1
You are an idiot too. The only guy in that bullpen who didn’t pitch well was Jeffress. Did you even watch the playoffs?
twentyforty
And it’s why two of their top three bullpen arms are injured. It’s a cumulative thing. That’s overuse…and so are two-inning maxouts no mater how many days off he gets…hint…Hader.
Frank_Stallone1
Huh? Knebel pitched 55 ip last year and has had this injury since 2014, which was just said in today’s game. So much for that theory with him. Jeffress, maybe, but one season with 70 some IP isn’t exactly being overworked. Could be that he is in his early thirties and is seeing his first arm trouble.
chicagofan1978
Name calling. Are you 4? Very classy gentleman. From now on when you comment on anything I shall simply comment with k.
Frank_Stallone1
k
chicagofan1978
K. Don’t forget the period
Frank_Stallone1
k
chicagofan1978
I’m not going there lol
Frank_Stallone1
k
chicagofan1978
Period dude period!
Frank_Stallone1
How do you need a period when “k” isn’t even a word?
chicagofan1978
Ask chitown311
Bryzzo2016
I’m the furthest thing from a Brewers fan, but I hate seeing this stuff happen to any pitcher. I know injuries are a part of the game, Cubs certainly has their fair share last year. It’s getting to the point where it’s not IF a pitcher will get this surgery, but when.
Solar Flare
It’s just like that I don’t celebrate when Red Sox players get injured, despite the fact that I am a Yankees fan.
Bryzzo2016
Yeah, put your best 25 out there, no injuries and may the best team win. Sadly, that’s rarely the case in sports.
Karlander
Pitching will prove to be the Brewers undoing. Just too many gaps now. Too many inexperienced starters and now some significant bullpen losses. Kimbrel would be a good fit in Milwaukee but 3 yrs is the max anyone should go. Kimbrel and Kuechel set their expectations way too high. They will over use Hader which will be a huge mistake.
Yankeepatriot
They should have traded for bumgarner as they need starters badly
Frank_Stallone1
Why further deplete their minor leagues? They will be competitive without Bumgarner.
Yankeepatriot
The cards and reds got stronger this year and the pirates will be pests. Lack of starting pitching will hurt the brewers big time. Plus a year of bungarner wouldn’t have cost a arm and a leg
Frank_Stallone1
Besides the injuries to Jeffress and Knebel, which couldn’t have been forseen, the Brewers got stronger as well.
alski353
Oof. Get well soon, Brother.
Dutch Vander Linde
Kimbrel 2/25
STLBaseballFanSince2020
2/25 for Kimbrel? Pretty sure everyone would set that offer on the table.
joeyrocafella
“Kluber” doesn’t play for the Brewers