12:20 pm: The Brewers have officially selected Dallas Keuchel’s contract, the team announced. Right-handed pitcher Joel Kuhnel has been designated for assignment to make room on the active and 40-man rosters. If he clears waivers, Kuhnel will have the option to decline an outright assignment and elect free agency, which he has already done once this season.
In additional Brewers news, the team has placed catcher/DH Gary Sánchez on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June 24) with a left calf strain. The strain is “low-grade” according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, so Sánchez likely won’t be out too long. In the meantime, however, the team has selected veteran backstop Eric Haase from Triple-A Nashville to take over as the backup catcher. The team freed up an additional spot on the 40-man roster by transferring right-hander Joe Ross from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Ross is now ineligible to return until July 20 at the earliest.
11:51 am: The Brewers will select the contract of Dallas Keuchel ahead of this afternoon’s game against the Rangers, reports Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. The 2015 AL Cy Young winner came over to the organization from the Mariners on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations. Milwaukee will need to open up a spot for Keuchel on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.
Keuchel’s start today will be his 2024 debut. After a highly successful seven-year tenure with the Astros from 2012-18, the southpaw signed a one-year deal with the Braves in 2019 followed by a three-year deal with the White Sox ahead of the 2020 campaign. Although he made a strong first impression in his first season on the South Side of Chicago (1.99 ERA in 11 starts), he struggled over the next two years, ultimately getting released in May 2022.
After brief stints with the Diamondbacks and Rangers during the 2022 season, Keuchel signed a minor league deal with the Twins in June 2023. He ultimately made 10 appearances (6 starts) for Minnesota, putting up a 5.97 ERA in 37 2/3 innings pitched. While his overall numbers were disappointing, his 3.04 FIP and 4.10 xFIP against lefty batters were promising evidence that the veteran can still retire same-handed hitters.
Keuchel went unsigned throughout the 2023-24 offseason before inking a minor league deal with the Mariners this past April. The 36-year-old was released in May but signed a new minor league pact with the organization three days later. Under the terms of that agreement, he will make a prorated portion of $1.5 million for the time he spends with the Brewers, with the opportunity to earn additional incentives (per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com).
Milwaukee has lost a full rotation’s worth of starting pitchers to the IL this year. DL Hall and Joe Ross are currently working their way back from their respective injuries, but Robert Gasser and Wade Miley are done for the season. Brandon Woodruff, who underwent shoulder surgery last fall, is also out for the year. Jakob Junis, who opened the year in the rotation, returned from a long stint on the IL this past weekend. However, is currently pitching out of the bullpen. Thus, it is clear to see why the Brewers could use an arm like Keuchel. While he has not had much major league success since the 2020 season, he can eat innings for Milwaukee, and he offers the team a left-handed option in the rotation. He has a 3.93 ERA but a 5.51 FIP in 13 starts at Triple-A this year.
Right-hander Colin Rea was originally scheduled to start this afternoon. Thankfully for the Brewers, there is no evidence to suggest Rea was scratched due to injury concerns, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Rather, manager Pat Murphy might simply prefer to give Rea an extra couple of days of rest. With 82 innings under his belt this season, the 33-year-old is on pace to surpass his previous professional career high in innings pitched. Given all the pitching injuries the Brewers have already suffered this year, keeping Rea strong and healthy is of paramount importance.
He’s going to get lit. Question is, just how badly?
Found the hater ^
Not really. He’s gotten pummeled the past three seasons at least regardless of his AAA numbers. Brewers have worked magic with their rotation but I’d put the odds higher that he struggles than does well.
Struggle to get out of the 3rd
He’s been awful each of the last 3 seasons, it’s over for Dallas
Carlos: True. He was good with the Astros then,
oddly enough, began plummeting like a boulder once he signed with the White Sox. He wouldn’t have lasted this long if he wasn’t a lefty.
First poster was correct. “Hater” also a low IQ term.
Have you seen the Rangers against mediocre LHP this year? They’ll be lucky to scrape across 2 runs.
And then he’ll throw his teammates under a bus
Consume some mopup work innings perhaps if no one in NLC makes them sweat second half of season. Doubt expectations are much beyond that.
Kelly probably wanted him out of the house, and Keuchel thought it’d be nice to get to Milwaukee now, in time for the Summerfest.
She can throw out the 1st Pitch every game …. no complaints here.
Maybe she’s playing Summerfest (checks Harley Davidson stage schedule)
Looks like she’ll be getting him home far earlier than I think, she hoped for. Actually they probably deserve each other.
Are the Brewers that desperate ?
I think they have something like a dozen pitchers injured right now. They’ve sifted through a bunch of minor leaguers, waiver wire claims and prospects. They’ve either not been good, or also got hurt. So yeah, they’re that desperate.
What would you suggest? Bauer, I suppose..?
They need arms. He’s been successful in the majors. They may see some improvement in his peripherals in AAA suggesting he might be better than the most recent version of Keuchel in the majors.
I remember when the Yankees rescued Bartolo Colon from the winter leagues. He was out of the game two seasons, and probably five years removed from being any good. I thought he wouldn’t make it through Spring Training when camp opened. Instead, he became a member of the rotation for the season and pitched another seven years. It wasn’t luck; the Yankees scout saw a change from when he last pitched in the majors.
Rich Hill was pitching for the Long Island Ducks. His greatest success in the majors was still in front of him.
Baseball is a funny game. Maybe the Brewers see something in Keuchel. I’d bet against it, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he has a second act either.
Finally something worth reading ha
Baseball funny? How? Am I clown? Do I make you laugh?
Just don’t take a baseball bat to my head, or whatever happened in that scene!
Nice post. Agree with your conclusion!
What Colon did was something you’d see maybe once in a generation I doubt the Brewers are even dreaming of that. I think they are good enough they needed an arm and figured he could eat some innings and keep them afloat. There aren’t many clear sellers yet and when a few sellers do emerge you can bet they’ll know it’s a sellers market and demand a high price for whomever they have to offer. Don’t think the Brewers need or want to go all in to fill in their injury battered staff. They aren’t expecting much from Dallas is my guess just enough to hold it down a handful of starts
Bauer? Bueller? Bueller?
You mean the overpriced Dodger on the DL?
Objectively, yes, we are. We truly have nothing left depth-wise after basically every option we’ve turned to has themselves gotten hurt, or in a couple cases just not been good. A veteran with a fantastic groundball rate
… in front of an elite defense is honestly not the worst thing we could try at this point. But yes, we are pretty desperate for starters.
Silly that we still can’t edit comments here. Posted before finishing my thought.
Almost every team is that desperate with all the TJ surgeries going on. I get the feeling that Jamie Moyer is out in his backyard throwing 75-MPH heaters off his homemade mound made from an old truck tire and a yard of mulch.
Pretty much, yes. But it’s quite possible that he will step in and pitch a QS. The Brewers were in a similar pinch last season and brought in Julio Teheran for a dozen starts. Groundballers can have a strong second life with this criminally underrated defense behind them.
Desperate. But not serious.
Yes. They are. They have used 13 starters and 30 pitchers so far this season.
YES! YES!
The rest of MLB thanks you for this transaction.
Thank you for not smoking.
Walked into my xfinity store. Said, thank you for your service.
Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time…
Yesterday was a long time ago.
Here’s another. Camilo Pascual.
Still kicking.
Here’s another. Charles Nelson Reilly.
The Match Game with Gene Rayburn. Ahh…the memories
Gene Rayburn, always quick to make the females squirm, in an uncomfortably/bad way
This escalated quickly. Not even one AAA start to get acclimated to the club?
He’s 40, and probably not going to acclimate to Contreras/Murphy’s approach well by pitching to..their AAA catcher.
And it seems Rea needs an extra day (hopefully that’s all that is..) for some reason, hence the immediate need.
Minor oversight but 36.
My bad-by the way people have been talking about him I must have assumed he was older. I’ve given myself a timeout as punishment!
I was surprised that he was only 36 as it seems like he’s been around forever.
I think he was actually around when the Astros were a bad team mired in their full scale tank-rebuild.
You think that escalated quickly. Wait until the conga line starts moving in the third.
He pitched plenty in AAA with Seattle!
Dallas keeps getting more chances.
Brewers need bodies, and Dallas is a body…
But not a has Been!
Is there another word besides “select”? Not politically correct
Ask pretty please with sugar on it?
justice isn’t to be mocked
I never mocked David Justice. Damn fine hitter.
The best ‘justice’ is Inspector Closeau’s.
Steve
Ahh…just a pathetic troll
Adios
liberalsteve = last believer
Who are they starting tomorrow,MadBum?
It was going to be Ben Sheets, but shockingly, he’s injured now also.
82-year old Jim Lonborg.
He’ll plunk the first batter and get tossed.
Gentleman Jim indeed.
Should be good. Probably throws 5 innings, giving up 1 run and 4 hits.
Or 1 inning pitched, 5 hits and 4 runs.
I say 3 innings and 5 runs considering Keuchel’s history but know.
I retired, 5 runs, 4 walks.
Tidy piece of business here
Slowest fastball in MLB?
How do you know he doesn’t have the fastest slowball? Hmm?
No, Cubs 10 year veteran!
How is Ryu doing in Korea?
Eric Haase. This team is obsessed with former Guardians
At least he is a ML player. Sanchez defense good for him. Hitting for Sanchez is HR or nothing!
2 birds one stone. Mariners and Brewers possibly extending their division leads today by dealing one player. I sort of dread these LHP matches this year but predicting Grossman, Langford, and Smith with big games today against the former Cy
Good to see Eric Haase back in The Show. Hard worker, great clubhouse guy, contributes hustle and known to go on the occasional hot streak…
A Ham And Egger, Nice depth piece!
Good on Dallas Keuchel for keeping at it. Already has his 10 years service time and plenty of career earnings.
Nice to see Haase getting another shot in the bigs. It’s a tough business. Good luck to him.
I just read a local Seattle news article that the cash considerations received by Seattle was $1. Did the Brewers ask for change?
No, now they’re even from those Jacob Nottingham transactions a few years ago.
Amazing that Keuchel keeps getting picked up!
yes, but pitching is Laking in the whole league.
Get in early Milwaukee and solve your starting pitcher woes by scooping up Flaherty from Detroit. Price starts with Tyler Black!
Went to yesterday’s game. looked good in first inning. After… Ouch! I called him a has been 2 days ago when they got him. We will see if I am right. Does anyone know how much money he signed for? Thank You!
I heard it was 50 bucks and a couple of Summerfest Tix.