Brewers Sign Left-Handed Swingman Tyler Alexander to One-Year Big-League Deal

The first day of Brewers camp was a busy one for pitching news, culminating in a new addition to the staff. The club announced on Wednesday afternoon that it had signed left-hander Tyler Alexander to a one-year major-league deal.

Alexander, 30, has bounced between starting and long relief throughout his six-year career, starting 52 of 143 career games while posting a 4.55 ERA, 4.70 FIP, and 118 DRA-. The Tampa Bay Rays poached him off waivers from the Detroit Tigers a year ago, but he was an unsuccessful development project, pitching to a career-worst 5.10 ERA with matching peripherals in 107 ⅔ innings in 2024. That led to a non-tender in November.

Uninspiring results notwithstanding, Alexander meets what have practically become prerequisites for occupying a bulk role in Milwaukee. He won’t miss many bats, running just a 19.1% career strikeout rate, but he mixes in a variety of distinct shapes within the strike zone, including the three-fastball mix Chris Hook loves. Since his debut in 2019, Alexander’s 5.2% walk rate is the 13-best among qualified pitchers, and he threw five pitches at least 10% of the time last year.

He tweaked that repertoire as a Ray. After experimenting with a slightly harder cutter with more backspin in his final season in Detroit, he returned to his usual slider-esque version. He traded his actual slider for a sweeper that averaged nearly 16 inches of glove-side movement. Finally, he shed a tick of ride on his changeup and other two fastballs.

These changes gave Alexander a more cohesive east-west arsenal. If one were to draw a diagonal line across his pitch movement plots, it would fit more cleanly with his 2024 clusters.

Think of Alexander as a left-handed version of Colin Rea, with less velocity (only about 90 MPH on his fastball) but a wider movement spread. It’s a profile the Brewers’ pitching development crew has maximized several times in recent years; expect them to draw from a similar bag of tricks as they further massage Alexander’s pitch shapes and sequencing.

The southpaw adds needed depth to Pat Murphy’s rotation mix. Brandon Woodruff told reporters that he’s fully healthy but will progress through a gradual buildup as he returns from shoulder surgery. DL Hall is a few weeks behind schedule due to a lat injury. That leaves Alexander, Aaron Ashby, and Connor Thomas as leading candidates for the fifth starter gig.