Big Bullpen Shakeup Emphasizes Brewers' Depth, But Also Uncertainty About October Mix

The Brewers bullpen has been tremendous this season, but they've been an ever-changing group, too. That trend continued in a big way Tuesday, when the team made four moves to swap out two of its second-tier relievers for two who had been crowded off the roster last month. They didn't lose anyone in the process, but they did sacrifice some flexibility for the next fortnight--committing to the essential structure of their pen for a short but meaningful stretch that should conclude with a celebration of another NL Central title.

Bryse Wilson, after being ridden hard and put away wet to spare the rest of the pen on Sunday, landed on the injured list Tuesday with a strained right oblique. To replace Wilson, the team recalled Elvis Peguero, who was optioned last month amid a stretch of struggles with command and some puzzling usage. They also traded left-handed relievers, with Hoby Milner reclaiming his roster spot and Bryan Hudson being optioned to Triple-A Nashville.

It's a bit of a melancholic moment on the glorious march back to the postseason. All year, this team has weathered pitching injuries and worked around peaks and valleys in performance, for everyone from their most trusted veteran starters to rookies who hadn't been familiar to fans at all before this year. They're all about depth, teamwork, and the collective effort, but that sometimes comes with painful casualties at an individual level. Hudson landed on the injured list in the second half of July amid a significant loss of velocity, but the downtime wasn't enough to bring back the zip on his fastball. Now, he's being sent to the minors, the culmination of a frustrating backslide for one of the best relievers in MLB in the first half.

Milner's return comes after a stint on the injured list that, while legitimate, was prompted partially by a roster crunch. The team will hope his time on the shelf was more restorative than Hudson's, but his role is also smaller than a healthy Hudson's was. Milner is more of a rubber-armed middle reliever than a guy with multi-inning, high-leverage upside. He's vulnerable to certain bad matchups.

Meanwhile, this time, it's Wilson who goes to the IL with a somewhat convenient malady. Out of options, Wilson would have needed to be designated for assignment before being sent to the minors, and surely, he would have been claimed. At this time of year, everyone is pitching with something, so the oblique strain is plausible, but it didn't stop Wilson from getting nine outs in an extra-inning game just two days ago. Even though he remains part of the organization, this might spell the end for Wilson in a Brewers uniform; he's a non-tender candidate this fall.

Peguero is the most interesting of these moves, because he had seemed to come unglued in so many big moments during his final few weeks before being optioned to Nashville. His heavy sinker and gyro slider combination are tough on both righties and lefties, when he's locating well, but his command has been spotty for months, now. At his best, he slots in behind only Devin Williams, Trevor Megill, and Joel Payamps on the team's bullpen depth chart. At his worst, as evidenced by the sojourn from which he's now returning, he's not an MLB-caliber pitcher.

Williams, Megill, Payamps, and lefties Jared Koenig and (out of nowhere) Aaron Ashby seem safe bets for inclusion in the team's October bullpen, at this point. The other four reliever roles are very much up for grabs. That's because the Brewers have more intriguing options than roster spots, rather than because they're desperate, which is great news. On the other hand, the fluidity is a reminder that even their seemingly semi-magical ability to bring along relief arms isn't permanent. Relievers are fickle. The Brewers will have some auditions in their pen over the final four weeks, before deciding exactly how to construct their playoff corps. This flurry of moves is just the next, natural step in that process.