The Milwaukee Brewers aren't losing veteran hurler Erick Fedde after all.
The Brewers got some positive news right at the end of the regular season. Milwaukee got All-Star closer Trevor Megill back into the mix along with DL Hall. In response, the Brewers the designated veteran hurler for assignment. But, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy shared on Tuesday that Fedde went unclaimed on waivers and is being outrighted to Triple-A while also noting that he could end up being eligible for the playoff roster.
"Brewers transaction: RHP Erick Fedde cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville," McCalvy said. "Fedde can eventually be postseason eligible for the Brewers. But he can’t be on an active roster for 15 days unless replacing someone who gets hurt in the meantime."
This is positive for the Brewers. Fedde's overall numbers this season don't look great -- he finished the season with a 5.49 ERA in 32 total appearances. But, he was very solid out of Milwaukee's bullpen down the stretch. He appeared in seven games after coming over to Milwaukee and had a 3.38 ERA.
The Brewers won't play their first playoff game until Saturday. If enough time passes and the Brewers don't get knocked out of the playoffs, having an option like Fedde who has had some success for the team as a depth piece down in the minors doesn't hurt one bit.
One thing about the MLB playoffs is that the bullpen's importance gets heightened. That's not to say it isn't important during the regular season, but during the playoffs, each pitch is even more important. Starting pitchers have shorter ropes and therefore bullpens are used even more than typical. For the Brewers, the bullpen arguably was its biggest weakness down the stretch. That's in part because Megill was hurt. But, in general, the bullpen wasn't as strong has fans have probably gotten used to over the last few years.
This doesn't mean that Fedde will end up joining the roster, but having him in the organization can't be viewed as anything less than positive right now.
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