The Brewers have positioned right-hander Colin Rea on waivers, MLBTR has discovered. He’s out there for any membership to say. Rea has a $5.5M membership choice for the upcoming season with a $1M buyout.
It’s a shocking transfer, given the reasonably priced nature of Rea’s choice and the strong work he’s given to them over the previous two seasons. The veteran righty has given Milwaukee 292 1/3 innings of 4.40 ERA ball since 2023, taking the ball 58 instances and beginning 49 video games. Rea hasn’t been a top-of-the-rotation arm however has been a stabilizing presence amid myriad accidents and appreciable turnover within the Brewers’ rotation. He’d have develop into a free agent if Milwaukee declined his buyout, however they’ll as a substitute make a relatively obvious cost-cutting transfer of waiving him to attempt to save that $1M buyout within the occasion that one other group claims him.
Any group in want of rotation assist or maybe an reasonably priced swingman will now have the chance to say Rea on the $5.5M value level of his 2025 choice. If he goes unclaimed, Milwaukee will seemingly pay that $1M buyout, at which level Rea will develop into a free agent who’s capable of signal with any membership.
Provided that he’s coming off a season that noticed him pitch 167 2/3 innings with a 4.29 ERA, 18.9% strikeout fee and 6% stroll fee, Rea ought to maintain enchantment to golf equipment in search of assist in the back of the rotation — significantly lower-payroll golf equipment which have doubts over their capacity to purchase a comparable arm in free company. A technique or one other, Rea will probably land on his toes, however it’s a troublesome tablet to swallow for the righty, as he now has no say over selecting his subsequent vacation spot until he surprisingly goes unclaimed and is subsequently purchased out.
As a reminder, offseason waiver precedence relies on the reverse standings from the 2024 season and isn’t league-specific. The White Sox could have first crack at claiming Rea, adopted by the Rockies, Marlins, Angels, A’s, and many others.
