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The Brewers have been awarded right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles off waivers from the Padres, as the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee first reported Sunday morning:
Jordan Lyles will just beat the #Padres to Milwaukee. The #Brewers claimed the RHP off waivers and Padres letting him go. He just left Wrigley Field.
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) August 5, 2018
And Tyson Ross is going to pitch for the #Cardinals, who claimed him.
Padres looking toward giving prospects shots in rotation.
The 27-year-old Lyles’ numbers have been rather mediocre this year — he has a 4.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over 71.1 innings — but he’s been better since shifting to San Diego’s bullpen, throwing for a 3.33 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and eight walks over 17 appearances (24.1 innings). Lyles, a 2008 Astros first-rounder who was once a highly-regraded prospect and made his MLB debut at the age of 20, is having a career-best season; this is only the second time he’s ever had an ERA under 5.00 or a WHIP under 1.40 in eight seasons.
With the Brewers not having a clear ace in their rotation, Lyles provides the ability to go multiple innings behind starters who struggle to go long. Swingman Brandon Woodruff has been rather average as a long reliever this year and is currently in Triple-A. While Josh Hader and Corbin Burnes are former starters who can go long when necessary, they’ve both been placed in high-leverage roles and aren’t necessarily in a position to “bridge the gap” to the late innings.
If the Brewers so desire, they’ll have him under their control at an affordable rate in 2019, as he has a $1 million club option with a $250,000 buyout for next season.