The Brewers knew they would be going into 2024 without Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, two of the people that had made the team a contender in the early half of the decade. Freddy Peralta, tasked at leading the rotation now, was still a great arm, and a great strikeout artist, but he was nowhere near as reliable as the latter two guys. So the plan was to lead with Peralta, and pepper in some lower-risk options to fill out the rotation, mostly people they'd gotten like DL Hall, Joe Ross and Wade Miley, and hope that the lineup would do the rest of the work.
Well, looking at the rotation now it's incredible that we've gotten here from that. Hall and Miley got hurt in, like, April. Ross got hurt and thankfully decided to come back midseason rather than not at all, like usual. Peralta stayed consistent. And newer additions like Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas have added depth to what was looking like a straightforward pitching schematic.
The one thing nobody could have predicted, though? The rise of Colin Rea, who was slated for a swing role and still made the rotation AND has been one of the Brewers' best pitchers this year.
Rea I remember because he came up with the mid-2010s Padres. He was one of the guys who was stuck holding up the 2015 Padres when all the contracts didn't work. My favorite wild detail of Rea's Padres days is that at the 2016 trade deadline he was flipped to the Marlins in the deal that eventually brought Josh Naylor to San Diego. Rea makes one start with the Marlins, doesn't allow any runs and then immediately gets injured, then because he's probably out for the season the Marlins trade him back to the Padres for one of the initially involved players, a pitching prospect named Luis Castillo. Rea bobs along the minors for a while, gets a few shots, doesn't achieve success, then pitches in Japan and gets his mojo back. Last year the Brewers gave him another chance and he had a 4.55 ERA in 26 games. Hence keeping him around as a swingman.
That is...a hell of a way to spend a decade. Which is why it's wild to me that it's finally paid off for Rea, affectionally known by fans as 'Code Red'. In 22 appearances this year, Rea has a 3.38 ERA, a 10-3 record and 99 strikeouts. It is consistency that even Freddy Peralta, who's more lethal, hasn't reached. Rea isn't flashy, but what he is is efficient, and he's been a very consistent force of good for the Brewers, who now have finally built a pretty strong rotation. Civale and Montas haven't been perfect, but they're definitely getting there. And Tobias Myers is a really strong rookie performer that could be a long term piece for this team.
The Brewers have the potential to compete this year, and while they're really building something nice, this could be the last year for a while that they can snap up 1st and keep it for so long while keeping the competition at bay. The Pirates and Reds are gonna be good, and the Brewers' biggest assets might be leaving their peaks. This season they need to deliver, because who knows the next time the opportunity will be available.
Coming Tomorrow- I thought he was done being relevant when the Nats cut him. Evidently I was wrong.
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