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Milwaukee Brewers: 4 Relief Pitchers to Target via Trade in 2021

By Paul Bretl

May 14, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Kendall Graveman (49) throws against the Cleveland Indians during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Kendall Graveman (49) throws against the Cleveland Indians during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Milwaukee Brewers
Jul 4, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez (48) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Pittsburgh won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Richard Rodriguez – Pittsburgh Pirates

Typically we won’t see trades within the division, but we have seen the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Milwaukee Brewers make trades before, including as recently as this season. Not to mention that the Pirates are so far out of the division race. However, what could stop Pittsburgh from sending Richard Rodriguez to Milwaukee is that he still has 2.5 years of team control left and comes with just a $1.7 million salary in 2021, according to Spotrac.

Rodriguez made his big league debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2017 but has been with the Pirates since then. In his 37.1 innings of work out of the bullpen in 2021, he’s posted a 2.65 ERA, which aligns with his 2.61 FIP and a 0.804 WHIP. He’s rarely walking any batters, averaging just 1.0 per nine innings while striking out 7.5 per nine, which is right around the league average.

Rodriguez has also benefitted from a strong BAbip of only .235, but many of his peripheral numbers are well above league average and match his strong performances this season. Rodriguez relies on only two pitches, a low-90s fastball that he throws over 87 percent of the time, along with a curve-ball.

Next. Brewers Named Potential Trade Fit for 1B CJ Cron. dark

But again, one of the big questions with Rodriguez is whether or not the Pirates would be willing to deal him to a division rival.

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