1 Starter, 1 Bat & 1 Bullpen Arm for Brewers to Target at Trade Deadline
By Paul Bretl
Brewers trade target out of the bullpen: Andrew Chafin – Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers fans are going to be familiar with Andrew Chafin from his time with the Chicago Cubs, but this offseason, he joined the Detroit Tigers, signing a two-year deal with a player option for 2023.
With Detroit sitting 12 games under .500 and 9.5 games back in the AL Central, they could be looking to move Chafin and begin planning ahead for 2023.
The left-handed Chafin has covered 25.2 innings in 30 appearances this season. He has a 2.45 ERA and an even lower FIP of 2.21, with a WHIP below 1.0 of 0.935. His strikeout rate of 29.7% is the second-highest mark of his career, while his walk rate of 6.9% is the lowest.
Opponents are hitting groundballs nearly 53% of the time, according to Fangraphs, and Chafin has allowed only one home run this season, along with opposing batters posting a lowly OPS of just .503.
Typically Milwaukee’s bullpen additions tend to fly under the radar, but if the price is right and Stearns really wants to enhance an already strong part of this team — bullpens are incredibly important in the playoffs, after all — then the Crew should look into acquiring Chafin. A Brewers bullpen made up of Chafin, Josh Hader, Devin Williams, and Brad Boxberger would be quite the formidable quartet for opposing teams.