Milwaukee Brewers' Jose Veras opts for free agency – MLB News
The Milwaukee Brewers' reliever Jose Veras is said to have elected for free agency as the news of is parting the ways with the team came to fore on Thursday, November 1. Starting Friday, he will have the choice to sign a contract with any team.
All this transpired on Thursday when he reportedly declined an assignment to Triple-A Nashville, forcing the club to send outfielder Nyjer Morgan there.
Given the performance of the Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen in 2012 Major League regular season, there were several questions that were left unanswered. Veras, who had a year’s tenure with the Brewers, had a season which was a mixed bag of surprises and disappointments.
The fact that the bullpen ended with the National League’s worst ERA of 4.66, raised a lot of questions about the choice of the Brewers as far as the bullpen is concerned.
As for Veras, he walked 40 batters in the 67 innings that he pitched. That was the third most walks among all the Major League relievers, something that came as a thorough disappointment for the club.
While there came a time when he did not allow even a run in the 14 of his games in September, Veras – nonetheless ended the season with 3.63 ERA and had a 5-4 record in the whole season.
"How many times have we put him in a game and we have to go get him? How many times do we have to have somebody else warm up?" Brewers' manager Ron Roenicke said. "And I'm not saying this just about [Veras]. That's not what I'm saying. He has had good numbers, he is throwing the ball well -- he is. But look at the whole picture of what happens.”
He added, "Sometimes the numbers don't tell the whole story."
With that, it is to be seen which team opts for signing a contract with Veras. The Brewers, in the meanwhile, will explore other options given the choices they currently have. They will undeniably look for strong and effective pitchers to build a solid bullpen in order to compete with the rivals in the Division.
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