SerpApi.Org
Right-hander Peter Strzelecki has opted out of his minor league deal with the Brewers, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He is now a free agent and eligible to sign with any club.
Strzelecki, 31, started this year with the Brewers on a minor league deal. He was selected to the big league roster in May but then was designated for assignment the next day without pitching in a game. After clearing waivers, he elected free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Yankees. He opted out of that deal last month and circled back to the Brewers.
Around all those transactions, Strzelecki has thrown 31 Triple-A innings with a 4.06 earned run average. His underlying numbers are far better, as his 28.5% strikeout rate, 4.6% walk rate and 42.7% ground ball rate are all better than average. In his major league career, he has logged 83 2/3 innings with a 3.44 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 35.8% ground ball rate.
He’ll head to the open market to see what kinds of opportunities are out there. There’s a lot of roster shuffling happening at this time of year, with the trade deadline coming up on August 3. As teams wheel and deal, perhaps an opening will be available for Strzelecki. If he catches on somewhere, he is out of options but hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration, meaning he is theoretically cheaply controllable for many years if things go especially well.
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