Right-hander Junis inks 1-year deal with Brewers
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The Brewers have signed right-hander Jakob Junis to a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for 2025, and according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the deal worth $7 million.
To make room for Junis on the 40-man roster, left-hander Clayton Andrews was designated for assignment.
The 31-year-old Junis spent the last two seasons with the Giants, operating in a prototypical swingman role in both the rotation and bullpen. Across 198 innings, Junis appeared in 63 games -- 21 of which were starts while the remaining 42 outings were out of the bullpen. During that time, Junis was roughly a league-average pitcher with a 97 ERA+ (100 is average) and 3.69 FIP.
In the aftermath of Corbin Burnes getting traded to the Orioles -- and the non-tender of Brandon Woodruff -- Milwaukee needed to fill a void in the rotation for 2024 and beyond. While Junis will hardly replicate those innings -- which will come as a starter according to a report from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel -- he represents a solid option to slot in the Brewers' rotation. The right-hander has thrown 100-plus innings in a season twice in his career, including 175-plus innings in both 2018 and ‘19 with the Royals.
Junis will join a rotation that’s headlined by Freddy Peralta and veteran starter Wade Miley. Junis figures to slot somewhere in the middle of the rotation around other potential starters like Colin Rea, Joe Ross and DL Hall -- the latter who was acquired in the Burnes trade.