Fastball

Milwaukee Brewers Decline Option on Veteran Lefty, Career Could Be Over

This might be the end of the line for the longtime lefty.

Brady Farkas

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Wade Miley (20) hands the ball to manager Craig Counsell during a pitching change in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at American Family Field in 2023.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Wade Miley (20) hands the ball to manager Craig Counsell during a pitching change in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at American Family Field in 2023. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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The Major League Baseball offseason officially kicked off on Thursday and the Milwaukee Brewers have already gotten to work.

According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the team has declined their option of veteran lefty Wade Miley.

Wade Miley's $12 million mutual option with the Brewers has been declined. The option carries a $1.5 million buyout.

This was a foregone conclusion, as Miley missed most of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. He made just two starts this season, going 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA. About to turn 38 years old, this could be the end of Miley's career at this point. Given when he had the surgery, he likely wouldn't be back until late in the season in 2025. Even if a team wanted to sign him, they wouldn't have a fully-recovered Miley until 2026, when he'd be 39 years and pushing 40.

He just finished the 14th year of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and Brewers.

He's 108-99 lifetime with a 4.07 ERA, winning a career-high 16 games back in 2011. He was an All-Star that season.

The Brewers dealt with a huge rash of pitching injuries this year but still managed to win the National League Central. Milwaukee didn't have Brandon Woodruff for the season and also lost Robert Gasser for the year. They had traded away the likes of Corbin Burnes and Adrian Houser last offseason as well.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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