Jordan Zimmermann could have tried his luck elsewhere after the Brewers released him from a Minor League contract on Friday, but the Wisconsin native opted to stay put.
“I knew this is where I wanted to be,” Zimmermann said. “I didn’t really explore anything else.”
Zimmermann re-signed with the Brewers on Saturday morning on another Minor League deal, less than 24 hours after the club released him. He was one of two veterans in camp as non-roster invitees, with reliever Brad Boxberger, who’d signed as Article XX(B) free agents. Five days prior to Opening Day, they must either be added to the 26-man roster, paid a $100,000 retention bonus or released.
The Brewers chose the latter scenario with both. Now, Zimmermann is back, and he’s agreed to eventually report to the team’s alternate training site when it opens in the second week of April.
“It all comes down to a business move,” Zimmermann said. “They obviously want to keep me around, but they didn’t want to pay the money. I understand. The fact they wanted to keep me around means a lot to me. The last couple of outings were really good for me, and I feel like I have a lot left and can help this team at some point during the season.”
After a mid-spring pause in his Cactus League schedule, Zimmermann delivered consecutive scoreless outings against the Mariners (one inning on March 14) and the Reds (two innings on March 20). He was scheduled to pitch again vs. the Royals on Saturday.
The Brewers liked Zimmermann all along, especially recently when he shifted from a contender for the starting rotation to pitching in shorter stints with a revised pitch mix from the more power arsenal that made him one of the National League’s top starting pitchers between 2011-15 with Washington. That performance, including two All-Star Games and two top 10 finishes in the NL Cy Young Award balloting, earned Zimmermann a five-year, $110 million contract in Detroit, where he struggled with injuries and poor performance before becoming a free agent again last winter.
Zimmermann’s decision came down to two teams -- the Nationals and his home-state Brewers (he still lives near Stevens Point, Wis.) -- or retirement. Zimmermann chose Milwaukee.
“When I started working out, everything felt good and the Brewers called, and I was pumped about that,” he said. “My body feels really, really good. I feel like I made the right move in not retiring. I feel like I can help this team out.”
The Minor League seasons don’t start until the first week of May, so Zimmermann and other players in the Brewers’ depth pool will travel with the team to Arlington for exhibitions on Monday and Tuesday, then to Milwaukee and will stay sharp at American Family Field until the alternate training site opens at the home of the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers near Appleton, Wis., on April 12.
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Zimmermann back with Crew on Minors deal - MLB.com
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