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The Milwaukee Brewers decided to not tender Corey Knebel a contract for 2021. Whether the two sides were unable to come to an agreement or the Brewers’ front office felt it was time to move on is an open question. Nevertheless, Knebel will be a free agent.
Corey Knebel was nontendered by Brewers
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2020
Knebel was once one of the most dominant relievers in the sport, but going under the knife for Tommy John surgery cost him the 2019 season. In his first year back, he struggled showing reduced velocity early on. His numbers demonstrated the struggle as he posted a 6.08 ERA and 6.64 FIP over the shortened 2020 season.
The Brewers could obviously re-sign him, but they now have to compete with the other 29 teams. The reliever’s projected arbitration salary for 2021 was $5.125 mil. As the signing of other players comes in, it is evidence that the salary of Knebel was going to be too much for the Brewers’ front office to stomach.
UPDATE:
Knebel was actually traded to the Dodgers in advance of the non-tender deadline. You can read about that here.
Baseball statistics courtesy of Fangraphs