After an outstanding season in 2012 with the St. Louis Cardinals free agent right-handed starting pitcher Kyle Lohse has finally signed with the Milwaukee Brewers for three-years and $33 million.
Scott Boras Lohse’s agent blames the compensation system implemented by Major League Baseball as he said “The integrity of the game has been compromise. I had four or five teams call me in November, and tell me they couldn’t sign (Lohse) because they don’t want to lose the draft dollars.”
While that certainly is plausible, the reality is Boras overvalued the 34-year old pitcher. Lohse is not a strike out pitcher only 143 in 211 innings. He’s started 331 games in his career has a career era of 4.45, a record of 117-108, has given up 2,101 hits, 230 home runs, 1,030 runs with 956 earned, has eight complete games and six shutouts, thrown 1,933 innings and struck out 1,202 while walking 553.
In only three seasons has he had an era under four. Which, makes it understandable that four or five teams weren’t willing to take the risk of making a long-term deal with Lohse.
He is coming off a season in which he won 16 games and only lost three, led the National League in starts with 33 and averaged 6.1 innings per start, struck out 143 while walking 38, gave up 192 hits, 19 home runs, 74 runs with 67 earned and did not record a complete game.
The signing means he’ll become the no.2 starter for the Brewers and with Mark Rogers struggling during the spring it was a necessary roster move.