My first reaction to this signing was very positive. Kyle Lohse hurled 211.0 innings last season and posted a tidy 2.83 ERA. He also limited the long ball (19 home runs allowed) and issued a mere 38 free passes. Furthermore, outside of Yovani Gallardo the Brewers' rotation is a parade of unknowns. Lohse has been a solid innings-eater over the course of his career and the Crew are in desperate need of stability in the rotation. His presence will help Milwaukee win a lot of games and, if it all goes right, contend for the post season.
My second reaction was more skeptical. Lohse has a career ERA of 4.55. Not awful, but certainly not worth $11 million per season. He's also 34 years old and has logged 1973.0 innings in his career, meaning his best years are probably behind him. Is it just me, or did the Brewers find a way to re-sign Jeff Suppan? So how do I really feel about the deal? My true feeling about the deal lies somewhere between, which means I feel this is the Randy Wolf signing all over again. This is a good thing.
Back in 2010 the Crew picked up Randy Wolf on a 3-year/$27 million deal with a team option for a 4th year. Wolf was very good for the Brewers and instrumental in their run to the 2011 NLCS. (He also earns points for being the only Brewer pitcher to shut down the Cardinals in that series.) Granted, Wolf was awful in 2012 and eventually released. Even so, his signing was worthwhile and overall made the Brewers a better team.
Much like the Wolf, Kyle Lohse is a solid pitcher on the back side of his career that looks to have a couple of good years left in him. He's not an ace, nor will he contend for the Cy Young or even an All-Star appearance, but he's gives you innings and provides a much needed anchor behind Gallardo. Should Mike Fiers, Marco Estrada, and Chris Narveson/Wily Peralta manage to be average-ish the Brewers will contend thanks to their powerful offense. This is, of course is assuming the bullpen does not implode again and MLB does not find a reason to suspend Ryan Braun. I prefer not to think about those things for now.
Grade for Signing: B
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