PHOENIX -- The Brewers announced Sunday that Brent Suter has been optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs, leaving the big league club without a left-handed reliever to begin 2017.
It continues a trend that the Brewers place a premium on who they believe to be a better player over righty-lefty matchups. They've had a limited presence of left-handers the last two seasons, and no lefty reliever has pitched at least 30 outings since 2015, when Neal Cotts and Will Smith each did. Smith was in line to continue his role last spring, but a freak showering accident caused him to miss significant time.