Pittsburgh— You couldn't blame the Milwaukee Brewers if they shied away from the free-agent pitching market for a few years.
Or perhaps much longer.
When the 2015 season began, right-handers Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza were the Nos. 1 and 2 pitchers in the starting rotation. Before Labor Day, both had pitched their way out of the rotation.
As the veterans of the pitching staff, Lohse and Garza were expected to lead the way. Instead, they lost their way. In their combined 47 starts, the Brewers were 16-31.
With Lohse at the end of a three-year, $33 million free-agent deal, the Brewers hoped to include him in the group of veterans traded before the July 31 deadline to get their rebuilding process underway.