The Rockies announced that the veteran reliever John Brebbia was not claimed off waivers and was selected by free agency. Colorado designated him to work Wednesday when they drafted the former first-round pick Gabriel Hughes.
Brebbia signed a minor league deal in late May and spent several weeks on Colorado’s big league roster. He pitched in three games, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He recorded two hits while working hard with his slider and fastball averaging 92 mph. This was Brebbia’s ninth season at the MLB level.
The 36-year-old righty owns a 4.12 earned run average in just under 400 MLB innings. He was a solid reliever for the Cardinals and Giants early in his career but has thrived as a journeyman over the past few seasons. Brebbia had a very difficult time keeping the ball in the park and saw his pace drop well into his 30s.
There is a good chance Colorado will sign him back to another minor league contract. Brebbia largely split the season between the Twins’ Triple-A affiliates and the Rox. He worked 29 1/3 innings of 4.30 ERA ball while striking out 29% of the batters he faced at the minor league level.
