Washington Nationals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (32) Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Three under-the-radar international free agents the Brewers should consider

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Tyler Koerth_ | Last updated 11/25/23

The Milwaukee Brewers offseasons tend to look a lot different than other ball clubs. They often are not making splashy moves, signing free agents to lucrative deals, and always seem to be looking outside of the box in order to construct their roster.

This year, there are some intriguing international players to consider outside of the top names of RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, OF Jung Hoo Lee, and LHP Shōta Imanaga. Let's take a look at three of those targets.

Yuki Matsui, LHP, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

Matsui, a 28-year-old reliever is expected to pitch in the United States in 2024 after accruing enough service time in NPB to gain full international free agency. Over 10 seasons, he has accumulated 236 career saves including a career-best 39 in 2023 and seven seasons of at least 30. His career ERA is an outstanding 2.43 and he utilizes a unique release point to make his fastball, splitter and slider combination work.

Adam Plutko, RHP, LG Twins

Plutko is a 32-year-old who last appeared in the major leagues in 2021 with the Baltimore Orioles. Prior to that, he had big-league experience with the Cleveland Guardians. Over the last two seasons with the LG Twins, he has made 49 starts, thrown 285.1 innings, and has a 2.40 ERA.

Erick Fedde, RHP, NC Dinos

Fedde was initially drafted 18th overall by the Washington Nationals in 2014. Over six seasons with the Nationals, he had a 5.41 ERA. 2023 was his first season with the NC Dinos and the 30-year-old excelled by posting a 2.30 ERA over 30 starts. Additionally, he struck out more batters (209) than innings pitched (180.1). This one exceptional season may be enough for a team to sign him to a big-league deal.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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