As the Milwaukee Brewers continue their quest to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1982, there was a piece of roster news that was released on Tuesday regarding a former Brewers player.
Milwaukee is just two victories away from the Fall Classic, and the Los Angeles Dodgers would have to win four of the next five games in order to top the Brew Crew in the NLCS.
In regards to former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Joel Payamps, he has made a sudden decision on his future in MLB.
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Ex-Brewers Pitcher Joel Payamps Testing Free Agency
After a one-year stint with the Atlanta Braves, ex-Brewers pitcher Joel Payamps has decided to elect free agency as the next move for his MLB career.
The MiLB.com transactions tracker reflects the decision:
“RHP Joel Payamps elected free agency.”
Payamps logged just 7.2 innings with the Atlanta Braves in 2026, and allowed nine earned runs in that sample size. It’s unlikely the Braves will bring him back, and if they do, it would almost certainly be on a minor league deal.
Payamps had spent the previous three seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers as a strong contributor in the bullpen.
Across an eight-year MLB career, Payamps carries a lifetime ERA of 3.55 over 276.2 innings pitched with 253 strikeouts.
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Joel Payamps Time with the Brewers Was Strong
Before being moved to the Atlanta Braves in the middle of the 2025 season, Payamps was struggling, which led him being claimed off waivers after the Brewers decided to cut ties.
Payamps showed very strong productivity in both the 2023 and 2024 season, but 2025 was a bit ugly.
In 2023, Payamps logged an ERA of 2.55 over 70.2 IP. In 2024, Payamps carried an ERA of 3.05 over 59 IP. In those two seasons, Payamps totalled 136 strikeouts.
However, in 2025, across 23.2 IP with the Brewers, Payamps posted an ERA of 7.23.
In total, across 153.1 innings pitched in Milwaukee, Payamps logged 10 saves and boasted an ERA of 3.46.
It will be interesting to see where/if he signs in the offseason, and who takes a chance on him.
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Ex-Milwaukee Brewers Player Makes Sudden Decision About Future