How Much Does J.C. Mejía Make?
J.C. Mejía makes an annual average salary of $570,500
The Milwaukee Brewers continued their frenzy of early offseason transactions Thursday, presumably in an effort to get as much work done as possible before Mark Attanasio and the rest of MLB’s owners lock out the players when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires.
Slingin’ David Stearns has brought in JC Mejia from the Cleveland Guardians, according to reports earlier this afternoon.
Jean Carlos Mejia, who turned 25 in August, was signed by Cleveland as an international free agent in late 2013 and debuted in the Dominican Summer League the following summer at the age of 17.
As he progressed through the minor leagues, he mostly pitched in relief until 2018, when he started 16 of his 18 appearances across both levels of A-ball.
After missing eight starts in 2019 due to a hip issue, Mejia spent 2020 at the Alternate Training Site before joining Triple-A in 2021.
Mejia ended up making it to the majors, albeit with mixed results: 60 hits and 48 earned runs in 17 games (11 starts) and 52.1 innings pitched for an 8.25 ERA.
Mejia had a 1.605 WHIP and an obnoxious 6.15 FIP while striking out 47 batters and walking 24. In fact, Mejia was towards the bottom of all Statcast metrics.
Mejia was once seen as a promising minor league talent, ranked #17 in 2019 and #30 in 2020.
Mejia, who walked only 2.36 hitters per nine innings in the minors from 2014 to 2019, misplaced his ability to throw strikes consistently in 2021, walking 40 batters in 77.2 innings between Triple-A and the majors.
He did, however, perform better as a reliever last season, allowing only two earned runs (both homers) in 10 innings with 11 strikeouts versus two walks in 10.0 innings across six MLB appearances.
When spring training opens next spring, the Brewers will be looking at Mejia as a reliever, according to Stearns.
Mejia was also granted a fourth minor league option, which means the Brewers will be able to shift him back and forth between the minors and majors as needed in 2022.
The Brewers would have six years of contractual control over Mejia if he stays on the roster.
The right-hander is presently pitching for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Republic, where he has only allowed one earned run in 9.0 innings with 12 strikeouts and two walks in seven outings.