A look at former Brewers on opening day rosters around Major League Baseball

Here's a look at former Milwaukee Brewers who broke camp (and a couple starting the season on the disabled list) with other teams at the outset of the 2018 Major League Baseball season.

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Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians

If there’s a fan regret from the CC Sabathia trade 10 years ago, it’s the loss of then-prospect Brantley, who has been a borderline MVP candidate at times with Cleveland. But Brantley has also faced injury troubles, and he’s not quite healthy enough to begin the season on the active roster. Brantley played in only 90 games last year and 11 in 2016, though he was an all-tar last year.

Lewis Brinson, Miami Marlins

The new No. 1 prospect in the Marlins system and the centerpiece of the Brewers’ off-season trade for Christian Yelich, Brinson will lead off the first game of the year for Miami against the Cubs. The Florida native was also the Brewers’ top prospect last year after arriving in a deal with the Texas Rangers for Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress in 2016. He saw 55 plate appearances in Milwaukee last year.

Garrett Cooper, Miami Marlins 

The first baseman who never played in Milwaukee but was drafted by the Brewers and sent to the Yankees last year in a deal for reliever Tyler Webb (then saw 43 at-bats with the Yankees) also will appear on the opening day roster for the Marlins.

Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners 

Perhaps one of the most-discussed ex-Brewers in recent memory, Cruz was penciled in as Seattle’s cleanup hitter to start the year. Fans still remember Cruz as a “throw-in” in a trade that sent Carlos Lee to Texas in exchange for Francisco Cordero, Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix. Cruz was subsequently exposed to waivers (part of the narrative that gets forgotten), and once he re-signed in Texas, his career took off, with now five all-star appearances, three top-10 finishes in MVP voting and two Silver Sluggers, coming as recently as 2015 and 2017 in Seattle. He remains a productive bat at age 36, but he saw only seven plate appearances in Milwaukee.

Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics

On the list of “ones that got away” to many Brewers fans, Davis has belted 42 and 43 homers in Oakland during his two seasons there despite playing in a cavernous home park. The Brewers traded him after the 2015 season for catching prospect Jacob Nottingham, and he may be strikeout prone, but he also owns solid offensive numbers, including an .864 OPS last year. He even received an MVP vote.

Jorge de la Rosa, Arizona Diamondbacks

It probably would shock 2005 Brewers fans to learn that De La Rosa would still be in the league 13 years later. The lefty was part of one of the more notable trades in Brewers history, when Milwaukee sent Richie Sexson to Arizona for Chris Capuano, Craig Counsell, Chad Moeller, Lyle Overbay, Junior Spivey and De La Rosa. He was inconsistent but flashed some serious potential before being traded for veteran infielder Tony Graffanino in 2006. De La Rosa won 16 games twice with Colorado in 2008 and 2013, then another 14 in 2014. He became a full-time reliever with the playoff-qualifying Diamondbacks in 2017 and finished with a 4.21 ERA in 65 games.

Nicky Delmonico, Chicago White Sox 

The former Brewers farm hand was once acquired from the Orioles for Francisco Rodriguez, though his stay with the organization was short. He saw his first big-league time with the White Sox last year, making 166 plate appearances and hitting nine homers with an .856 OPS. He could serve as a DH this year, as well. He had a rough 2014 when he faced a drug suspension and asked for his release, but he seems to have turned it around. K-Rod came back to the Brewers, anyway.

Zach Duke, Minnesota Twins

The lefty reliever spent just one season in Milwaukee, 2014, but he parlayed a quality season (2.45 ERA, 1.125 WHIP) into a nice contract with the White Sox for the 2015 season. Since then, Duke has bounced to the Cardinals (2016-'17) and now to the Twins. He has posted a 3.02 ERA in 140 innings since leaving Milwaukee.

Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals

Escobar has done well for himself since the Brewers traded him in 2011 as part of the Zack Greinke deal. The former Brewers top prospect won a World Series title, was named an all-star and Gold Glover in 2015 and has continued his reputation as one of the better defensive shortstops in the game, even if he usually doesn't clear .650 in the OPS department.

Marco Estrada, Toronto Blue Jays 

A serviceable starting pitcher for the Brewers from 2011-'14, Estrada has been mostly solid in his three seasons as a Blue Jay, though he struggled with a 4.98 ERA last year. He’s always had trouble serving up home runs – 31 last year was a career high and he’s never yielded fewer than 20 in the past four years – but he’s been an “innings eater” all the same and kept his WHIP in relative check (though struggled there last year).

Mike Fiers, Detroit Tigers 

Fiers is likely to start the year on the disabled list after struggling for much of the spring. The Tigers signed him in the off-season after Houston parted ways; Fiers will always be remembered in Houston after throwing a no-hitter in 2015. However, he has still struggled since he became a feel-good story for the Brewers in 2014. Milwaukee traded him as part of the Carlos Gomez swap (for current Brewers Josh Hader, Domingo Santana and top minor-leaguer Brett Phillips) at the end of the 2015 season.

Scooter Gennett, Cincinnati Reds

The infielder moved from Milwaukee just before the start of the 2017 season and had a strong year, with a .342 on-base percentage and 27 home runs in 497 plate appearances. He also hit four home runs in a game, so he already has a display in the Reds Hall of Fame at Great American Ballpark. Former Brewer Hernan Iribarren was one of the final cuts for the Reds, as well.

Carlos Gomez, Tampa Bay Rays 

The former Milwaukee fan favorite has bounced around since Milwaukee sent the Gold Glover to Houston in the trade that returned Brett Phillips, Domingo Santana, Josh Hader and Adrian Hauser in 2015. Gomez finished that season with Houston, split time between the Astros and Rangers in 2016 and then hit .255 with 17 homers and an .802 OPS for Texas in 2017.

Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks

His stay in Milwaukee (2011-'12) was short, but Greinke was a popular acquisition before the 2011 season from the Royals. He helped lead Milwaukee to the National League Central title and into the NLCS, but with free agency looming, the Brewers traded him to the Angels in 2012 for Jean Segura and others. Greinke was the Cy Young runner-up in 2015 with the Dodgers and has made three of the past four all-star teams. He’s been top 10 in the Cy Young voting in four of his five years since leaving Milwaukee and earned two Gold Gloves.

Brandon Kintzler, Washington Nationals 

Kintzler was quite the find for Milwaukee when he was signed out of the Independent Leagues and worked his way to the big leagues, first in 2010 for the Brewers. He stayed in Milwaukee through a rocky seven games in 2015, though he was quite effective in the interim. He rediscovered his game in Minnesota in 2016 and 2017 and was traded to Washington during the 2017 season. He’s back with the Nationals again this year.

Jonathan Lucroy, Oakland Athletics

Lucroy signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal late in the off-season March 12 and will start for the Athletics after playing last year with the Rangers and Rockies – he was part of the Colorado team that edged out Milwaukee for a wild-card spot by one game in 2017. The catcher was traded by the Brewers to the Rangers in a deal that brought back Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz and more in 2016, and though he hasn’t been quite all-star caliber, he hasn’t been as bad as people think. He battled .310 with an .865 OPS in hitter-friendly Colorado after a rough start to the year with the Rangers last year.

Martin Maldonado, Los Angeles Angels

The popular former backup catcher in Milwaukee was fabulous in his first season with the Angels last year (and first time seeing the majority of the playing time). He hit 14 homers but made his name behind the dish, where he won his first career Gold Glove. The Brewers traded Maldonado last off-season in exchange for current catcher Jett Bandy.

Jake Odorizzi, Minnesota Twins 

The former Brewers farm hand is the opening day starter in Minnesota after being traded to the Twins from Tampa Bay. Odorizzi was traded to Kansas City before the 2011 season in the deal that brought Zack Greinke to Milwaukee, and he never threw a pitch for the Brewers, but many local fans still know the name. Odorizzi was moved from K.C. to the Rays before 2013, and he spent five seasons in the Tampa Bay organization. He’s been solid, with a career 3.83 ERA.

Yadiel Rivera, Miami Marlins

The slick-fielding Rivera was drafted by the Brewers and spent time in the organization until this past off-season, when he elected free agency after the Brewers designated him for assignment in September. He saw brief big-league visits in 2015, 2016 and 2017, maxing out at 71 plate appearances with the Brewers in 2016.

CC Sabathia, New York Yankees

Brewers fans will never forget Sabathia’s half-season in Milwaukee, and this year marks the 10th anniversary of that 2008 team that snapped a long playoff drought and reached the postseason under dramatic circumstances. Sabathia went 14-5 last year with a 3.69 ERA at age 36 – still effective after 10 seasons in New York. He signed a one-year, $10 million deal to stay in the Bronx this season.

Jean Segura, Seattle Mariners

The shortstop is penciled in to bat second in the opening day starting lineup for the Mariners after a strong spring. Segura battled .300 with a .776 OPS last year for Seattle, notching 11 home runs and 22 stolen bases. That was after an even better year in Arizona (a place he was sent when the Brewers traded him in exchange for Chase Anderson, Aaron Hill and Isan Diaz), when he finished 13th in the MVP voting and battled .319 with 20 homers and 33 stolen bases. He doesn’t quite rise to the level of “one that got away” as much as Scooter Gennett or his current Seattle teammate, Nelson Cruz, but he’s among the more lamentable losses. Perhaps the Brewers’ rising young star at the same position (Orlando Arcia) or the return of a No. 1 starter in the trade with Arizona (Anderson) has something to do with it.

Will Smith, San Francisco Giants

The lefty slider specialist was exchanged for pitching prospect Phil Bickford during the 2016 season. Although Smith posted a fine 2.95 ERA in 26 relief outings with the Giants to close that season, he needed Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2017. He’s also starting this year on the disabled list.

Anthony Swarzak, New York Mets

Swarzak was a mid-season acquisition for the Brewers last year in exchange for minor-leaguer Ryan Cordell, and the right-handed reliever solidified the bullpen, finishing with a 2.48 ERA in 29 innings of work with Milwaukee. The veteran signed a two-year contract with the Mets in the off-season.

Tyler Thornburg, Boston Red Sox

Perhaps David Stearns’s greatest move as Brewers general manager so far was the exchange of Thornburg for third baseman Travis Shaw and infield prospect Mauricio Dubon, with the former becoming perhaps the most valuable Brewers asset in 2017 and the latter looking like a contributor perhaps as early as this season. That doesn't even mention top-30 prospect Josh Pennington, who also came in the deal. Thornburg missed all of 2017 with a shoulder injury and underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome; he hopes to be back sometime in the first couple months of this season.

Neil Walker, New York Yankees

Speaking of productive half-seasons (as we were with Walker's teammate, CC Sabathia), Walker reached base at a .409 clip in his 38 games with the Brewers last year after the team acquired him for a player to be named (eventually Eric Hanhold) from the New York Mets. Walker was among the free agents still unsigned midway through spring trailing, but he ultimately signed for one year and $4 million with New York.

Wisconsin natives Pat Neshek (Phillies) and Jordan Zimmermann (Tigers) are also on opening day rosters.