Former Brewers players (and other familiar names) on opening-day MLB rosters

Now that the season is officially upon us, take a look at some of the old friends suiting up elsewhere and some Wisconsin-connected names you may also know.

Played for the 2022 Brewers

Brad Boxberger, Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee has already seen last year's team leader in pitching appearances when he worked a scoreless inning for the Cubs in Thursday's season opener. He signed a one-year deal with the Cubs worth $2 million this offseason.

Trevor Gott, Seattle Mariners. Gott was a pleasant surprise in the Brewers bullpen last year and signed with Seattle for one year, $1.2 million.

Josh Hader, San Diego Padres. He'll be one of the most-watched players in baseball by Brewers fans this year after his trade-deadline relocation to San Diego proved disastrous for Milwaukee. He remains one of the foremost closers in the National League.

Dinelson Lamet, Colorado Rockies. He was part of the Josh Hader trade but released quickly thereafter and never pitched for the Brewers. He posted a 4.05 ERA in 19 games with Colorado last year and will again be part of its bullpen. He allowed two hits in a scoreless inning for Colorado in the opener.

Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates. After one year with the Brewers, McCutchen returned to the franchise where he became an MVP a decade ago, signing a one-year contract worth $5 million. In this year's opener, he had a hit and three walks, including one with the bases loaded.

Omar Narváez, New York Mets. The Mets signed Narváez to a two-year, $15 million deal after spending three years as the Brewers' primary catcher.

Jace Peterson, Oakland Athletics. The third baseman had a solid year for the Brewers last year and signed a two-year deal worth $9.5 million to join Oakland.

Hunter Renfroe, Los Angeles Angels. The outfielder had perhaps the best offensive season of any Brewers regular last year but was dealt in the offseason to acquire pitching depth, namely relievers Janson Junk and Elvis Peguero. Renfroe's no-look catch in the season opener is an early entrant for play of the year and left pitcher Shohei Ohtani in awe.

Esteury Ruiz, Oakland Athletics. The speedy outfielder was the price to acquire catcher William Contreras, and Ruiz lit it up in spring training and now has a viable path to the starting center fielder job. He had a hit and scored the tying run in the eighth of a 2-1 win over the Angels in the opener.

Brent Suter, Colorado Rockies. He's on a one-year, $3 million contract and will likely see his leverage role increase with closer Daniel Bard stepping away from the team to battle anxiety issues. The fun-loving Suter had been a fixture for the Brewers since 2016.

José Ureña, Colorado Rockies. He was only with the Brewers for the first month of the 2022 season and made 17 starts for Colorado thereafter. He's again part of the Rockies rotation this season.

Kolten Wong, Seattle Mariners. The second baseman had a strong offensive campaign in 2022 and was traded to Seattle in a deal that brought Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to Milwaukee.

Played on 2021 Brewers

Orlando Arcia, Atlanta Braves. On Thursday, he signed a three-year deal worth $7.3 million after winning the Braves starting shortstop job out of spring training. He had an RBI single in the opener.

Phil Bickford, Los Angeles Dodgers. Appeared in just one inning for the Brewers in 2021 but wound up with the Dodgers, where he's made 116 appearances over the rest of 2021 and last year, with a combined 4.13 ERA. He threw a scoreless inning in the opener.

Jackie Bradley Jr, Kansas City Royals. The defensively savvy outfielder was traded back to Boston in the Hunter Renfroe acquisition before the 2022 season, but he continued to struggle offensively last year, in Boston and Toronto. He made the Royals roster after being brought in on a minor-league deal and delivering a strong spring training.

John Curtiss, New York Mets. A trade-deadline acquisition from the Marlins in 2021 who was lost for the season with injury, he signed with the Mets while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and missed all of last year, but he's back with the big-league club this season.

Eduardo Escobar, New York Mets. A trade-deadline acquisition for the Brewers in 2021, the third baseman had a so-so year with the Mets last year and now enters the second of his two-year, $20 million free-agent deal.

J.P. Feyereisen, Los Angeles Dodgers. After getting dealt to Tampa Bay in the Willy Adames exchange, Feyereisen had been excellent for Tampa Bay before a shoulder injury cost him most of last year and will continue to keep him most of this season. The River Falls native did not allow a single earned run last year before he was shelved, throwing 24 1/3 scoreless.

Avisail García, Miami Marlins. The outfielder saw his numbers plummet last year in the first of his four-year deal with the Marlins worth $53 million. He was huge in 2021 for the Brewers, posting an .820 OPS, but that was down to .582 last year with just eight homers.

Luke Maile, Cincinnati Reds. Briefly a catcher for the 2021 Brewers, he signed a one-year deal worth just over $1.1 million to serve in a backup role behind the plate.

Manny Piña, Oakland Athletics. After appearing in just five games for Atlanta last year before injury cost him most of the season, he was dealt to Oakland in the Sean Murphy deal that also sent William Contreras to Milwaukee, but he's starting the year on the injured list with a wrist issue.

Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays. Dealt to Tampa Bay in the Willy Adames deal in 2021, Rasmussen has been superb for the Rays, with a 2.272 ERA over 205 innings coming into this season. He's bordering on "one that got away" territory.

Trevor Richards, Toronto Blue Jays. Acquired in 2021 in the Willy Adames trade and then dealt to Toronto in the deal that brought Rowdy Tellez to Milwaukee, Richards had a 5.34 ERA last year in 62 appearances.

Daniel Vogelbach, New York Mets. The burly, endearing slugger had a quality .830 OPS last year as a designated hitter primarily for the Mets, and he's now in the second year of his two-year, $2.3 million deal.

Previous Brewers

Jesus Aguilar, Oakland Athletics. Brewer in 2018 and 2019 spent the last couple seasons in Miami (closing 2022 in Baltimore) and is now the Athletics' starting first baseman, signed on a one-year deal ($3 million).

Ji-Man Choi, Pittsburgh Pirates. Briefly with the Brewers in 2018, he'd been with the Rays ever since until joining the Pirates this year on a one-year deal ($4.65 million)

Nelson Cruz, San Diego Padres. Yes, he's still in the league. A Brewers prospect who appeared on the big-league team back in 2005 and was dubiously traded to the Texas Rangers has appeared in seven all-star games and remains valuable at age 42, though his numbers dropped last year in Washington. This will be his fourth team in three seasons.

Zach Davies, Arizona. A Brewer for six seasons before he was traded to San Diego in the swap that brought Eric Lauer and Luis Urías to Milwaukee prior to 2020, Davies had a 4.09 ERA for the Diamondbacks last year in 27 starts.

Mauricio Dubón, Houston Astros. He finds himself as the Astros starting second baseman with Jose Altuve out. The versatile Dubon can play in the infield and outfield; he was traded from Milwaukee to the Giants in 2019 for Drew Pomeranz.

Yasmani Grandal, Chicago White Sox. The staple of the 2019 Brewers is in the final year of his four-year, $73 million deal with the White Sox. Last year he had a .570 OPS after posting a .939 mark the year before. He homered in the season opener, a 3-2 win over Houston, tying the game in the eighth inning.

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals. Yes, he's still in the league. The Brewer in 2011 and part of 2012 is back with the Royals for a second straight year at age 39; last year, he had a 3.68 ERA in 26 starts. He took the loss in the season opener despite allowing only two runs.

Trent Grisham, San Diego Padres. Traded after the 2019 season in the deal with Davies that brought Lauer and Urías to Milwaukee, Grisham has seen his numbers decline over the past three years with the Padres after a hot start in 2020.

Martín Maldonado, Houston. He spent at least part of six different seasons with the Brewers largely as a backup catcher, but his career was just getting started. This will be his fifth straight year in Houston, where the 36-year-old won a ring last year. He'll be the primary starter, too.

Mike Moustakas, Colorado Rockies. The 2018 and 2019 Brewer was one of the last additions to the Rockies roster this year after signing on a minor-league deal. He spent the last three seasons in Cincinnati, where his numbers declined each season. Brewers fans remember Moose beating the Rockies in the NLDS with a walk-off single in 2018.

Jorge López, Minnesota Twins. Drafted and developed by the Brewers, for whom he played in 2015 and 2017-18, López took a leap forward as the Baltimore Orioles closer last year and was traded to Minnesota at last year's deadline. He picked up a hold in the first game of the year.

Jordan Lyles, Kansas City Royals. A Brewer for two stints in 2018 and 2019, he's struggled keeping the ball in the ballpark with Texas and Baltimore the past three seasons. He signed a two-year, $17 million deal with K.C. and slots behind Greinke in the rotation.

Brad Miller, Texas Rangers. Briefly a Brewer in 2018, Miller has played for five different clubs since 2019 but will see time at third base in his second straight year with Texas. He homered in the season opener.

Jimmy Nelson, Los Angeles Dodgers. The former Brewers ace hasn't been able to see much of the field since a major shoulder injury in 2017, but he was effective for the Dodgers in 2021 before Tommy John surgery derailed him again. He'll start the year on the injured list but did pitch in spring training.

Brett Phillips, Los Angeles Angels. The beloved outfielder is with his fourth team since the Brewers traded him in 2018, but he was able to win a roster spot out of camp and remains an effective defensive option.

Drew Pomeranz, San Diego Padres. In the last year of his four-year, $34 million deal with San Diego that he signed after serving as a crucial member of the home-stretch bullpen for the Brewers in 2019, injuries have hampered Pomeranz's tenure. He's opening the year on the IL after a shoulder issue slowed him in spring training.

Jonathan Schoop, Detroit Tigers. A famous trade-deadline acquisition that didn't work out in 2018, Schoop is still just 31 and has had productive seasons with the Twins and Tigers in the intervening years, though his numbers declined significantly last year.

Jean Segura, Miami Marlins. A Brewers shortstop from 2012-15, Segura was most recently seen in the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed a two-year, $17 million deal with Miami in the offseason and is the team's starting third baseman.

Will Smith, Texas Rangers. A slider specialist for the Brewers from 2014-16, he closed out the Brewers while pitching for the Braves in the 2021 NLDS and has now made his way to Texas after a stop in Houston.

Other Wisconsin connections

Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays. An all-star in 2021 and a player who received MVP votes in 2022, his father Dante played briefly for the Brewers. He had four hits, drove in a run and scored twice in the opener vs. the Cardinals.

Danny Jansen, Toronto Blue Jays. The Appleton native had a breakout season last year for the Jays (.855 OPS) and will continue to catch a lot for one of the best teams in the American League.

Jarred Kelenic, Seattle Mariners. The Waukesha native will start in left field for Seattle as he looks to continue making the transition from top prospect to consistent major leaguer. He had a hit in a 3-0 win over Cleveland after a big spring training.

Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers. The Kenosha native was in line to start for the Dodgers at shortstop this year before suffering a season-ending injury in spring training.

Cal Quantrill and Zach Plesac, Cleveland Guardians. One is the son of former big leaguer from the University of Wisconsin, Paul Quantrill, and one is the nephew of the Brewers all-time saves leader, Dan Plesac. They're both part of the Guardians starting rotation.

Ben Rortvedt, New York Yankees. Verona native made his major league debut with the Twins in 2021 but has been hampered by injury. This time, he developed a circulation condition in his finger that has him sidelined.

Ramón Urías, Baltimore Orioles. Brother of Milwaukee third baseman Luis won a Gold Glove last year and posted a .720 OPS playing multiple positions in Baltimore; he homered in the season opener for the O's.

Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays. Varsho had a strong season with the Diamondbacks last year and was traded to Toronto in the offseason, where the Gold Glove-caliber outfielder will start in left. He went 1 for 5 with a double and drove in two runs in the 10-9 season-opening win over St. Louis. He's the first alumnus of the UW-Milwaukee baseball program to make the big leagues.

Terrin Vavra, Baltimore Orioles. Menomonie native made his Major League debut last year and posted a .677 OPS in 103 plate appearances. He's on the opening-day roster and can play multiple spots.

Jared Walsh, Los Angeles Angels. The Oconomowoc native (he attended high school in Georgia) is opening the season on the injured list with headaches and insomnia. The all-star in 2021 took a step back last year as the Angels' regular first baseman.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Brewers and Wisconsinites on MLB rosters around MLB