The Brewers have traded outfielder Gabe Gross to the Rays for 23-year old righty starting pitcher Josh Butler. Gross played in 16 games this season for the Brewers and he was 9 for 43 (.209 avg, .631 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Butler was the Rays #16 prospect according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. Butler has started 3 games in A-Ball so far this season and he was 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Previous to this season, Butler has pitched in 28 games (24 starts) in his minor league career (all in A-Ball) and he was 9-7 with a 3.54 ERA. The Brewers did well to get a legit prospect for Gross as he wasn’t going to get much playing time with Tony Gwynn coming off the D.L. and Mike Cameron’s suspension almost over.

The Brewers have signed 31-year old righty Jeff Weaver to a 1-year, incentive laden contract. Weaver started 27 games last season for the Mariners and he was 7-13 with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Weaver has now pitched in 284 games (267 starts) in his major league career and he is 93-114 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. This was an interesting move by the Brewers who appear to be loaded in the starting rotation, plus, Jeff Weaver stinks.

The Brewers have six pitchers that have closing experience in their bullpen so they should be pretty well set there in 2008. 32-year old righty Eric Gagne was signed to a 1-year contract in the off-season to take over as the Brewers’ closer. He pitched in 54 games (0 starts) last season for the Red Sox & Rangers and he was 4-2 with 16 saves, a 3.81 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He also whiffed 54 batters in 54 innings so his stuff still appears to be good enough to get the job done.

31-year old righty David Riske will likely be the top set-up man for the Brewers this year. He pitched in 65 games (0 starts) for the Royals last season and he was 1-4 with 4 saves, a 2.45 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Riske is a strike thrower and that’s important when you are pitching late in games so he should be effective again in 2008.

30-year old righty flamethrower Derrick Turnbow is back for the 2008 season. He pitched in 77 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 4-5 with 1 save, a 4.63 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Turnbow whiffed 84 batters and walked 46 in only 68 innings last season which shows that he has a great arm but doesn’t have a clue as to where the ball is going.

36-year old righty Salomon Torres was the Pirates’ closer at the start of last season but he lost the job. He pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Pirates last season and he was 2-4 with 12 saves, a 5.47 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He should pitch better this season in his old set up role.

39-year old lefty Brian Shouse is good at his job which is getting out 1 tough lefty batter at a time. He pitched in 73 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 1-1 with 1 save, a 3.02 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.

34-year old righty Guillermo Mota was brought in from the Mets in the off season. He pitched in 52 games (0 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. The Brewers hope that Mota reponds to less pressure in Milwaukee as he still has good stuff.

27-year old righty Seth McClung also has excellent stuff but he will have to throw strikes to succeed in the majors. He pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He also pitched in 45 games (3 starts) in AAA last season and he was 3-5 with 5 saves, a 1.85 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. McClung whiffed 93 batters and walked 48 in only 77.2 innings in the minors last year.

32-year old lefty Randy Choate will begin the season on the D.L. for the Brewers. He pitched in 2 games for the Diamondbacks last season and he allowed 3 hits while not getting anyone out. He also pitched in 54 games in AAA ball last season and he was 3-1 with 3 saves, a 3.02 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B-

The Brewers have a talented and mostly young starting rotation for the 2008 season. 29-year old righty Ben Sheets has the best stuff on the staff but he has had problems with injuries and lack of run support in the past. He started 24 games for the Brewers last season and he was 12-5 with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Sheets has now started 190 games in his major league career and he is 73-74 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.

33-year old righty Jeff Suppan will lend a veteran hand to the starting rotation in 2008. He started 34 games for the Brewers last season and he was 12-12 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Expect the same kind of numbers in 2008 as he is a very consistent pitcher.

The Brewers keep waiting for 28-year old righty Dave Bush to live up to his potential but it hasn’t happened yet. Bush pitched in 33 games (31 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 12-10 with a 5.12 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He must keep the ball down and throw strikes or he will likely have another long season.

24-year old righty Carlos Villanueva will be the #4 starter for the Brewers when the season begins. He pitched in 59 games (6 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 8-5 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Villanueva is one of the brighter young pitchers for the Brewers and he should have a solid 2008 season.

25-year old lefty Manny Parra will be in the starting rotation at the start of the season but he will have to pitch well to keep the spot when Yovani Gallardo returns from the D.L. Parra pitched in 9 games (2 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 0-1 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He also started 14 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He whiffed 106 batters in 106.2 innings in the minors last season. He could bump Dave Bush from the rotation this season if he out pitches him.

22-year old righty Yovani Gallardo is the brightest prospect the Brewers have on the mound. He will kick someone out of the rotation in a couple of weeks when he returns from the D.L. He pitched in 20 games (17 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Look for him to eventually be the #2 starter on the Brewers behind Ben Sheets.

24-year old lefty Zach Jackson pitched in 29 games (28 starts) in AAA last season and he was 11-10 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He has pitched in 8 games (7 starts) in his major league career and he is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

The Brewers have released 30-year old righty Claudio Vargas. He pitched in 29 games (23 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 11-6 with a 5.09 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. The Brewers felt they had enough pitching depth to let Vargas go so that he could sign on with another team, which he has yet to do. He has pitched in 153 games (110 starts) in his major league career and he is 43-38 with 1 save, a 4.95 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.