The Brewers have signed 37-year old lefty starter/reliever John Halama to a minor league contract. Halama pitched in 16 games (13 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 4-7 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors during the 2006 season with the Orioles. Halama has now pitched in 262 games (119 starts) in his major league career in which he is 56-48 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. This signing was worth the very small risk the Brewers are taking.

The Brewers have signed 31-year old lefty starting pitcher Chris Capuano to a minor league contract. He pitched in 6 games (all starts) last season in Rookie Ball where he was 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors in 2007 with the Brewers before being seriously injured and he has been working his way back since. Capuano has pitched in 124 games (116 starts) in his major league career and he is 42-48 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. This was a good move for the Brewers and Capuano as they both hope that perserverance pays off.

The Brewers have claimed 26-year old lefty swinging catcher George Kottaras off waivers from the Red Sox. Kottaras played in 45 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 22 for 93 (.237 avg, .695 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs. He has now played in 48 games in his major league career and he is 23 for 98 (.235 avg, .692 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs. This was a nice low risk move for the Brewers who have a open position at catcher right now and Kottaras was once a highly thought of prospect for the Padres.

27-year old righty swinging 3B Casey McGehee of the Brewers finished fifth in the voting for the Rookie of the Year Award in the National League. He played in 116 games for the Brewers last season and he was 107 for 355 (.301 avg, .859 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 16 homers and 66 RBIs. McGehee played so well last season that he has supplanted Mat Gamel as the 3B of the future for the Brewers. One of the best things about McGehee is the fact that the Brewers claimed him off waivers last winter from the division rival Cubs getting him for nothing.

The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired 23-year old righty swinging center fielder Carlos Gomez from the Twins for 27-year old righty swinging shortstop J.J. Hardy. Gomez will be the starting CF replacing Mike Cameron who is leaving Milwaukee as a free agent. Gomez played in 137 games for the Twins last season and he was 72 for 315 (.229 avg, .624 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 3 homers, 28 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Gomez has now played in 348 games in his major league career and he is 250 for 1,017 (.246 avg, .638 OPS) with 144 runs scored, 12 homers, 99 RBIs and 59 stolen bases. Gomez will bring great speed on both defense and offense for the Brewers in 2010 and beyond. He is a player with a very nice upside.

J.J. Hardy was expendable for the Brewers due to the rise of Alcides Escobar who will be the starting shortstop this season. Escobar played in 38 games for the Brewers last season and he was 38 for 125 (.304 avg, .701 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 1 homer, 11 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has a huge upside. J.J. Hardy played in 115 games last season for the Brewers and he was 95 for 414 (.229 avg, .659 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 11 homers and 47 RBIs. Hardy played in 571 games in his five years with the Brewers and he was 543 for 2,045 (.262 avg, .751 OPS) with 279 runs scored, 75 homers and 265 RBIs. This was the perfect example of a trade that should help out both teams. The Twins needed a shortstop and the Brewers needed a CF.