The Brewers have not tendered contracts for the 2010 season to 33-year old righty reliever Mark DiFelice, 28-year old righty reliever Seth McClung or 33-year old righty swinging catcher Mike Rivera making all of them free agents. Mark DiFelice pitched in 59 games (0 starts) last season and he was 4-1 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He pitched two years for the Brewers working in 74 games (0 starts) in which he was 5-1 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. This is a shame for DiFelice who worked so hard to get to the majors but he blew out his shoulder and will miss the entire 2010 season and that’s the only reason the Brewers cut him loose. Seth McClung pitched in 41 games (2 starts) last season for the Brewers and he was 3-3 with a 4.94 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. In three years with the Brewers, McClung pitched in 92 games (14 starts) in which he was 9-10 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Despite his great arm McClung has never turned into a pitcher that the Brewers could really trust in a close game and that is a huge part of the reason they let him walk. Mike Rivera played in 41 games for the Brewers last season and he was 26 for 114 (.228 avg, .668 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers and 14 RBIs. In four years with the Brewers, Rivera played in 119 games in which he was 86 for 331 (.260 avg, .756 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 11 homers, 55 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Brewers just wanted to go in a new direction at catcher for the 2010 season and beyond and that played a big role in letting Rivera go. The Brewers won’t miss any of these guys as none of them would have really helped them in 2010.

UPDATE: The Brewers have re-signed Mark DiFelice to a minor league deal to oversee his rehab. He will miss all of the 2010 season but if healthy he will sign another deal with the Brewers for 2011. This was a nice move for the Brewers as it shows that they care about their players.

The Brewers have selected 23-year old lefty starting pitcher Chuck Lofgren in the Rule 5 Draft from the Cleveland Indians. Lofgren pitched in 25 games (all starts) in AA+AAA ball last year and he was 9-11 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has now pitched in 132 games (119 starts) in his six years in the minors and he is 45-35 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Lofgren’s best chance of making the Brewers’ pitching staff will be in the bullpen in 2010.

The Brewers have signed 33-year old lefty starting pitcher Randy Wolf to a 3-year, $29.75 million dollar contract with a club option for a 4th year. Wolf pitched in 34 games (all starts) for the Dodgers last season and he was 11-7 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Wolf has now pitched in 279 games (275 starts) in his major league career and he is 101-85 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. This was a good signing for the Brewers as Wolf will probably be the #2 starter for the Brewers behind Yovani Gallardo.

The Brewers have signed 37-year old righty reliever LaTroy Hawkins to a 2-year, $7.5 million dollar deal. Hawkins pitched in 65 games (0 starts) last season for the Astros and he is 1-4 with 11 saves, a 2.13 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has now pitched in 753 games (98 starts) in his major league career and he is 60-81 with 87 saves, a 4.51 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. This was a great move for the Brewers as he will likely be the new caddy for closer Trevor Hoffman.

The Brewers have claimed 25-year old righty swinging shortstop Luis Cruz off waivers from the Pirates. Cruz played in 27 games for the Pirates last season and he was 15 for 70 (.214 avg, .511 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 2 RBIs. He has now played two years in his major league career and he is 30 for 137 (.219 avg, .528 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 0 homers, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Cruz will battle for a back-up infielder job on the Brewers in 2010 but he’s not much of a hitter.