The Brewers have released 33-year old righty reliever David Riske. Riske had Tommy John Surgery in 2009 and the Brewers decided that they didn’t think he would be able to ever help them again. Riske pitched in 69 games (0 starts) in his three years with the Brewers and he was 1-2 with 2 saves, a 5.40 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. This was addition by subtraction for the Brewers.

The Brewers activated 32-year old lefty swinging Jody Gerut off the D.L. and then they released him. Gerut played in 32 games for the Brewers this year and he was 14 of 71 (.197 avg, .596 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. He played in 117 games in parts of two years with the Brewers and he was 52 of 232 (.224 avg, .650 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 7 homers, 29 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Brewers won’t miss Gerut too much as he wasn’t part of the future.

The Brewers have sent 40-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jim Edmonds to the Reds for 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Chris Dickerson. Edmonds played in 73 games for the Brewers this year and he was 62 of 217 (.286 avg, .843 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 8 homers, 20 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He played well for the Brewers this season but this was a trade they had to make as Edmonds is considering retirement after this year. Chris Dickerson can handle all three positions in the outfield defensively. Dickerson played in 20 games for the Reds this year and he is 9 of 44 (.205 avg, .495 OPS) with 9 runs scored and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 148 games in his three years in the majors and he is 110 of 401 (.274 avg, .789 OPS) with 60 runs scored, 8 homers, 30 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. This is a trade I like for both teams as it gives the Reds a veteran player for the stretch run while the Reds get a player who could be solid down the road.

The Brewers have released 35-year old righty reliever/starter Jeff Suppan and he deserved it. Suppan pitched in 15 games (2 starts) for the Brewers this year and he was 0-2 with a 7.84 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. He gave up a whopping 50 hits (4 homers) in only 31 innings this year for the Brewers. Suppan pitched in 110 games (97 starts) in his four years with the Brewers and he was 29-36 with a 5.08 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. Signing Suppan for big bucks was a bad decision….plain and simple.

The Brewers have signed 28-year old righty reliever Brian Bruney to a minor league deal. Bruney pitched in 19 games (0 starts) for the Nationals earlier this season and he was 1-2 with a 7.64 ERA and a 2.32 WHIP. He has now pitched in 249 games (1 start) in his 7 years in the majors and he is 17-12 with 13 saves, a 4.52 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. This was a good signing for the Brewers who will likely give him a quick call to the majors if he gets off to a good start in the minors. They need help in the pen and if Bruney starts throwing strikes he can be helpful.

UPDATE: (6/22/2010) - The Brewers have released Bruney. He pitched in 2 games (0 starts) in AAA for the Brewers in which he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.