The Brewers have signed 32-year old lefty swinging outfielder Corey Patterson. Patterson played in 133 games for the Cardinals & Blue Jays last year and he was 88 for 368 (.239 avg, .632 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 6 homers, 36 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He has now played in 1,230 games in his first 13 years in the majors and he is 1,050 of 4,171 (.252 avg, .691 OPS) with 571 runs scored, 118 homers, 431 RBIs and 218 stolen bases. This was a good signing for the Brewers as Patterson can handle all three spots in the outfield. He will try to win a job on the bench this spring.

With Prince Fielder likely leaving town and Ryan Braun likely to miss the first 50 games of the 2012 season, the Brewers have been scrambling to add some bats. 3B Aramis Ramirez was the big ticket player the Brewers signed over this winter. Here is a look at what they have done so far in the off-season:

In the field: The Brewers will have a new left side of the infield for 2012 and that’s a good thing. Out are 3B Casey McGehee (traded to Pirates) and SS Yuniesky Betancourt (signed with Royals) and in are 3B Aramis Ramirez and SS Alex Gonzalez. That is a nice upgrade for the Brewers. The Brewers are trying to sign outfielder Norichiku Aoki to help replace Braun while he is out of action. Travis Ishikawa, Cesar Izturis and Brooks Conrad have been signed to add depth to the bench for 2012.

On the mound: The Brewers have a rock solid pitching staff so they didn’t need to add much. They picked up a nice reliever from the Pirates in the Casey McGehee deal in righty Jose Veras. They have also brought in righty Seth McClung and lefty Juan Perez on minor league deals to compete for bullpen spots.

Overall: The Brewers have made some nice pickups in Ramirez, Gonzalez and Veras but they are nowhere near as good as they were at the end of the 2011 season right now.

The Brewers have signed 34-year old righty swinging catcher Paul Phillips to a minor league deal. Phillips played in 78 games in AAA-ball for the Indians last year and he was 63 of 266 (.220 avg, .703 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 3 homers and 24 RBIs. He last played in the majors back in 2010 with the Rockies. Phillips has played in 91 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 58 of 221 (.262 avg, .655 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 3 homers and 26 RBIs. The Brewers will likely stash Phillips in AAA-ball in 2012.

The Brewers have claimed 25-year old righty swinging SS/2B Jeff Bianchi off waivers from the Cubs. Bianchi played in 119 games in AA-ball last year and he was 115 of 444 (.259 avg, .654 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 2 homers, 48 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He has now played in 490 games in his first six years in the minors and he was 516 of 1,838 (.281 avg, .744 OPS) with 279 runs scored, 31 homers, 251 RBIs and 76 stolen bases. Bianchi will likely get a shot this spring to win a job on the Brewers’ bench.

The Brewers have signed 30-year old righty reliever Seth McClung to a minor league deal. McClung pitched in 19 games (11 starts) in AAA-ball for the Rangers last year and he was 2-3 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors back in 2009 for the Brewers. He has pitched in 92 games (14 starts) in his three years with the Brewers and he is 9-10 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. McClung has pitched in 177 games (51 starts) overall in his first six years in the majors and he is 26-34 with 6 saves, a 5.46 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. McClung will be a longshot to make the Brewers’ bullpen this spring.