Busy day if your a member of the Milwaukee Brewers or a fan of the club. So much news going around I have to give my thoughts all in one post are I would be making multiple posts in one day which is something I don't like to do all that often. Mostly because I'm lazy and because it just seems pointless.Okay so even though we know that Yovani Gallardo is the best and most talented of any of the Brewers starting pitchers he will not be starting on Opening Day 09' in San Francisco. Ken Macha made that decision today. I can't say I agree with it, but I suppose he doesn't want to put too much pressure on a 23 year old who missed most of 2008 with that ACL injury. But me personally knowing what I know of Yovani, he can handle it and wants that pressure.
Rickie Weeks and JJ Hardy will probably bat 1-2 in the lineup. That seemed kind of obvious. Moving along to the two biggest stories of the day from Brewers camp.....
Eric Gagne is back. Yes, it is hard to believe I just typed those words. He signed a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Let me say I LOVE this deal. No risk, all reward if he pitches the way he did the second half and especially down the stretch in a setup role in 2008. This now gives the Crew quite a bit of depth in the bullpen and should make for a competitive camp. If Gagne makes the team he will earn a $1.5 mill base salary and another $2 mill in incentives. The Brewers have until March 25th to put Gagne on the 40 man roster or he becomes a free agent. This was a crazy development that came WAY out of left field. Its another great move by Doug Melvin.
And the last and most refreshing news of the day, Corey Hart and the Brewers agreed on a 1 year deal avoiding arbitration. One day before going in front of an arbiter the two sides met in the middle. Hart wanted $3.8 mill the Brewers offered $2.7 mill. Hart accepted $3.25 mill. A good deal for both parties. I thought for sure this was gonna go to arbitration, maybe Hart and his agent decided it wouldn't be good for Corey to hear the Brewers rip his dreadful second half and more specific September last year. Whatever, Corey is happy and Doug Melvin keeps his arbitration hearings at zero since becoming GM of the team in 2003.
2 comments:
Being the only "5 tool" guy in the regular lineup, the Hart thing is cool. So is the Gagne deal. At least there are arms to pick up the slack when the innings in Spring training get overwhelming. In a couple of weeks, the cream will rise to the top so to speak, and maybe the Brewers will have quite a bullpen.
Hart is a "5 tool" guy. But I don't think he is the only one we have. Ryan Braun might not steal as many bases as Corey but I would consider Ryan "5 tool". He does everything well.
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