The Milwaukee Brewers were busy today in Indianapolis at the MLB winter meetings, signing a pair of pitchers.
Brewers Sign Pitchers Randy Wolf, LaTroy Hawkins
First, they snagged starting pitcher Randy Wolf to a three-year deal, reportedly worth $29.75 million guaranteed. Then later in the day, the Brewers added an arm to their bullpen, inking LaTroy Hawkins to a two-year deal, which, pending a physical, is worth $7.5 million. SB Nation’s Beyond the Box Score takes a look at how both additions affect the Brewers.
A career National Leaguer, Wolf more than likely made the right decision by sticking with the league he knows best. He's probably not the #2 starter that Milwaukee is hoping for him to be, but does give the team another quality arm behind Yovanni Gallardo. His 3.23 ERA in 2009 is partly a product of a lower than normal BABIP, but his 3.96 FIP suggests that he was still above average.
Again, there's no guarantee he'll give you 200 innings again. And there should be some adjustment from Chavez Ravine to Miller Park, however, Wolf should be able to cover 2.5 WAR needed to make him "worth" the near $10 million dollar salary; at least in the contract year 2010.
The other part of the equation is LaTroy Hawkins, and the two-year, $7.5 million dollar contract he received from Milwaukee. Like Wolf, Hawkins does himself a favor by sticking in the National League. After a mostly successful stint with the Minnesota Twins, he suffered through two less than stellar trips through the AL East before settling down with the Astros in the NL Central.
Be sure to visit Brew Crew Ball for more analysis of the two signings.
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