The Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks have made the biggest move to date, but perhaps no team has been more active in the past week than the Milwaukee Brewers. Having already secured the services of Gregg Zaun, the team added a pair of battery mates for the leader of the Zaunbie nation. The Brewers do like their veterans as evident in the nearly $40 million dollars guaranteed to the three they've already signed in addition to the one they already re-signed this offseason.
Earlier today, the Brewers received word that left-handed starter, Randy Wolf had accepted their three-year deal worth just shy of the $30 million dollar mark. At age 33, and with a past history of injuries, there is no guarantee that Wolf remains healthy for the duration of the contract, but over the past three seasons he has pitched over 400 innings for the Padres, Astros and Dodgers combined..
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.
Remaining in the same division, the Brewers should know what their getting in Hawkins. He's not the 2.13 ERA that his 65 appearances in 2009 suggests, but should be an above average reliever nonetheless. His FIP/xFIP were both in the neighborhood of 4.0, and his almost 37-year-old arm still shows plenty of life (94.2 avg fastball in 2009). An annual salary of $3.75 million is probably a bit more than he's actually worth, but he should provide a decent insurance policy in case Trevor Hoffman misses time with injury.