Mark Reynolds may not be an All Star, but he's certainly good enough to be a major improvement over what the Brewers had at first base last season.

Last season, the Milwaukee Brewers were an absolute mess at first base. Seven different players were trotted out at the position, including catchers Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado, as well as shortstops Alex Gonzalez and Yuniesky Betancourt. As a result, the Brewers ranked dead last at first base in several offensive categories, including wRC+ (64), wOBA (.268), BB% (5.0), and fWAR (-4.6).

The position was primarily handled by a combination of Betancourt and corner infielder Juan Francisco, a duo that Milwaukee will probably want to avoid using in 2014. As such, the Brewers just signedMark Reynolds, the power-hitting, strikeout heavy corner infielder (~2,000 innings at first base, ~6,000 innings at third base) to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training.

Reynolds wouldn't be a complete fix at the position; in fact, there is a chance -- albeit small, as management seems to lack confidence in Francisco's abilities as a full-time player -- that he won't get the job over Francisco, the projected 2014 Opening Day starter.

Much of that will depend on his performance throughout the spring, as well as the status of third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez, who turns 36 this season, missed time last year with a left knee injury. He will be a question mark as the Brewers enter the upcoming season, creating the possibility that Milwaukee will need to play Francisco at third and Reynolds at first.

But, if we work under the assumption that Ramirez is fully healthy and maintains his rightful control of third, Reynolds will be fighting for a job. In that case, how much additional value could he offer the Brewers if they chose to start him at first base?

Here's how Reynolds compared offensively to Betancourt and Francisco in 2013:

While Betancourt doesn't come close to Reynolds' offensive output, Francisco is a near match. And, if we only look at his data once he was traded to the Brewers (smaller sample size, but a more accurate portrayal of his time in Milwaukee), Francisco's offensive numbers are even slightly better than Reynolds' throughout 2013.

Overall, though, Reynolds and Francisco are mostly comparable offensively. That still leaves defense. Here's how Reynolds stacks up to both Betancourt and Francisco defensively at first base:

Note: all statistics taken for innings played at first base in 2013 only.

Although Reynolds lacks behind the other two in DRS, he makes up for it by being leaps and bounds ahead in both UZR and UZR/150. Roughly 500 innings for each player isn't enough data to declare Reynolds the best fielder of the three, especially considering his near-1,000 innings at first base for the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 in which he posted a UZR of -7.0 and a UZR/150 of -12.5, but neither Betancourt nor Francisco have any other playing time at first base for comparison.

And, that may be the answer as to how valuable Reynolds will be for the Brewers in 2014. Betancourt certainly isn't a viable option at first base, and Francisco is probably better suited at third base -- his career -1.0 UZR and -1.8 UZR/150 over 910.1 innings at third base are significantly better than his small sample at first. Having Reynolds offers them an alternative at a position that's horrifyingly anemic on their depth chart.

Reynolds might have most of his best days behind him -- after four years of 1.2 fWAR or higher to start his career, including a 3.2 fWAR in 2009, Reynolds hasn't topped 0.4 fWAR -- but, given the current situation in Milwaukee, even the 2014 Steamer projection of 0.7 fWAR would be a very valuable addition to the Brewers this season considering how little they got from the position a year ago.

. . .

All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.

Evan Kendall is a contributor at Beyond the Box Score and co-founder of The Sports Post. You can follow him on Twitter at @Evan_TSP.

More from Beyond the Box Score

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• Was Michael Wacha tipping his pitches? A follow up
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We're looking at the Brewers' updated budget and much more in today's news roundup.

Some things to read while working out.

We are 24 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale and the Brewers have crossed an item off their pre-spring to-do list, agreeing to 2014 contracts with Marco Estrada ($3.325 million) and Juan Francisco ($1.35 million). Those two were the Brewers' last arbitration-eligible players.

If the Brewers are going to be relevant in any way in 2014 they likely need a full productive season from Estrada, who has a 4.01 ERA over 100 appearances as a Brewer but has never pitched more than 138.1 innings in an MLB season. You can count Noah among the optimists, though, as demonstrated in our Tweet of the Day:

Perhaps I'm overly optimistic, but I feel like Estrada has the potential to be Doug Melvin's best junkheap find ever.

— Noah Jarosh (@NoahJarosh) January 18, 2014

In addition to Estrada, the Brewers may also be looking for big innings increases from guys like Tyler Thornburg and/or Jimmy Nelson. Anthony Joshi-Pawlowic of Beyond the Box Score makes the case for innings limits to be abolished.

Meanwhile, Francisco has a new challenge ahead of him as he'll have to compete with new minor league signee Mark Reynolds for playing time this spring. Mike Petriello of FanGraphs has a look at what Reynolds means to Milwaukee, including this pretty telling quote:

For the price of nothing - $2m if he makes the team, and $500k in possible incentives - Milwaukee has probably added value, and so it's difficult to argue with that. But then, the opportunity to discuss the Brewers in any context does raise the significant question of, well, what exactly the team is doing.

At Beyond the Box Score, Evan Kendall asks if Reynolds can fill the Brewers' void at first base.

The Brewers may have had the inside track on Reynolds because they train in Arizona: @Mass_Haas spotted a note saying Reynolds preferred to sign with a Cactus League team and many of his other suitors have camps based in Florida. Reviewing the Brew collected fan reaction to the transaction.

Even with Reynolds in the fold, however, some uncertainty remains at first base. The vote is split in this Reviewing the Brew poll between preferring Reynolds as the full-time starter and favoring a platoon with Francisco. Meanwhile, on Saturday Eric ran a post looking at why it doesn't make sense to move four other prominent Brewers to first.

Reynolds could earn a maximum of $2.5 million in 2014 if he makes the team and maxes out his incentives. The Book of Gorman has updated their payroll projections to include him and now has the Brewers spending just under $82 million with one roster spot open.

That figure is different from some others you might have seen because it takes deferred money into account. Derek Harvey has a look at some of the deferrals we know about. In a related note, this morning I learned the Diamondbacks are still paying outfielder Bernard Gilkey, who last played in the majors in 2001, through 2017.

If the organization is done spending, then what should we expect from the 2014 Brewers? Noted leisured gentleman Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs has a look at Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projections for this year, which aren't exceptionally optimistic. If you'd like a smaller look at the result without actually having to click on anything, Jaymes Langrehr has you covered in our second Tweet of the Day:

Oof RT @cistulli Rough depth chart for the Brewers with rough WAR projections c/o @DSzymborski's ZiPS. Post tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/yJPG4us1jE

— Jaymes Langrehr (@JaymesL) January 19, 2014

That projection features Ryan Braun in right field, which will take some getting used to. If you're also struggling with the adjustment, Jess Lemont of The Brewers Bar has a visual aid that might help.

You can also get used to it while seeing Braun at Brewers On Deck. 28 current players are among those scheduled to attend the offseason event.

Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado project to be one of baseball's most productive catching tandems this season, and that's before you consider pitch framing. Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs notes that the pair are among baseball's best at getting low pitches called strikes. In a related note, Nick Ashbourne of Beyond the Box Score asks if we're seeing a golden age of catching.

If the Brewers do decide not to make any more moves then you can cross Milwaukee off the list of veteran infielder Michael Young's possible destinations. Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times wonders if Young could return to the Dodgers.

In the minors:

• Juan Francisco hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth on Saturday as Licey beat Cibao to advance to the Dominican Winter League's championship series. Brewerfan.net has the video, and Francisco's celebration likely would not have gone over well back in the states.
• Licey was off Sunday but the best-of-nine championship series with Escogido opens tonight.
• Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, Martin Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a walk but it was not enough as Mayaguez lost 5-1 to Caguas in the first game of the Puerto Rican championship series (box score). Irving Falu went 0-for-5 for Mayaguez, while Jose De La Torre pitched a scoreless eighth for the victors.
• Jason Arndt of Brewers Farm Report has a story on hard throwing 2013 Brevard County Manatees pitcher Damien Magnifico.
• @Mass_Haas notes that Venezuelan catcher and longtime Brewers minor leaguer Anderson De La Rosa has signed with the Angels. De La Rosa was a spring training invitee the last couple of seasons and is a career .238/.282/.341 hitter across ten seasons largely spent as a backup.
• In the FanPosts section, polockwithanattitude has a recap of the Brewers' affiliate situation with AA Huntsville and a ranked prediction of AA teams the Brewers could be working with in 2015.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has photos from a snowy Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

If you weren't around the site this weekend you might have missed JP's weekly look at what we learned over the previous seven days. Last week might have been the busiest of the offseason.

Lots of arbitration settlements made for the biggest weekend of the season around baseball: (All arbitration deals are one year unless otherwise noted.)

Angels: Avoided arbitration with relievers Ernesto Frieri ($3.8 million) and Fernando Salas ($870,000).
Astros: Avoided arbitration with catcher Jason Castro ($2.45 million) and first baseman Jesus Guzman (terms undisclosed).
Athletics: Avoided arbitration with infielder Jed Lowrie ($5.25 million) and pitcher Luke Gregerson ($5.065 million).
Braves: Avoided arbitration with pitcher Kris Medlen ($5.8 million), third baseman Chris Johnson ($4.75 million), pitcher Mike Minor ($3.85 million) and outfielder Jordan Schafer ($1.09 million).
Cardinals: Avoided arbitration with outfielders Jon Jay ($3.25 million) and Peter Bourjos ($1.2 million).
Cubs: Avoided arbitration with outfielder Nate Schierholtz ($5 million), pitchers James Russell ($1.775 million) and Pedro Strop ($1.325 million) and infielder Luis Valbuena ($1.71 million). 
Diamondbacks: Avoided arbitration with reliever Joe Thatcher ($2.375 million).
Giants: Avoided arbitration with outfielder Gregor Blanco ($2.525 million), pitcher Yusmeiro Petit ($845,000) and infielder Tony Abreu ($745,000).
Mariners: Signed pitchers Joe Beimel and Logan Kensing and catcher Manny Pina to minor league deals.
Marlins: Avoided arbitration with outfielder Giancarlo Stanton ($6.5 million) and pitchers Steve Cishek ($3.8 million) and Mike Dunn ($1.4 million).
Mets: Avoided arbitration with infielder Daniel Murphy ($5.7 million) and pitchers Bobby Parnell ($3.7 million) and Dillon Gee ($3.625 million) and signed infielder Omar Quintanilla and pitcher John Lannan to minor league deals.
Nationals: Avoided arbitration with shortstop Ian Desmond (two years, $17.5 million), reliever Drew Storen ($3.45 million), catcher Wilson Ramos ($2.095 million) and reliever Jerry Blevins (terms undisclosed).
Orioles: Avoided arbitration with first baseman Chris Davis ($10.35 million), relievers Tommy Hunter ($3 million) and Troy Patton ($1.275 million) and pitcher Brian Matusz ($2.4 million).
Padres: Avoided arbitration with third baseman Chase Headley ($10.525 million), shortstop Everth Cabrera ($2.45 million), pitcher Tyson Ross ($1.98 million) and first baseman/outfielder Kyle Blanks ($987,500).
Phillies: Avoided arbitration with outfielder John Mayberry Jr. ($1.5875 million).
Pirates: Avoided arbitration with second baseman Neil Walker ($5.75 million), third baseman Pedro Alvarez ($4.25 million), first baseman Gaby Sanchez ($2.3 million) and pitchers Mark Melancon ($2.595 million) and Vin Mazzaro ($900,000).
Rangers: Avoided arbitration with pitchers Neftali Feliz ($3 million) and Alexi Ogando ($2.625 million) and signed pitcher Rafael Perez to a minor league deal.
Rays: Avoided arbitration with outfielder Matt Joyce ($3.7 million), pitcher Jeremy Hellickson ($3.6 million), infielder/outfielder Sean Rodriguez ($1.5 million), pitcher Jake McGee ($1.5 million), catcher Jose Lobaton ($950,000) and pitcher Cesar Ramos ($750,000).
Red Sox: Avoided arbitration with first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp ($1.4 million) and reliever Junichi Tazawa ($1.275 million).
Reds: Avoided arbitration with pitchers Mike Leake ($5.925 million), Sam LeCure ($3.05 million) and Alfredo Simon ($1.5 million) and outfielder Chris Heisey ($1.6 million).
Royals: Avoided arbitration with pitchers Luke Hochevar ($5.21 million) and Tim Collins ($1.3625 million) and first baseman Eric Hosmer ($3.6 million).
Tigers: Avoided arbitration with pitcher Rick Porcello ($8.5 million), outfielder Austin Jackson ($6 million), outfielder Andy Dirks ($1.625 million) and reliever Al Alburquerque ($837,500).
Twins: Avoided arbitration with infielder Trevor Plouffe ($2.5 million) and pitchers Brian Duensing ($2 million) and Anthony Swarzak ($935,000).
White Sox: Avoided arbitration with outfielder Alejandro De Aza ($4.25 million) and second baseman Gordon Beckham ($4.175 million).

Even with all of those settlements, across baseball there are still 38 arbitration cases remaining. Talking Chop has a rundown.

Also worth noting: With the arbitration commitments above, the Rays will now have an Opening Day payroll above $77 million for the first time in franchise history.

Today in former Brewers:

• Amber Sabathia (wife of CC) has a few photos from Rickie Weeks' wedding over the weekend.
• Bless You Boys listed former Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn as the 28th greatest Tiger of all time.
• Camden Chat listed B.J. Surhoff as the 31st greatest Oriole of all time.
• NPB Tracker has a note on the Japanese manager whose antics helped inspire Hideo Nomo to make the transition to the US.

Today's sabermetrics note comes via the FanGraphs Community, where a poster attempted to use RA/9 (runs allowed per nine innings) to rework the Quality Start statistic.

Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2013 Brevard County Manatee Seth Harvey, who turns 26.
• 2003 Brewer Luis Martinez, who turns 34.
• 2005 Brewer Julio Santana, who turns 41.

Plunk Everyone notes that Santana's 21 career hit batsmen are tied for the fifth most ever for a pitcher born on January 20.

Today is also the 18th anniversary of the Brewers signing pitcher Ben McDonald, a former #1 overall pick, as a free agent in 1996. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try out again.

Drink up.

Many have cautioned against trusting his video game production in the minors - and the majors - but if a guy mashes his whole life, could he just be a masher?

On December 5th, the Brewers traded one of their most consistent hitters and committed to move their franchise player across the diamond to right field. This was done in order to make Khris Davis the Milwaukee Brewers' starting left fielder for the 2014 season. That's kind of a big deal. Big enough to create some buzz, right?

Well, not really. Most of what has been written about the Brewers this winter has been concerning things they haven't done.

But I think the decision is worthy of some conversation. This isn't moving Bill Hall to center field to accommodate slick-fielding JJ Hardy or moving a younger Ryan Braun from third base because he clearly couldn't handle the position. Braun was just about right for left field - athletic enough to handle shagging and an arm sufficient for limited duty. But they're asking more from him to make room for Davis, who has barely cracked Brewers' prospect watch lists, if at all, since he was drafted in 2009.

Consider Khris Davis' statistics in the minor leagues:

Why aren't there prognosticators soiling themselves at the thought of Davis getting everyday ABs in Miller Park? The power jumps off the page, but for some reason the man himself refers to it as a "secret weapon". The reason is that Davis has barely been considered a prospect and therefore virtually ignored. All I could think was that he was lowly regarded out of college, and that the experts believe his production to be a fluke given his raw physical tools. You know - long swing, bad defense, too small - the usual. So I started from the beginning.

Move Him to First: A Closer Look at Positional Value

Eric takes a look at what certain Brewers' WARs would look like were they to play first base full-time

Davis drew the mild interest of the New York Mets with an eye-popping season as a senior at Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona, where he hit .592 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI (1.173 slugging percentage) in 2006, helping the team to a State 5AII Championship. The Mets selected him in the 26th round of 2006 draft, but he declined and chose to attend Cal State Fullerton to pursue a degree in kinesiology.

As a freshman he started 37 of 63 games, posting a respectable .376 OBP, but managing only a .288 SLG without a single home run. In his sophomore campaign in 2008 he actually saw a decrease in ABs due to him becoming one of the Titans' most important role players. He improved to a .462 SLG aided by his excellent bench contribution, going 9-for-21 with three home runs and 12 RBI as a pinch hitter. Fellow teammate Erik Komatsu, who posted a .355/.459/.593 slash starting all but two games, was selected by the Brewers in the 8th round of that year's draft.

Davis' junior year was his breakout college performance. Playing alongside future Brewers farmhand Nick Ramirez, Davis unleashed the power stroke in an everyday role, starting 61 of the Titans' 63 games. He led the team with 16 home runs and finished the season with an impressive .328/.412/.642(!) slash line. He was the offensive leader for the last Titans' team to make an appearance in the College World Series, though they were booted by Virginia in the first round.

With an apparent keen eye on Fullerton baseball, the Brewers were sold enough on Davis' talent to draft him in the 7th round of the 2009 draft. As seen above, Davis has done very little to disappoint. Despite this, he has stealthily dodged almost every top Brewers' prospect list while methodically ascending his way through the Brewers' farm system.

Here are a few interesting comments concerning Davis' prospects from a handful of Q&A chats at Baseball Prospectus:

Q (1/10/2014): What do you see in Khris Davis...?

A (Mark Anderson): I don't expect Davis to mash long term. I think he can be a useful piece for the Brewers, but not a centerpiece.

Q (12/17/2013): Which do you think will have the best career? Marcell Ozuna, Jake Marisnick, Michael Choice, Khris Davis? And can you rank the 4 for career?

A (Jason Parks): I would take Marisnick. Marisnick, Choice, Ozuna, Davis

Q (6/27/2011): Khristopher Davis is hitting well for the Brewers at Brevard County. Any chance he can become anything or does he need to do it at AA to get any actual attention? Age working against him?

A (Kevin Goldstein): I actually kind of like Davis, but yes, he'll need to keep proving it. I still think he could get to the big leagues, which would exceed expectations.

The staff at BP over the last couple seasons has shown an increasing willingness to believe in Davis' ability; in their 2012 annual they stated that Khris "doesn't have the tools of Kentrail [Davis]", referring to him as "the other K. Davis". To be fair, Kentrail was a higher draft pick whose prospects were pretty widely heralded at the time, but it helps show how the tables have significantly turned. In the 2013 edition BP notes his "weak arm and poor foot speed," but admit that his bat "might just be able to carry him."

Parks did not include Davis' name in any capacity in last year's list of top Brewers prospects. In 2012, Goldstein, who is perhaps the most bullish on Davis, had him at #20. #13 in '11. Crickets in '10. He has never cracked Fangraphs' Marc Hulet's annual top 10/15 list. He's never made Tom Haudricourt's top 10 list over at Baseball America. Yet the Brewers are moving Ryan Braun defensively, which really isn't a guaranteed success, to get his bat in the lineup.

Two summers ago, Goldstein (who is now the director of professional scouting over at Houston) commented on Khris Davis as such: "Sometimes you just get a feeling about a guy," and "he can really hit, always has, and there's an onus on the Brewers to see just how good he really is". The Brewers seem to agree. Maybe it's something to start getting excited about.

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Monday's Frosty Mug: A clean arbitration slate
• Marco Estrada and Juan Francisco avoid arbitration, agree to deals with Brewers
• Mark Reynolds free agency: Brewers sign corner infielder to minor league deal
• What we learned this week: January 18, 2014

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Well hot damn and by golly. The Brewers appear to be cookin' up a little first base competition with yet another minor league free agent signing. This time, it's an old friend.

Lyle Overbayis back and he's got a ticket to Maryvale to compete for a roster spot in spring training. After the Brewers signed Mark Reynolds to a minor league deal with a nudge-nudge implied agreement that he will totally make the active roster, it seemed like the team was probably content to go with him and Juan Francisco/Sean Halton/Hunter Morris in spring.

Apparently they were not. Overbay has been a sort-of target for the last few weeks, though it was never clear how much of that was actual interest and how much of it was writers seeing a hole at first base, the fact that Overbay is a former Brewer, and putting two and two together.

Brewers sign Mark Reynolds

The Brewers are collecting borderline useful first basemen

Overbay was a part of the fabled Richie Sexson trade with the Diamondbacks. He came over with Junior Spivey, Chris Capuano, Craig Counsell, Chad Moeller and Jorge De La Rosa and was the primary starter at first base for the Brewers in both 2004 and 2005, which really doesn't seem that long ago. He was pretty good, too, but was traded to the Blue Jays for Dave Bush when Milwaukee had bigger, better, and more royal-sounding things on the horizon.

In his two years with Milwaukee, Overbay was a fan favorite (Oooooooo) and a surprisingly good player. He led the NL with 53 doubles in 2004 while posting a .301/.385/.478 batting line, one of the better performances the team had seen in around the time. He dropped off a little the next year, but still hit for an 816 OPS. Overbay had a great season in his first year with the Blue Jays and hit a career-high 22 home runs, but only OPS'd over 777 one time after that.

Overbay brings the Brewers one step closer to being the 2013 Yankees. Both he and Mark Reynolds most recently spent time in New York, and both teams even have their own Biogenesis player (though the Brewers' gets to play next year -- haha, Yankees [wait, crap, Rodriguez suspended is actually a win for them]). Overbay played in 142 games for New York last year, hitting .240/.295/.393.

The way he has played recently, it's absolutely possible he's not going to be all that useful of a player anymore. He is 36 years old now, after all. That would be a terrible bummer given that I'm sure just about any Brewers fan would love for him to come in and kick ass for the team once more. Still, he bats left-handed and Mark Reynolds hits righty. The latter has been pretty much assured a roster spot, so Overbay's chances will rely on him beating Francisco out as a platoon partner.

Either way, it's good to see O back and at least have a shot. He couldn't have found a much better spot to land this offseason.

Also, he inspired a pretty neat fan site (on LiveJournal!). So go there and measure how loud your "O" chant is.

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Maybe It's Time to Take Khris Davis Seriously
• Monday's Frosty Mug: A clean arbitration slate
• What we learned this week: January 18, 2014
• Move Him to First: A Closer Look at Positional Value
• Marco Estrada and Juan Francisco avoid arbitration, agree to deals with Brewers

We take a look at some of the things going on around MLB today, as the Brewers signed Lyle Overbay to a minor league deal, the Cubs announce spring training plans for some of their top prospects and Jurickson Profar wraps up an impressive campaign in the Dominican Winter League.

The Brewers have added yet another first baseman, signing Lyle Overbay to a minor league deal, according to Tom Haudricourt. Overbay is also getting an invitation to major league camp.

The 36-year-old Overbay last played for Milwaukee back in 2005. Since then, the journeyman has made stops with the Blue Jays, Pirates, Yankees and Diamondbacks. He played with the Yankees in 2013 and received a sizable chunk of playing time due to numerous injuries. He hit .240/.295/.393 in 486 plate appearances, but did most of his hitting at Yankee Stadium (.288/.353/.488) while posting a puny .197/.240/.383 on the road. He also disappeared in the second half of the season, posting an OPS over 150 points lower than he did in the first half.

Overbay is just the latest in a string of first base additions for the Brewers. They also signed slugger Mark Reynolds to a minor league deal last week. With Corey Hart missing the entire season, Brewers first basemen in 2013 were an unmitigated disaster, as they collectively posted a hitting line of .206/.259/.370. Neither Overbay nor Reynolds hit particularly well last season as evidenced by their receiving minor league deals, but they both would have been significant upgrades on what the Brewers trotted out there.

Cubs' top prospects to get invite to major league spring training

Top Cubs prospects Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Albert Almora will each get a shot to play with the big leaguers during spring training, according to Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune. Cubs' president Theo Epstein said Saturday that the trio will be invited to major league spring training as non-roster invitees. Though chances are slim that any of them will break camp with the Cubs, their first time in major league camp will be a good opportunity for them to showcase their skills against high-level talent.

The Cubs boast one of the most impressive minor league systems in baseball, and Baez, Bryant and Almora are considered the headliners. Baez spent the 2013 season between High-A and Double-A and ripped an incredible 71 extra-base hits. Bryant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft, rocketed through three levels in his pro debut, posting an aggregate OPS of 1078 and leaving a number of embarrassed and spiritually broken young pitchers in his wake. Almora was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 draft and hit .329 at Class-A Kane County. All are expected to be ranked among the top-50 overall prospects in the game heading into the 2014 season.

Profar impresses in Dominican Winter League

The Tigres del Licey are headed to the Dominican Series against Escogito and the Rangers' middle infielder Jurickson Profaris a big reason why. Profar has gotten on base at nearly a .400 clip for Licey this winter, prompting general manager Manny Acta to call him, "The most impressive player down here alongside [Pirates' prospect] Gregory Polanco."

Profar will get a chance to play everyday for the Rangers in 2014 after they shipped out All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler in exchange for Prince Fielder in the biggest blockbuster deal of the winter so far. The move was made in part to make room for Profar, whose natural position is shortstop. The Rangers have All-Star shortstop Elvis Andrus signed long-term though, so Kinsler was the odd man out.

The Dominican Series begins Monday night.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Neyer: The Hall of Famer who was always wrong

• 2014 MLB salary arbitration tracker

• Instant replay expansion approved

• Has sabermetrics changed baseball?

• Five teams make formal offers to Tanaka | AL tracker | NL tracker

Make your O for the Brewers' single season doubles record holder.

Late last week we learned that Mark Reynolds was joining the Brewers to play first base. Apparently he's not the only one. Today the team announced they've signed free agent Lyle Overbay to a minor league deal and will bring him to big league camp.

Overbay was a Brewer in 2004-05 and hit .289/.376/.464 over 317 games, but that was a long time ago. Now he's 36 (he turns 37 next week) and he appeared in 142 games for the Yankees a year ago, hitting .240/.295/.393 in 486 plate appearances.

Overbay is a left handed hitter, which could make him a candidate to platoon with Reynolds. He was much better against right handed pitching last season, as seen below:

This signing is likely to be bad news for Juan Francisco, as the Brewers now have a veteran lefty candidate to play first base this spring. Overbay also has a much better track record defensively: UZR has him rated above average in five of the last seven seasons and had him at +3.7 runs per 150 games last year.

This move does not impact the 40-man roster, which still has one spot open.

We're talking about the latest addition to the first base derby and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while going on a tangent.

We are 23 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, and another locker in the big league clubhouse has been claimed: Yesterday the Brewers signed Lyle Overbay to a minor league deal and invited him to camp. Overbay is 36 and a veteran of 13 MLB seasons, including the 2004 and 2005 campaigns as a member of the Brewers. More recently, he was a .240/.295/.393 hitter as a member of the Yankees in 2013.

Overbay gives the Brewers another left handed option to compete with Juan Francisco and Mark Reynolds for playing time this spring. Doug Melvin told Dick Kaegel of MLB.com that the current plan is to "mix and match" first basemen.

Refilling the roster with minor league contracts may not have been Plan A this winter, but at least one national writer seems to like what the Brewers are doing lately. Here's Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk on the Overbay signing:

"The Brewers didn't want to trade quality for Ike Davis, so they've signed a guy for next to nothing who, in reality, was more useful than Ike Davis last year."

Meanwhile, it's hard not to wonder what Mark Reynolds is thinking, as his path to an everyday role is suddenly more challenging than it was when he signed with the Brewers three days ago. Over at Sports on Earth, Jack Moore listed Reynolds as a no-risk signing that could pay off in 2014.

If the Reynolds or Overbay signings do pay off, it could go a long way to help preserve Doug Melvin's job. Kiley McDaniel of Scout.com has Melvin as one of five general managers on the hot seat this season (FanShot). Melvin, by the way, was in Madison last night for the annual Dugout Club Winter Baseball Banquet.

A big year from Khris Davis in his first full MLB campaign would also make a big difference. Yesterday Fred wondered if it's time to start taking Davis seriously as an MLB slugger. Meanwhile, Pete Goodchild of Reviewing the Brew has a look at the importance of Davis' 2014 season.

Across the outfield, Ryan Braun will be in the lineup on Opening Day playing right field for the first time. Kevin Kimmes of Cream City Cables noted that NESN seeded Braun second in their tournament to determine baseball's biggest villain.

In the minors:

• Juan Francisco went 1-for-4 and drove in a run as Licey beat Escogido 2-1 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-nine Dominican winter league championship (box score). The two teams are scheduled to play again tonight.
• Matt Garrioch of MLB Prospect Guide listed Cameron Garfield among baseball's best 23-year-old catching prospects.
• @KirkBall has a picture from Space Coast Stadium, home of the Brevard County Manatees.

Meanwhile in the Dominican Republic, earlier this winter we noted that Sophia Minnaert of FS Wisconsin was touring the country filming stories about Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura's homeland and offseason. Adam McCalvy has much more on her adventures, including notes on the plans for the footage.

Back in Milwaukee, the Brewers have opened up the lottery for 2014 Opening Day tickets. You have until February 17 to sign up for the chance to purchase the limited supply of remaining tickets for the March 31 game against the Braves.

Around baseball:

Blue Jays: Signed outfielder Ricardo Nanita to a minor league deal.

Today in former Brewers:

• KC Kingdom has a scouting report for new Royal Norichika Aoki, saying "overall, he's a perfect fit at the top of the lineup for the hard-running, run-manufacturing, bat-on-ball Royals."
• As part of their Blogathon for Doctors without Borders, Old Time Family Baseball has a guest post from Yakyu Night Owl with a great story on Nyjer Morgan in Japan.
• Tyler Drenon of SBNation.com notes that CC Sabathia appears to have lost weight again this winter, and wonders if that could actually be a bad thing.
• Pinstripe Alley listed 1970 Brewer Al Downing as the 84th greatest Yankee of all time.
• Baseball Card Vandals had some fun with a Robin Yount card.

There's also at least one current and one former Brewer on Lone Star Ball's Sporcle quiz asking you to name the players who have hit 250 home runs in a decade.

Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2013 Huntsville Star Shawn Zarraga, who turns 25.
• 1971 Brewer Bob Reynolds, who turns 67.
• 1954-57 Milwaukee Brave Danny O'Connell, who would have turned 85.
• 1901 Milwaukee Brewer Irv Waldron, who would have turned 142.

Plunk Everyone notes that O'Connell's 22 career HBP are tied for the third most ever by a position player born on January 21.

Today is also the 12th anniversary of the Brewers trading outfielder Jeromy Burnitz to the Mets in 2002 and the eleventh anniversary of the club claiming outfielder Brady Clark off waivers in 2003. We covered those events in Today In Brewer History last year and two years ago, respectively.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to look somewhere else.

Drink up.

The best news about these home runs is that they still only counted for one.

Until this point in the Brew Crew Blasts series, we've focused on home runs hit by Brewers. Today we'll take a small detour to look at some of the longest homers hit by opposing players. Brewers pitchers allowed 175 home runs in 2013, the second most in the National League, and these were the biggest.

5) Travis Snider of the Pirates off Hiram Burgos on May 16, 439 feet

Burgos only made six starts as a Brewer in 2013, but his season had a clear rise and decline. He posted a 3.00 ERA over his first three starts and an 11.91 mark over the final three. Snider's fifth inning blast was his first of the season, but the final long ball allowed by Burgos.

That hit also plated the eventual winning run in a 7-1 Pirates victory.

4) Jay Bruce of the Reds off Wily Peralta on June 16, 443 feet

A month to the day later, Wily Peralta gave up a homer that topped Burgos'. Peralta entered the game against the Reds with a 6.03 ERA and it went up after this day, when he allowed five runs (four earned) over 5.1 innings. Jay Bruce had the Reds' only homer, a solo blast in the third inning.

That was the Reds' second longest home run of the season at home.

3) Brian Bogusevic of the Cubs off Donovan Hand on September 19, 445 feet

Bogusevic isn't exactly a noted slugger, with just 17 career home runs across 299 major league games. This pinch-hit solo blast in the ninth inning off Donovan Hand was his last long ball of 2013, but he got all of it:

That was the final tally in a 5-1 Cubs win. It was also tied for the second-longest homer hit by a Cub in 2013.

2) Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals off Tom Gorzelanny on August 21, 449 feet

Carlos Beltran is a noted slugger, hitting 24 home runs in 2013 to push his career total to 358. This was easily the longest of the 24, though, nearly eclipsing 450 feet:

That bomb gave the Cardinals a 6-0 lead in a game they went on to win 8-6.

1) Matt Holliday of the Cardinals off Kyle Lohse on May 3, 458 feet

In the end, none of the others are really all that close to this one. Kyle Lohse was facing the Cardinals for the second time as a Brewer when he allowed Matt Holliday to untie a scoreless game with this two-run bomb:

Lohse was the losing pitcher in each of his first three matchups against the Cardinals before finally getting a win against them on August 20.

Brew Crew Blasts is a multi-part series looking at the longest and most notable home runs hit by Brewers in 2013. You can see them all in their special section.

Jonathan Lucroy quietly produced top-five numbers at the catcher position in 2013, but did anybody notice?

In a season highlighted by Ryan Braun's denial and subsequent un-denial of performance enhancing drugs, a 74-win Brewer team was a surprising source of fantasy talent, from the speedy Jean Segura to the multi-dimensional Carlos Gomez to the other Khris Davis. One name you don't hear mentioned often -- but probably should -- is Jonathan Lucroy, who led Milwaukee with 82 RBI in the absence of the team's best hitter (Braun), in addition to a full season without Corey Hart and a long stretch without Aramis Ramirez.

With Braun's return and Segura and Gomez's coming-out party, Lucroy -- who has quietly emerged as a top-five catcher -- could once again be the forgotten Brewer on draft day. Among backstops, Lucroy finished No. 4 in 2013, ahead of Buster Posey, Joe Mauer, Carlos Santana and Brian McCann -- all of whom you will find listed ahead of Lucroy in the Fake Teams Consensus Rankings. And, according to the most recent NFBC Average Draft Positions, Lucroy is the No. 8 catcher.

I -- like the NFBC experts -- ranked Lucroy eighth behind Perez, as I have long been a big believer in the Royals' backstop, but Perez hasn't come close to matching Lucroy's best season. So what gives? In a stroke of good timing, Dan Szymborski's 2014 ZiPS Projections for the Brewers were released at FanGraphs on Monday, along with the following line for the 27-year-old:

.276/.331/.437, 53 R, 15 HR, 75 RBI, 7 SB

ZiPS projects a slight regression for Lucroy, with decreased counting stats across the board. I see things shaking out a little bit differently, however, with my biggest disagreement coming in terms of power. Lucroy hit a career-best 18 home runs in 2013 on the heels of a 22.8 percent line drive rate and a career-best 38 percent fly ball rate. While you would like to see an even higher fly ball rate, Miller Park plays very friendly for right-handed power and Lucroy has benefited with 28 out of 46 career home runs coming in his home park. He was well on his way to topping 18 home runs in 2012 before a freak accident sidelined his season; that year, he smacked 12 long balls in 316 at-bats, including a career-high .193 ISO. Last season's .175 ISO was down, but his upward trending line drive rate is a reason for optimism. And, over the last two years, Lucroy's batted ball distance (286.06 feet) has topped Rosario and Santana's. If the trend continues, 20 home runs is a real possibility.

One thing you're likely to get from Lucroy is a solid average, as he batted .320 and .280 in 2012 and 2013, respectively. A 40-point decrease isn't a great thing, but the signs of regression were there. A .338 BABIP helped Lucroy's batting average in 2012, and it predictably fell with a .290 BABIP last season. Lucroy's contact rates were right in line with 2012, however, and his swing rates all improved, including a 31.6 percent rate on pitches outside of the strike zone (down from 33.6). With a solid line drive rate and an improvement in both strikeout rate (11.9 percent, down from 12.4) and walk rate (7.9 percent, up from 6.4), I feel safe projecting a .280-.290 BA in 2014, and Daniel Schwartz's calculations from Rotobanter see a similar outcome with a batting average projection of .285.

Boosting Lucroy's value last season were nine steals in 10 attempts. Milwaukee was a run-heavy club in 2013, stealing 142 bags (third most), thanks mainly to the efforts of Segura, Gomez and ex-Brewer Norichika Aoki. Manager Ron Roenicke won't hold his guys back, but guaranteeing another nine steals, let alone five, is a dangerous proposition for a catcher. Lucroy stole four bags in 2012, so a safe range is somewhere in the four-to-eight discussion.

One area I do see improvement coming is in runs scored. Lucroy crossed home plate 59 times last year, a career best, despite the Brewers missing multiple pieces in their lineup. If he approaches 530 at-bats again, I think a new career high could be set, but don't go too crazy. He'll likely bat fifth or sixth, so his biggest contribution will once again come in RBI. With an NFBC ADP of 87.13, Lucroy might go as early as the eighth round in competitive leagues, but I can see him slipping to the ninth or tenth. If you don't target a catcher early, he is more than capable of out-producing his current ADP with contributions in all five roto categories.

Rotobanter projection ($11.72): .285 BA, 58 R, 17 HR, 81 RBI, 6 SB

More from Fake Teams

Follow @faketeamsFollow @SBNationMLB

• Catcher Profile: Devin Mesoraco
• 2014 Prospect Profile: Travis d'Arnaud
• 2014 MLB Prospect Review: Max Stassi, Houston Astros
• EPL: Affordable Midfield Options
• Catcher Profile: Yan Gomes
• Catcher Profile: Jason Castro
• Consensus Position Rankings/Projections: Top 30 Catchers for 2014, Part 1

We're discussing the challenges of selecting an Opening Day first baseman and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while living the dream.

We are 22 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale and the battle for playing time at first base is likely to be the top story when they arrive. Curt Hogg of Disiciples of Uecker weighed in yesterday with an argument for choosing Juan Francisco over recent signee Lyle Overbay. Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar also has a look at the Brewers' collection of options at the position.

Of course, Ryan Braun's return to action will also be one of the spring's top stories. Braun was a big topic of conversation at last night's Red Smith Annual Sports Banquet in Appleton, where Mike Woods of the Post Crescent grilled assistant GM Gord Ash about him.

Braun was also one of several topics of conversation as friend of the site Justin Hull of 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton interviewed Craig Counsell at the event. You can see the full interview on Youtube.

Braun is also the Brewers' biggest question entering 2014 according to Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider's season preview. Zuckerman also wonders how the Brewers' young pitchers will perform and what will happen with Aramis Ramirez.

Meanwhile, Jim Henderson is getting ready for his first full season as the Brewers' closer. Chris Mehring of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers has a list of his five favorite Henderson saves from his time with the team in 2009. In a related note, Jason Collette of FanGraphs has an interesting look at where closers come from.

Jonathan Lucroy has come pretty far in his three and a half major league seasons, going from a relatively unheralded prospect to one of the game's top catchers. Alex Kantecki of Fake Teams identified Lucroy as "the forgotten Brewer."

If the Brewers are going to compete in any relevant way in 2014 they're likely to need strong seasons from Lucroy and many of their other cost-controlled young stars. Jeff Wiser of Beyond the Box Score put five Brewers, including Jean Segura and Wily Peralta, on the NL Central's "All-Minimum team."

Unfortunately, Peralta also shows up on this list: Yesterday we took a look at the five longest homers hit by opposing players in 2013 as part of our Brew Crew Blasts series.

In the minors:

• Andrew Vrchota of Wisconsin Sports Blog has an interview with Huntsville Stars GM Buck Rogers where he discusses the team's pending move to Biloxi and some of his favorite moments from his long career in baseball.
• Juan Francisco went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Licey's 5-1 win over Escogido in the Dominican Republic last night (box score). Licey now leads 2-0 in the best-of-nine championship series.
• Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, Martin Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a double, scored a run and drove in two in Mayaguez's 6-4 win over Caguas (box score). Irving Falu went 1-for-5 for the winning side, while Jose De La Torre allowed a run in his inning of work in the loss. Their best-of-seven championship series is tied 1-1.
• Jason Arndt of Brewers Farm Report has a profile of 2013 top draft pick Devin Williams.
• Matt Garrioch of MLB Prospect Guide ranked 2013 Brevard County Manatee Nicky Delmonico among baseball's best 22-year-old third basemen.

Closer to home, Tom Gorzelanny is due some credit for doing a nice thing for kids in his community this winter. The Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City has a photo of Gorzelanny dropping off Brewers-themed gifts for the children at the facility.

Elsewhere in offseason activity, Donovan Hand recently visited his alma mater, Jacksonville State, and Joe Medley of the Anniston Star has the story.

Around baseball:

Dodgers: Signed catcher Miguel Olivo to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Signed reliever Clay Hensley to a minor league deal.
Phillies: Avoided arbitration with reliever Antonio Bastardo (one year, $2 million) and signed reliever Chad Gaudin and first baseman/outfielder Bobby Abreu to minor league deals.
Rays: Acquired utilityman Logan Forsythe and a PTBNL from the Padres for reliever Alex Torres and a PTBNL.
Yankees: Signed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million contract with an opt-out clause following the 2017 season.

The Brewers won't see Tanaka as often as they might have if he'd signed with the Cubs, but there's still a chance he'll pitch at Miller Park this season. Joe Block has the details in our Tweet of the Day:

Tanaka and the #Yankees play the #Brewers at Miller Park May 9-11

— Joe Block (@joe_block) January 22, 2014

Meanwhile, Ike Davis remains with the Mets despite having been the subject of rumors all winter. Ike is the son of former big leaguer Ron Davis, who told reporters the Mets "screwed up" their chance to move him.

We're using a wide interpretation in today's "former Brewers" notes:

• JKWard of MLB Daily Dish included Chris Capuano on his list of veteran free agent starting pitchers that are still on the market.
• Two brief members of the Brewers found work this week, as MLB Trade Rumors notes Hernan Iribarren signed a minor league deal with the Reds and Zach Jackson joined the Nationals organization.
• Former Brewer minor leaguer Jake Odorizzi sat down for an interview with David Laurilia of FanGraphs.
• Brandon Berg of Chippewa.com has an interview with former Brewers broadcaster Cory Provus.

Today's sabermetric note comes from Disciples of Uecker, where Nicholas Zettel takes an extended look at the concept of a "dependable" starting pitcher.

Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2013 Wisconsin Timber Rattler Tyrone Taylor, who turns 20.
• 2013 Huntsville Star Brock Kjeldgaard, who turns 28.
• 1977-84 Brewer Mike Caldwell, who turns 65. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Plunk Everyone notes that Caldwell's 35 career hit batsmen are the third most ever for a player born on January 22.

Today is also the tenth anniversary of the Brewers signing reliever Matt Wise as a minor league free agent in 2004. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History last year.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's my turn again.

Drink up.

Three outfielders, two catchers and a reliever will have lockers with the big leaguers this spring.

The Brewers are a little more than three weeks away from reporting to spring training, and a few players are probably adjusting their travel plans today. Mike Vassallo has the news:

OF Kentrail Davis, C Cameron Garfield, OF Mitch Haniger, OF Kevin Mattison, C Adam Weisenburger & RHP David Goforth NR invitees. #Brewers

— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) January 22, 2014

We'll start with the lone pitcher: David Goforth is 25 and was the Brewers' seventh round pick in the 2011 draft. He has a 4.04 career ERA across 81 appearances but had his best season in 2013, posting a career-low 3.17 ERA between 14 starts with Brevard County and a string of appearances with Huntsville where he was primarily a reliever. Goforth throws hard and made 12 relief appearances in the Arizona Fall League, striking out 15 in 12 innings and recording four saves. Adam McCalvy wrote about him last week.

Outfielder Mitch Haniger is also an AFL alum, and is likely to show up near the top of many of this winter's top prospect lists. The #38 overall pick in the 2012 draft, Haniger hit .264/.348/.431 between Wisconsin and Brevard County in 2013, then hit the cover off the ball in the AFL (.280/.354/.480) and was named to the league's All Prospect Team. He's still only 23 and 2014 will be his second full professional season.

Haniger will be joined in the outfield by fellow former top pick Kentrail Davis, the #39 overall selection in the 2009 draft. Davis appeared in 137 games in 2013 between Huntsville and Nashville and hit .268/.364/.390 with seven home runs. He tends to get overlooked on prospect lists and has limited power, but his OBP and ability to play center field could make him a big leaguer someday.

The third outfielder among the invitees is Kevin Mattison, the Brewers' recent selection in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Mattison is 28 and has played in AAA in three of the last four seasons in the Marlins organization, mostly in center field. He's a career .240/.317/.378 hitter in six professional seasons.

One can never have too many catchers in camp, and one of the Brewers' extra backstops will be 22-year-old Cameron Garfield. The Brewers' second round pick in the 2009 draft spent 2013 with Brevard County and hit .250/.280/.379 with eight home runs in 109 games. 2013 was his first full professional season since being limited by injuries in 2011 and 2012.

The other catcher on the list is 25-year-old Adam Weisenburger, who spent the 2013 season splitting time at Huntsville. He's a career .241/.351/.336 hitter across three professional seasons and set a career high with five home runs in 2013. He also appeared in nine Arizona Fall League games and went 7-for-35 at the plate.

Adding these six players to the list gives the Brewers 15 non-roster invitees scheduled to attend big league spring training. The others were all signed or re-signed as minor league free agents this winter: Pitcher Zach Duke, catchers Robinzon Diaz and Matt Pagnozzi and infielders Mark Reynolds, Lyle Overbay, Irving Falu, Hector Gomez, Taylor Green and Eugenio Velez.

It's a four-year, $52 million contract.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, as you know, is generally pretty accurate when he reports these kinds of signings, so I'll take this one as true:

Source: Garza in agreement with #Brewers, four years, $52M, pending physical.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 23, 2014

I'm posting this mainly for news and information -- not to say, "I'm glad the Cubs didn't bring Matt Garza back," although I certainly am glad of that. I hope when the Cubs play the Brewers and he's pitching, the Cubs bunt at him all day long.

I'm also posting this because the four-year, $52 million terms that are noted in Rosenthal's tweet could give a benchmark for what similar pitchers still on the market might sign for. Garza's signing is the "break the logjam" event we've kind of been waiting for, to get the free-agent market moving again, just three weeks before pitchers and catchers report.

Your reactions, and thoughts on who the Cubs might be able to sign now that this is done, in the comments.

Out of nowhere, the Brewers have finally made a major-league signing.

The Brewers and free agent starting pitcher Matt Garza have agreed to a four year deal worth $52 million, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The Brewers are close to The Brewer Nation first tweeted out news that the two sides were discussing a deal.

The important thing: Garza was the top free agent starting pitcher remaining that does not require draft pick compensation (and is arguably the top starting pitcher available regardless). This is not a Kyle Lohse situation where the Brewers would lose a first round draft pick. Because he was traded at mid-season last year and thus did not play for a full season on the Texas Rangers' squad, they were not allowed to make him a qualifying offer.

So that's a good thing. The other good thing is that, with the types of free agent contracts going around recently, this may turn out to be one hell of a steal. Garza is 30 years old and has basically been Yovani Gallardo over his career, without the decline. Garza hasn't had an ERA over 4.00 since his rookie season and tends to hover around a 3.70-3.90 ERA with around a 1.25 WHIP.

Garza's best season came in 2011, his first year with the Cubs after a trade from Tampa Bay. That year, he posted a 3.32 ERA and struck out 197 batters in 198 innings. He missed the second half of 2012 with a stress reaction in his elbow and the beginning of 2013 with a muscle strain on his left side, but appears to be healthy moving forward. Last year he started with a 3.17 ERA in the first half of the season with the Cubs, then a 4.38 ERA in the second half when he moved to the tougher American League. With the Brewers, he should bounce back to his typical numbers. He was pretty good in the AL East with the Rays, remember.

He doesn't pitch incredibly deep into contests, but he'll put up nice strikeout numbers with pretty good control. On this Brewers staff, he may be the de facto ace. Gallardo could bounce back and Marco Estrada and Kyle Lohse could both be excellent, but Garza may be the most likely to be the statistically best pitcher on the team at the end of the year.

The Brewers recent moves don't seem to gel with Doug Melvin saying the offseason plan was more likely to center around the team's youth getting more playing time, but it's hard to argue that they don't make the team better in the short-term.

Garza will almost assuredly take away a rotation spot from Tyler Thornburg. Barring a trade, Garza, Yovani Gallardo and Kyle Lohse are all absolutely locks to be on the starting staff, with Wily Peralta and Marco Estrada not far behind them. Of course, that doesn't mean that Thornburg (or Johnny Hellweg or Jimmy Nelson or whoever else) will not have the chance to start. Injuries happen. The Brewers had three starters last year surpass 30 starts with another above 20. Twelve Brewers' pitchers started a game, with non-Gallardo-Peralta-Estrada-Lohse pitchers getting 46 of those.

So, yeah, there should be plenty of starts to go around for the younger guys. If the Brewers want to compete next year (and, let's be honest, they probably do), Garza is a big, big upgrade. It's not hard to have offseason optimism and see how things could work out for Milwaukee next year. This move makes it even easier. And if the Brewers don't compete, and contracts keep going straight to the moon, he is going to become an immensely valuable trade asset. Sounds like a win-win.

In addition, while Jeff Passan may not be beloved among Brewers fans, I like this point:

Matt Garza got four years, $52M. Ricky Nolasco got four years, $49M. Garza career ERA+: 108. Nolasco: 94. Garza a year younger, too.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 23, 2014

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• The Thursday Thinker: Calling all campers
• Thursday's Frosty Mug: Filling out the camp roster
• Brewers invite Haniger, Goforth, four others to MLB camp
• Brewers sign Lyle Overbay to minor league deal
• Brew Crew Blasts: The Bad Ones

The veteran hurler gets a four-year deal, pending physical.

Free agent starting pitcher Matt Garza has signed a four-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers according to Ken Rosenthal. The terms are four years, $52 million. The deal is pending physical.

Given that the going price for top-flight starting pitching has climbed to $20 to $30 million dollars, Garza, a right-hander with a 3.84 career ERA (and a park- and league-adjusted ERA of eight percent below league average) has to be rated as something of a steal. As recently as last July's trade deadline Garza was in high demand, and the Rangers were viewed to have paid a high price in sending pitchers C.J. Edwards and Justin Grimm and third baseman Mike Olt to the Chicago Cubs to get him. Garza's indifferent pitching with the Rangers (he posted a 4.38 ERA in 13 starts after the July 22 trade) combined with some questions about the long-term health of Garza's elbow, seems to have cooled teams' ardor for him.

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A former first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins with a 2010 no-hitter to his credit, Garza has never put together the kind of consistent, high-level campaign that many predicted for him. He posted a career-best 3.32 ERA with the Cubs in 2011, but was unable to follow up in 2012 due to a midseason stress fracture in his elbow that limited him to 18 starts.

This marks the second time in two winters the Brewers have dipped into the free agent pool to staff out their rotation -- last March, the club signed right-hander Kyle Lohse, who had lacked for suitors due to the attachment of a draft-pick penalty to signing him, to a three-year, $33 million contract. Lohse performed well, but the inconsistency of Yovani Gallardo, Wily Peralta, and Marco Estrada meant that starting pitching was a problem for the Brewers throughout the season -- with an aggregate ERA of 4.20, Brewers' starters ranked 11^th in the National League.

Though the amount of money in the deal may seem slight by the standards of recent pitching mega-deals, it is the most the Brewers have ever spent on a free agent (per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

It was long predicted that Masahiro Tanaka's uncertain status was holding up the resolution of less-attractive free agents such as Garza, Ervin Santana, and Ubaldo Jimenez. With Tanaka agreeing to a contract with the Yankees on Wednesday, it seems that the remaining free agent starters will now be clear to find homes for the 2014 season.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Masahiro Tanaka signs with the Yankees | What's Plan B?

• Neyer: When cheating is the culture

• Alfonso Soriano: Recollecting an albatross

• Goldman: One man can make a difference ... but will Tanaka?

• 2014 MLB salary arbitration tracker

The right-hander reportedly agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is reporting that starting pitcher Matt Garza has signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, pending a physical. The Brewers will not  forfeit a draft pick to sign him.

Garza, who turned 30 in November, began 2013 with the Chicago Cubs, making 11 starts and going 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA. He was traded to the Texas Rangers mid-July, where things didn't go quite as well with a 4-5 record and 4.38 ERA in 13 starts. He threw a combined 155.1 innings in 24 starts, compiling a 10-6 record, 3.82 ERA, and 1.236 WHIP while striking out 136 and walking 42. His health has been a little shaky the last two seasons, but he made at least 30 starts a season from 2008-2011 with an ERA under 4.00 each year.

Amazin' Avenue's own Joshua Ryan profiled the right-hander, writing that the Mets could use an effective rotation arm like him but were unlikely to pursue a pitcher that would be looking to ink a costly multi-year deal.

More from Amazin' Avenue

Follow @AmazinAvenueFollow @SBNationMLB

• 2014 Mets Bullpen Preview: In the mix
• The Amazin' Avenue Audio Podcast: Episode 50
• The Bullpen Market: What's left?
• Mets Morning News: Masahiro Tanaka has 155 million reasons to love the Bronx
• Mets, Lucas Duda avoid arbitration with one-year, $1.6375 million deal

Ubaldo is still out there, though.

Matt Garza has signed with the Brewers

• The deal is for 4 years at $52 million, one heck of a bargain if Garza is healthy even three quarters of the time.
  
• Because of this health issue, he will have to pass a physical.
  
• Garza, Lohse, and Yovani Gallardo is a pretty dang good 1-2-3 atop their rotation.
  
• Garza was #2 on Lukehart's list of FA starters.
  

Grant Balfour has signed with the Rays

• ... for even less money than the last contract he signed this offseason

  #Rays deal with Balfour is 2 years, $12-million

  — Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) January 23, 2014

• Jeff Sullivan comments on a smart team spending money on a "closer":
  

  another low-budget smart team is signing another established veteran closer and that is very interesting to me

  — Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) January 23, 2014

  
  

• balfour at $15M for 2 yrs was bargain. so $12M/2 is an even bigger bargain. bona fide closers should get more than $6M per.

  — Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) January 23, 2014

I'll be all over the state talking about Matt Garza today.

One of the running jokes around the site is that I'm always gone when big news breaks. Today I was in a swimming pool when the Garza signing was announced. I'm dried off now, though, and I'll be spending much of the afternoon talking about the signing in radio appearances around the state.

First, I'll be the first guest of the day on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton at 2:15. I'll be in studio with Justin taking your calls and questions for as long as he'll have me, and you can reach us in any of the following ways:

• Call us at (866)653-1570.
• Email HomeStretch@gmail.com.
• Tweet us at @BrewCrewBall or @JustinHullRadio.
• Text us by sending a message starting with "WSCO" to 68255.

From there I'll move across the state to Eau Claire, where I'll be a guest on The Watercooler with Jimmie Kaska on Sports Radio 1400 at 4. It's been a while since Jimmie and I have talked, so this should be a good chance to catch up.

Then I'll head back east for an appearance in The Sports Den with Downtown Ollie Burrows on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau at 5:30.

After all that talking, I'll probably drink some tea or something. Listen in live all afternoon for the latest on the Garza signing!

Out of nowhere, the Brewers have finally made a major-league signing.

The Brewers and free agent starting pitcher Matt Garza have agreed to a four year deal worth $52 million, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The Brewers are close to The Brewer Nation first tweeted out news that the two sides were discussing a deal.

The important thing: Garza was the top free agent starting pitcher remaining that does not require draft pick compensation (and is arguably the top starting pitcher available regardless). This is not a Kyle Lohse situation where the Brewers would lose a first round draft pick. Because he was traded at mid-season last year and thus did not play for a full season on the Texas Rangers' squad, they were not allowed to make him a qualifying offer.

So that's a good thing. The other good thing is that, with the types of free agent contracts going around recently, this may turn out to be one hell of a steal. Garza is 30 years old and has basically been Yovani Gallardo over his career, without the decline. Garza hasn't had an ERA over 4.00 since his rookie season and tends to hover around a 3.70-3.90 ERA with around a 1.25 WHIP.

Garza's best season came in 2011, his first year with the Cubs after a trade from Tampa Bay. That year, he posted a 3.32 ERA and struck out 197 batters in 198 innings. He missed the second half of 2012 with a stress reaction in his elbow and the beginning of 2013 with a muscle strain on his left side, but appears to be healthy moving forward. Last year he started with a 3.17 ERA in the first half of the season with the Cubs, then a 4.38 ERA in the second half when he moved to the tougher American League. With the Brewers, he should bounce back to his typical numbers. He was pretty good in the AL East with the Rays, remember.

He doesn't pitch incredibly deep into contests, but he'll put up nice strikeout numbers with pretty good control. On this Brewers staff, he may be the de facto ace. Gallardo could bounce back and Marco Estrada and Kyle Lohse could both be excellent, but Garza may be the most likely to be the statistically best pitcher on the team at the end of the year.

The Brewers recent moves don't seem to gel with Doug Melvin saying the offseason plan was more likely to center around the team's youth getting more playing time, but it's hard to argue that they don't make the team better in the short-term.

Garza will almost assuredly take away a rotation spot from Tyler Thornburg. Barring a trade, Garza, Yovani Gallardo and Kyle Lohse are all absolutely locks to be on the starting staff, with Wily Peralta and Marco Estrada not far behind them. Of course, that doesn't mean that Thornburg (or Johnny Hellweg or Jimmy Nelson or whoever else) will not have the chance to start. Injuries happen. The Brewers had three starters last year surpass 30 starts with another above 20. Twelve Brewers' pitchers started a game, with non-Gallardo-Peralta-Estrada-Lohse pitchers getting 46 of those.

So, yeah, there should be plenty of starts to go around for the younger guys. If the Brewers want to compete next year (and, let's be honest, they probably do), Garza is a big, big upgrade. It's not hard to have offseason optimism and see how things could work out for Milwaukee next year. This move makes it even easier. And if the Brewers don't compete, and contracts keep going straight to the moon, he is going to become an immensely valuable trade asset. Sounds like a win-win.

In addition, while Jeff Passan may not be beloved among Brewers fans, I like this point:

Matt Garza got four years, $52M. Ricky Nolasco got four years, $49M. Garza career ERA+: 108. Nolasco: 94. Garza a year younger, too.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 23, 2014

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Let's be honest - he was highly unlikely to end up in Minnesota, anyway.

The news that Matt Garza has signed with not the Twins isn't much of a surprise. That he got his four years also isn't much of a surprise. The fact that he was signed for just $52 million total? That's a bit of a surprise. Earlier this winter, speculation on a four-year contract for Garza meant you were penciling in $60 to $70 million.

All things being equal, yes, I think most people would rather pay Garza the extra $3 million spread over four years in order to secure his services instead of the services of Ricky Nolasco. But it's really, really hard to play that game, because nothing happens in a vacuum.

Maybe Nolasco would have been available for less if the Twins had waited, but there's no telling if he'd have then signed in Minnesota.

Maybe if the Twins had waited they could have focused on Garza, but competition drives up prices in most circumstances and there's no way to account for the differences between a player's "willingness" and his "preference" in a given organization.

And you also can guarantee that if, by this point in the winter, the Twins' major moves had been Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey, we'd be less than thrilled with those results.

Jim Pohlad, Terry Ryan, and the brain trust of the front office knew that they needed to be aggressive on the free agent pitcher market if they were to get anyone's attention, and they've done that. The goal was to make the starting rotation better, and as easy as it is to second guess and to judge decisions in hindsight, it's impossible to tell how things would have turned out if different decisions would have been made.

In spite of the fact that Garza has averaged just 130 innings over the last two seasons, I do still like this contract for Milwaukee. Garza solidifies an already talented set of potential starting pitchers, led by Yovani Gallardo and the now 35-year old Kyle Lohse. Marco Estrada is talented, Wily Peralta is joined by fellow youngsters Tyler Thornburg, Will Smith, and Johnny Hellweg. The Twins have some good pitching on the way, but for now they can only hope for seven solid options like that.

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Despite media reports of a deal being done, the Brewers have not made an official announcement on the signing.

The Matt Garza deal took an odd turn this evening.  Though the deal was reported as done earlier today by several sources, the Brewers have not officially announced the signing yet, and some of the writers for the Brewers are noticing some odd comments from the Brewers.

The Brewers first noted this on their Twitter stream minutes ago:

Despite media reports, negotiations between the #Brewers and Matt Garza are ongoing, but there is no deal yet.

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) January 24, 2014

There is no word on this yet, but beat writers Tom Haudricourt and Adam McCalvy are noticing a few strange things with the signing:

Could mean there was some issue with Garza's physical. He has a checkered medical past.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) January 24, 2014

I've never seen a statement like that from #Brewers. Very odd. Something definitely holding this up.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) January 24, 2014

Asst. GM Gord Ash declined comment when asked whether there was an issue with Garza's physical.

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) January 24, 2014

We will keep you up to date on any updates with the Garza signing as they happen.