Wolf is coming off of a career year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 34 starts, he had an ERA of 3.23 and a record of 11-7. With the Brewers, he’ll give the team a top of the rotation starter who can also help some of the younger arms.

Spending last season with the Houston Astros, the 36-year-old Hawkins pitched very well. In 65 relief appearances, he had a record of 1-4 with 11 saves and an ERA of 2.13. The 6-foot-5 righty will give the Brewers depth in their bullpen.

According to reports, Wolf’s deal is worth around $30 million over three years. Hawkins reportedly signed a deal worth $7.5 million over two seasons.

Randy Wolf - Milwaukee Brewers (Image: Zuma Press)

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The good news for Looper last season is that he led the Brewers in victories with a record of 14-7. The bad news is that he didn’t pitch very well. In fact, he led all of Major League Baseball in runs allowed (123) and home runs allowed (39). The 35-year-old started 34 games and had an ERA of 5.22.

Although he’s coming off a poor year, a team will surely be interested in the free agent. He has pitched at least 175 innings and won at least 12 games in three straight years. In 2008, Looper had an ERA of 4.16.

From 1998 until 2006, Looper was a relief pitcher. He even picked up 103 saves, including 85 from 2003 through 2005. His experience in the bullpen may make him even more alluring in free agency.

Braden Looper - Milwaukee Brewers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Hart started telling team doctors that something was wrong after he went 0-for-3 on Saturday against the San Diego Padres. Ken Macha, the manager of the Brewers, was thankful for how the surgery went down.

Said Macha: “The medical people in San Diego were terrific. To get that all scheduled and done on a Sunday was pretty awesome, so thanks to those people for the work they did. The good part of that is they got it before it burst or anything like that.”

On the season, Hart is hitting .264 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs. He also has 56 runs and nine stolen bases to go along with a .335 on-base percentage.

Bill Hall was recalled to complete the roster. Hall, who not long ago was a viewed as a great prospect, is hitting only .198 this season with five homers and 21 RBIs.

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The incident took place in the ninth inning with the Giants up 7-1. As the ball hit Martinez, Carmeron became visible upset. After being attended to by team doctors, Martinez was able to walk off the field.

On the season, Martinez has a 6.75 ERA in two appearances in the 2009 baseball season. The 26-year-old rookie out of Boston College was born in South Orange, New Jersey.

Initial reports indicate that Martinez could return to action in as little as a month. He is said to have already talked to a number of teammates and hasn’t reported many side effects other than a black eye and a slight headache. The three fractures are located on the right side of his face.

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If Gagne makes the Brewers, he will receive at least $1.5 million from the team. That salary could rise to $4.5 million if he meets all of the performance bonuses.

The 2003 Cy Young Award winner had a disastrous 2008 campaign. He finished the season with a 5.44 ERA and only recorded ten saves despite starting the season as the Brewers’ closer.

Since the 2004 baseball season, Gagne hasn’t remained healthy for an entire season. If he can stay healthy in 2009, the Brewers will have gotten one of the biggest steals in free agency.

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Before this news broke, we had Ben Sheets ranked as a top ten baseball free agent. Last season, Sheets had a 13-9 record and a 3.09 ERA. Over the last five seasons, the 30-year-old hurler hasn’t had an ERA higher than 3.82.

If Sheets has the surgery, he’d be unable to get back on the field for approximately ten months. Not long ago, Sheets was closing in on a contract with the Texas Rangers that would have guaranteed him two seasons. Now, following this news, nothing is guaranteed for Sheets.

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Fielder had asked for $8 million this season in salary arbitration. After this deal is up, he’ll again be eligible for arbitration.

Last season, Fielder played well but not as well as he did in 2007. In 2007, Fielder hit 50 homers and had 119 RBIs, 109 runs and a batting average of .288. Last season, Fielder had 34 homers to go along with 102 RBIs, 86 runs and a .276 batting average.

At 24, Fielder still has an extremely high ceiling. The son of former slugger Cecil Fielder, he could very well become the best slugger in the game over the next decade.

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At 41, Hoffman is somewhat a risk for the Brewers. But considering the fact that he’s one of the best closers in baseball history and the fact that he has at least 30 saves in his last 13 full seasons, it’s an understandable risk.

Earlier in the offseason, there was a lot of sadness when it become public that Hoffman wouldn’t be returning to the San Diego Padres. Hoffman had been with the Padres since 1993 but the team let him sign elsewhere to help trim costs.

Last season, Hoffman had a 3.77 ERA — the highest mark since his rookie season. With the Brewers, he will step into the closers role and with the added motivation of his longstanding team letting him go, don’t be surprised if this future Hall of Famer has a lights out year.

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A unique aspect about the deal is the fact that it has an opt-out clause for Sabathia after three seasons. According to reports, Sabathia wanted that clause in case he and his family were not able to adapt to the city of New York. Sabathia, who grew up in California, apparently didn’t want to take a bite out of the Big Apple without having an out clause.

For the Yankees, this is a huge signing — in every meaning possible. They desperately needed an ace on their pitching staff and they landed one of the best arms in the game. Sabathia automatically makes the Yankees a much better team and a team capable of winning the 2009 World Series.

The only worry for the Yankees could be Sabathia’s weight. At 300 pounds, Sabathia’s belt doesn’t have many holes left. If he balloons up any bigger, it’s going to be tough for him to be an effective pitcher.

That said, the risk of Sabathia’s girth and his giant contract is worth the possibility that he becomes the ace of the staff for the next seven years.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Sabathia was expected to receive big offers — but this offer was even bigger than expected. However, the fact that the Yankees are interested in Sabathia doesn’t come as a surprise. In fact, we predicted Sabathia would sign with the Yankees.

The reasons why the Yankees are so interested are obvious. In the 2008 baseball season, the Yankees missed the playoffs in large part due to ineffective pitching. Their pitching was good on paper to begin the year but injuries and poor play decimated their starting rotation. Signing Sabathia would give the Yankees an ace who has a history of being one of the better pitchers in all of baseball over the last half decade.

Despite the gigantic offer, Sabathia hasn’t made a decision yet. Other teams including the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets are believed to be considering making hefty offers of their own. There’s a chance Sabathia could take less money to re-sign with the Brewers, however the type of money the Yankees are offering would be hard for anyone to pass on.

Photo credit: Newscom

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