One Man Gathers What Another Man Spills

Just as quickly as Brew Crew Nation wished Claudio Vargas were there to pick up the broken pieces of their hearts, the New York Mets swooped him up and called him their own. Kind of.

The two sides agreed to a minor league deal Thursday, giving the Mets some depth for their injury-plagued, and rather elderly rotation.

After going 11-6 with a 5.09 ERA over 23 starts last season for the Milwaukee Brewers, Vargas was released late this spring, which came as a bit of a surprise.

The 29-year-old righty will have to wait for an opportunity, however, as the club has already filled their gaps with top prospect Mike Pelfrey and journeyman Nelson Figueroa, who is set to start Friday night against the Brewers.

[Hot Foot]

Brewers Release Claudio Vargas

In a bit of a gamble and a big surprise, the Milwaukee Brewers released Claudio Vargas on Tuesday.

After unsuccessfully trying to trade him, the veteran right-hander will be on release waivers for two more days -- leaving any team the option of claiming him for $1 with the responsibility of paying his $3.6 million salary -- before he becomes a free agent.

This move pretty much sets the rotation for the regular season behind Opening Day starter Ben Sheets as Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, Carlos Villanueva and Manny Parra, respectively.

With lefty Chris Capuano most likely out for the season and facing Tommy John surgery to repair his torn elbow ligament, the top two candidates for a rotation replacement are minor leaguers Chris Narveson and Zach Jackson.

Vargas was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA this Spring. Last season, he went 11-9 with a 5.09 ERA, missing some time due to a back injury.

[Brew Crew Ball]

Squeeze Play

Right-hander Claudio Vargas and the Milwaukee Brewers will enter Wrigley Field to take on righty Carlos Zambrano and his Chicago Cubs at 8:05pm ET tonight with the intention of quieting Big Z.

The Cubs' ace called out Milwaukee after his last outing against them, saying the Brew Crew aren't as tough as the Cincinnati Reds.  Milwaukee centerfielder Bill Hall was a little ticked about Zambrano's comments, saying:

 We'll see what happens the next time we face him.

Brew Crew Give Vargas $2.5 Million

Right-handed pitcher Claudio Vargas asked the Milwaukee Brewers for $2.85 million and they countered with $2.15 million. The two parties reached an agreement somewhere in the middle with a one-year, $2.5 million contract.

Obtained by Milwaukee as part of a six-player exchange with the Arizona Diamondbacks in November, Vargas went 12-10 with a 4.83 ERA last season. This leaves catcher Johnny Estrada and utility player Bill Hall dangling in arbitration for the Brewers.

[Forbes]