Friday's Frosty Mug: Happy Gorzelannydays

Some things to read while comparing your adventures.

After months of speculation the Brewers finally made their biggest move of the offseason to date yesterday, signing veteran lefthander Tom Gorzelanny to a two year, $6 million deal. Gorzelanny is 30 and an eight year veteran, and is coming off a season where he posted a 2.88 ERA in 45 appearances for the Nationals. The former Cub and Pirate has experience as both a starter and reliever, but Tom Haudricourt says the Brewers plan to use him out of the bullpen.

While some of us are excited about the Brewers adding another option to the bullpen, Miller Park Drunk is already preparing for the worst. Gorzelanny, by the way, is on Twitter (and so is Josh Stinson, apparently)

Meanwhile, the fact remains that Gorzelanny and his $6 million contract represent the Brewers' largest offseason acquisition. Robert J. Baumann of NotGraphs couldn't even come up with five words to summarize the Brewers' winter to date.

It turns out that one Brewer acquisition from this week probably won't be a Brewer after all: Alfredo Figaro agreed to a contract with the Brewers on Wednesday but isn't actually eligible to do so, as his Japanese team still owns his rights.

Elsewhere in free agency: The Mets appear to have contacted Shaun Marcum. If the lack of rumors we're hearing about him is any indication, they may have been the first team to do so.

At present it looks like the Brewers are prepared to head into 2013 with Marco Estrada as their #2 starter. Nicholas Zettel of Disciples of Uecker has a look at Estrada's climb from long reliever to the top of the rotation.

Elsewhere in strong 2012 performances, Colin Bennett of Reviewing the Brew named Jonathan Lucroy the team's top offensive performer last season. He passed over both Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez to do so.

Speaking of Braun, his Wrigley Field home run in August was the second longest by a Brewer in 2012. We'll have a look at the longest blast later today.

In the minors:

• 2012 Wisconsin Timber Rattler Yadiel Rivera had four hits yesterday as Santurce split a doubleheader in the Puerto Rican Winter League. You can read about that and more in today's Winter League Recap.
• Minor League Rundown has a new mock draft and predicts the Brewers will select Florida high school shortstop Oscar Mercado with the #17 overall pick in June.
• Baseball America has a story on longtime Brewer farmhand and recent Rule 5 pick Eric Farris, but it's subscriber-only.

If you'd like more Brewer coverage this morning but you're sick of reading, my Thursday appearance on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton has been archived. We talked about Tom Gorzelanny and much more.

Finally, I wanted to take a moment this morning to say good luck to Kevin Kimmes of Cream City Cables, who has applied to be a part of the 2013 MLB Fan Cave. I'll vote for him, and you should too.

Around baseball:

Cubs: Signed pitcher Edwin Jackson to a four-year, $52 million deal.
Marlins: Signed infielder Placido Polanco to a one-year, $2.75 million deal.
Rangers: Signed catcher A.J. Pierzynski to a one year, $7.5 million deal and re-signed pitcher Yoshinori Tateyama to a minor league deal.

We've spent a lot of time over recent years discussing pitching mechanics and why guys get hurt, and we've seen dozens of theories on the topic. I think Eno Sarris of FanGraphs might be as close to nailing it as he's ever been when he says every pitch is bad for you.

In former Brewers:

• Casey McGehee is headed to Japan to play for the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
• 2003-05 Brewer coach Rich Dauer is the new manager of the Padres' AA affiliate in San Antonio.
• Rollie Fingers is in the bullpen for Mississippi Matt Smith of NotGraphs' "Assorted Parts All-Stars."

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to clean out my garage.

Drink up.