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The 2010-11 Brewer offseason might have been the most active of my lifetime, as the Brewers brought in Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum to be two parts of an NL Central championship rotation. Two years ago today the Brewers made another addition to that team, signing Japanese reliever Takashi Saito to a one year deal.
Saito was 40 at the time of the deal and turned 41 before Opening Day 2011, but carried a 2.19 career ERA over 292 relief appearances in the majors following a long career with Japan's Yokohama Bay Stars. He made just 30 regular season appearances for the Brewers but pitched very well, posting a 2.03 ERA over over 26.2 innings.
Saito's best work in 2011 came in the postseason, where he pitched seven shutout innings over six appearances and became the oldest Brewer ever to win a playoff game.
Injuries limited Saito to just 16 games with the 2012 Diamondbacks, and it's possible time has finally caught up with the veteran reliever. He'll be 43 before Opening Day 2013 and is currently a free agent.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to 1996-2001 Brewer Jeff D'Amico. He turns 37. We covered his birthday in this space last year.