Alfredo Figaro's Japanese Snafu Resolved, Brewers Sign Him To A Minor League Deal

Over a month ago we reported that the Brewers had signed Dominican pitcher Alfredo Figaro to a minor league deal, only to later find out that the deal was on hold because Figaro's rights were still owned by his Japanese team, the Orix Buffaloes.

The issue has now been resolved, and Figaro has signed his contract with an invitation to major league spring training. The Brewers did not pay for Figaro's posting fee, so his agent and Orix must have worked out a deal to allow him to return to the US.

Here's what I wrote about Figaro in the original post:

Alfredo Figaro is a 28-year-old Dominican righthander who has split his seven-year professional career between the Tigers and Orix in Japan's Pacific League. He's made 35 appearances (31 starts) for Orix since the start of the 2011 season and posted a 3.31 ERA over 187.2 innings, walking 2.6 and striking out a little less than six batters per nine innings.

Before heading to Japan Figaro appeared in a few games for the 2009 and 2010 Tigers, putting up a 6.54 ERA over 13 appearances. He has a 3.24 ERA over 129 career appearances in the minors, counting his time in Japan. FanGraphs says he's got a low-90's fastball, slider and changeup.

Figaro is probably more likely to serve as organizational depth than a key member of the 2013 Brewers, but he's an interesting low-risk acquisition either way. If he does turn out to be a major league contributor, the Brewers would have control of his services for six seasons.