8:09pm: Haudricourt has the details on Gagne’s contract:
If he makes the Brewers’ roster, he will receive a $1.5 million base salary. He could make another $2 million in incentives, based on games pitched from 25 to 60. He’d get another $1 million based on games finished from 50-65, but something really bad would have to happen to Trevor Hoffman for that to happen.
5:02pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin backed up the Gagne signing this afternoon in a conversation with Haudricourt, saying:
"He’ll have to come in and make the club. He pitched a lot better at the end of the year last year. He pulled me aside afterward and basically apologized for not performing the way we expected… We’ve got a long spring training this year. You never know when you might have an injury. Another veteran arm doesn’t hurt."
Gagne’s contract includes an opt-out near the end of Spring Training if he’s not on the 40-man roster.
3:45pm: Surprisingly, the Brewers signed Eric Gagne to a minor league deal today (Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporting). Perhaps Gagne wants to finish what he started, after the Brewers paid him $10MM in ’08.
The Scott Boras Corp. still has Garret Anderson, Joe Crede, Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Ron Villone on the free agent market.
