Brewers GM Doug Melvin told reporters that he asked his staff about Dontrelle Willis, but did not pursue the lefty, who the Tigers just sent to Arizona. Left-handers Chris Narveson, Chris Capuano and Randy Wolf make up three fifths of the team's rotation, so the club had minimal interest in Willis, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
The Brewers are looking for pitching, however. McCalvy suggests Brian Bruney, who is now a free agent, could be an option for the club. The Brewers spent big on Doug Davis, Randy Wolf, Trevor Hoffman and LaTroy Hawkins last winter, but they still don't have enough pitching. Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he believes the team's signings can only be evaluated in context.
"What people don't understand is you have to look at availability," he said. "Not everybody wants to come here. Some players have no-trade clauses."
The Brewers contacted a number of teams about Claudio Vargas after designating him for assignment over the weekend, but have yet to receive trade offers for him, according to Haudricourt.
