Brewers Sign Jorge Julio

"Julio, once a solid closer for the Baltimore Orioles, has been up-and-down in recent years, mostly because of command problems. He began the 2008 season with Cleveland and was sent to the minors, then released, after compiling a 5.60 ERA in 15 games.

But Julio signed with the Braves, pitched great at Class AAA Richmond (2.04 ERA, 13 saves in 38 games) and resurfaced with Atlanta near the end of the season. He pitched very well, going 3-0 with a 0.73 ERA in 12 appearances, with eight walks and 19 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. He is a hard thrower who regularly pitches in the mid to high 90s."

Hmm, worth a shot.

When the Indians inquired about Julio in his Baltimore closing days, the O's demanded Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner. Just food for thought.

Oh, MrMet, I think we know exactly what the Brewers are getting: league average relief from a guy who has been mistakenly cast in high-leverage situations.

Julio is not the worst guy to have at the back end of your bullpen, but it would be a mistake - and one that has been made repeatedly with him - to think that he should be a top option.

Ignore his '08 second half and judge him on the other seven seasons. That's my ten cents!

I guess they're replacing Gulliermo Mota with Julio. I thought they were the same guy, fooled me.

Why didn't the Braves resign this guy. He did good in the minors for us and he was pretty good when we brought him up to the majors. (3-0 with a 0.73 ERA in 12 appearances, with eight walks and 19 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.) Why not keep him in case someone in our bullpen goes down this year?

FutureBravesGM, I think you may have answered your own question. Why didn't the Braves, an organization known for its ability to develop and judge pitching, resign this guy? Because they are smart enough to know that guys who walk as many as Julio only post 0.73 ERAs in small samples. They probably would have kept him as insurance, but insurance can come cheaper than $950k guaranteed. Insurance in the form of Julio's career numbers is usually a Spring Training ivite away. From the player's standpoint, Julio probably likes his chances of getting higher leverage innings in Milwaukee, thus making him more attractive to teams in '09, so this result is probably as it should be for all parties.

No downside to this move. Power arm for pennies. Especially when factoring in how bare the Brewers bullpen is right now, Julio steps in immediately as a darkhorse for saves for six-figures.

"Nah, Julio is fatter."

He also throws harder.